Interview with Jiani Zeng

Jiani Zeng ("JZ") interviewed on Wednesday, 6 May.

Could you please tell us about your experience as a designer, artist, architect or creator?

JZ : As an industrial designer, engineer and researcher working in the intersection of consumer product design and technology, my work explores new design opportunities beyond the limit of current manufacturing and materials like soft robotics, multi-material 3D printing etc. My work has been recognized in top international design awards like Red Dot Design Concept, International Design Excellence Awards (IDEA), Golden A’ Design Award etc. My design has been featured in the Milan Design Week, CHI, Artsthread, italianbark, LUXOS and IDSA. I have consulted and designed for multiple companies, including Seymourpowell, Hilti, Furrytail, MIT Design Lab and MIT Media Lab, not only helping them successfully deliver products from initial concept to final product launch but also looking at future design trends and brand strategy. I have a BEng in Product Design and Manufacture from the University of Nottingham and a Master of Science in Integrated Design and Management (IDM) from MIT. Now I am a Co-founder and Executive Director of Product Design at Butlr. Technologies and Radical Department Inc., my startup and studio are based in San Francisco.

How did you become a designer?

JZ : Let me be very honest...it was about 9 years ago, as a Chinese high school graduate, I have no idea what I was going to do and I didn't know what is industrial design. that time I was really into photography, one day I saw a picture of a camera, Leica M6, the classic one with blue leather skin, I got hooked... it was the last day I had to decide my major, so I went through the list - I choose the one looks like it - product design. It was the best coincident and i feel it's destiny.

What are your priorities, technique and style when designing?

JZ : Most of my work explores design opportunities in associate with new technology. I like creating new materials from bits and atoms. Like my work "illusory material", my partner Honghao and I invented a computational workflow to create material that cannot be made with any traditional manufacturing method. I believe computation and technology will play a big part in how designer designs.

Which emotions do you feel when designing?

JZ : 50% very depressed, I got stuck in the design process easily. And I always look for a perfect design solution. 30% I feel intense. It makes me think fast. 20% I feel relieving and thriving.

What particular aspects of your background shaped you as a designer?

JZ : My time at MIT. I understand design differently now.

What is your growth path? What are your future plans? What is your dream design project?

JZ : Become the designer to be remembered for centuries.

What are your advices to designers who are at the beginning of their career?

JZ : Design freely and don't get stuck in 'Design thinking'.

You are truly successful as a designer, what do you suggest to fellow designers, artists and architects?

JZ : I can't say I'm truly successful yet...

What is your day to day look like?

JZ : emails and design.

How do you keep up with latest design trends? To what extent do design trends matter?

JZ : Now I read a lot in Technology review and some academic conferences.

How do you know if a product or project is well designed? How do you define good design?

JZ : A good design should be inspiring, it extends people's imagination.

How do you decide if your design is ready?

JZ : It is never ready...

What is your biggest design work?

JZ : Illusory Material. It envisions the future of industrial design with multi-material 3D printing. "Illusory Material" is a computational workflow that allows every designer to play with CMF or even material properties that never existed before in the design process, creating dream-like material and apply them into real-world product design. This project is an envision of future design methodology using computation power with the most advanced 3D printing technology in the world: multi-material voxel printing. Imagine designing everyday products with "impossible" materials that only exist in the digital world; Imagine a future where designers can manipulate the color, texture, and reflectivity of materials across time and different viewing angles; Imagine the future of color creation is not based on layers of chemical paints, but a combination with optical 3D printed optical lenses and simple color blocks; imagine a physical material can display dynamically by itself without electronic input; imagine an invisible object that is informative, a hard object that feels soft....

Who is your favourite designer?

JZ : Ross Lovegrove and Tokujin Yoshioka.

Would you tell us more about your work culture and business philosophy?

JZ : I have the best partner in the world: Honghao Deng. We combine our knowledge in industrial design and architecture. Finding a good partner is the key factor to get success in design.

What positive experiences you had when you attend the A’ Design Award?

JZ : Media exposure. Means a lot to us.

Jiani Zeng Profile