We, as the Designer Interviews ("DI") had the distinct pleasure and opportunity to interview award-winning, most creative and innovative Yunhua Cheng ("YC").
Yunhua Cheng is an award-winning designer that helps make the World a better place with their original and innovative creations and advanced design works.
Yunhua Cheng Designs
We are pleased to share with you original and innovative design work by Yunhua Cheng.
Yunhua Cheng Design - Cheers Brooch
Designer Interview of Yunhua Cheng:
DI: Could you please tell us more about your art and design background? What made you become an artist/designer? Have you always wanted to be a designer?
YC : When I was young, I liked to observe beautiful things, besides clothes and shoes, I also liked to see beautiful scenery. Maybe this is the seed of art buried in my heart. When I was in primary school, my art teacher found that I had a talent for painting, so he took me to take part in a painting competition, and I really won a prize. When I was in high school, my mother sent me to learn art, and I entered the world of painting step by step. In college, I formally began to learn design, but in college, I studied furniture and interior design, but after graduation, I joined a jewelry company. I could not resist the charm of jewelry at all. From then on, I hope to become an excellent jewelry designer.
DI: Can you tell us more about your company / design studio?
YC : My company, Yunsheng Jewelry Co., LTD., is named after me and my husband, and I named my brand Borrow View because jewelry is like a view on our body, through which we can better understand the wearer. My company is located in Shenzhen, China, which is a modern metropolis. I hope to borrow jewelry that can bring fashion but still rich in Chinese culture to working women.
DI: What is "design" for you?
YC : In my opinion, good design is firstly functional, it can solve some problems of human beings, and it can bring convenience to human beings. Secondly, it is beautiful, and people can't help touching and owning it. Finally, it has its own story, which makes you want to listen to it.
DI: What kinds of works do you like designing most?
YC : I like things that are unique and look cool, and I think there's something magical about this design.
DI: What is your most favorite design, could you please tell more about it?
YC : I like the armchairs of Ming Dynasty very much.
DI: What was the first thing you designed for a company?
YC : It's a pair of hand-woven emerald earrings。
DI: When do you feel the most creative?
YC : At night, when it's quiet
DI: Which aspects of a design do you focus more during designing?
YC : I will pay more attention to the integrity of the design, whether it is the front or the back it is the details of the design.
DI: What kind of emotions do you feel when you design?
YC : I get excited when I have an inspiration, but after the excitement, I need to think about how to achieve it step by step, and sometimes this process can be very long.
DI: What kind of emotions do you feel when your designs are realized?
YC : Be very excited.
DI: What makes a design successful?
YC : Everything to do with it, the people who designed it, and the people who bought it
DI: When judging a design as good or bad, which aspects do you consider first?
YC : Function, appearance, integrity.
DI: From your point of view, what are the responsibilities of a designer for society and environment?
YC : We have a responsibility to do more useful design and beautiful design, and as the earth's environment deteriorates, it is also very necessary to make materials reusable in design.
DI: How do you think the "design field" is evolving? What is the future of design?
YC : I think with the development of AI technology, the development of design industry will enter a new stage, designers can better design through the application of AI, and of course, designers are also facing greater challenges. In my opinion, we still need to follow the people-oriented principle and change our lives through design innovation.
DI: When was your last exhibition and where was it? And when do you want to hold your next exhibition?
YC : December 2023 in Hong Kong, the next look abroad.
DI: Where does the design inspiration for your works come from? How do you feed your creativity? What are your sources of inspirations?
YC : Cheers is a brooch endowed with happiness. It is inspired by the bubbles that keep popping up in the wine glass when people celebrate the toast. Looking at the slowly rising bubbles, it looks like people dancing. Things that can be celebrated in life are as small as rising. From getting a salary increase to giving birth to a child, each wine glass represents a happy event, big or small. I hope that in this society where the pressure is increasing, the wearer can recall every happy moment of his own by looking at this brooch.
DI: How would you describe your design style? What made you explore more this style and what are the main characteristics of your style? What's your approach to design?
YC : I think my design style may be more neo-Chinese, it is still the interpretation of Chinese culture, but I will use more modern methods to express. The charm of Chinese culture makes me want to continue to explore this style. Chinese style has a kind of grand but relaxed magic, and I hope I can interpret it with a younger method. I prefer pearls, so I use a lot of pearls in my work, and I'm also partial to Opal, so there may always be a combination of them in my work. I will first explore the theme I want to express, and then do further research through this theme, and then design and select it.
DI: Where do you live? Do you feel the cultural heritage of your country affects your designs? What are the pros and cons during designing as a result of living in your country?
YC : Yes, China has a very long history and culture, and these will be my inspiration for design. Chinese design is now developing in a better and better direction. I think the space for designers is actually very large, but the public does not pay much for the value of design at present.
DI: How do you work with companies?
YC : Sometimes I will do some product design for the company, the company hired me to help them design a theme series they need, I will design for them, and then print out the version, the company to do marketing.
DI: What are 5 of your favorite design items at home?
YC : Sofa, bookcase, end table, table, chair
DI: Can you describe a day in your life?
YC : In the morning, I usually deal with work first, and in the afternoon, when I am busy, I will also be at the company. When I am not too busy, I will go out to exercise, see exhibitions, and hang out. I accompany my children to study in the evening
DI: Could you please share some pearls of wisdom for young designers? What are your suggestions to young, up and coming designers?
YC : With my current experience, I encourage young designers to try different types of design, in the process to find their favorite and suitable for long-term development, and then gradually form their own design style, they can also participate in some international competitions, because this process is actually a good opportunity to play freely and design their own works.
DI: From your perspective, what would you say are some positives and negatives of being a designer?
YC : As a designer, you may come into contact with a lot of various aspects of beauty, for example, I often encounter exquisite jewelry that brings me great joy, however, being a designer also entails significant challenges, and you need to learn a lot of things, requiring extensive knowledge in areas such as process materials, cost control, you also need to understand the psychology of customers and some business knowledge. This is a very big challenge for us.
DI: What skills are most important for a designer?
YC : I think it is the skill of sketch, because we need to express the ideas in our minds and we need to draw by hand.
DI: Which tools do you use during design? What is inside your toolbox? Such as software, application, hardware, books, sources of inspiration etc.?
YC : Photoshop，Coreldraw ,Pintrest, some art books.
DI: Designing can sometimes be a really time consuming task, how do you manage your time?
YC : Give yourself a time schedule, list the weekly tasks, and then arrange daily tasks according to the weekly tasks, and finally implement it.
DI: How long does it take to design an object from beginning to end?
YC : I think normal looks like 45-60 days
DI: What was your most important job experience?
YC : I think it was working as a jewelry designer in Chow Tai Fook, where I was exposed to different types of projects, which allowed me to grow up quickly.
DI: What are your future plans? What is next for you?
YC : To slowly operate the brand, further develop their own products, and then bring it to the market.
DI: Do you work as a team, or do you develop your designs yourself?
YC : At present, it is developed and designed by myself。
DI: Do you have any works-in-progress being designed that you would like to talk about?
YC : Recently, I have been designing a series, which is inspired by the cobblestone road of Chinese garden, and combines pearls and Opal to make a series of design. Through the shape of different roads, we express the different life stages of each of us.
DI: How can people contact you?
YC : You can search in the small red book and wechat public account to “借景珠宝“。