Interview with Naai-Jung Shih

Naai-Jung Shih ("NS") interviewed on Sunday, 18 March.

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

NS : Everyone with architecture background is a designer. My experience as a designer or creator comes from the involvement of university design studio. A long term teaching experience with architecture degree makes me working with design even for pedagogical purpose.

How did you become a designer?

NS : As a professor for the design studio of the first year architecture students, this unique experience makes me rethink and explore the forms and orders for architectural spaces and elements.

What are your priorities, technique and style when designing?

NS : A project is usually approached with a theme or an inspiration. Digital tools are used to improve the quality of design components. Hand touch like painting or assembly method is preferred at the final stage.

Which emotions do you feel when designing?

NS : Each design phase has its emotional attributes and something to be excited about.

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

NS : I prefer taking pictures of spaces or shadows to reveal the hidden relationship among solid and void objects. It’s a very common shill and shared by many designers.

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

NS : My design paths are tangled with many old and new projects and themes. My office is like a warehouse full of woods, stones, 3D prints for future exploration of human-object interaction in terms of lights.

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

NS : There is no guarantee of success or so-called all winner design. Be faithful to your own sense might be a good start.

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

NS : Do not use the word success as the only judgement of life too often might be a good rule for design career.

What is your day to day look like?

NS : My everyday life is so routine that pushes me to cherish every design spark for happiness.

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

NS : Many students attend design competitions as a way to represent most current design trends in my university. As an educator, I also have to convince myself the fundamental part of design that also matters.

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

NS : A good design evolves beyond time and does not stop at deadline.

How do you decide if your design is ready?

NS : I always keep an open tab in my mind to make earlier designs better. So actually a design is theoretically never ready.

What is your biggest design work?

NS : The biggest project was a Cultural Showroom that is made of elastic fabric to redefine an old historical building into a dynamic space.

Who is your favourite designer?

NS : Zaha Haddid is one of my favorite designers. Her interpretation of space has also shown in fashion design.

Would you tell us a bit about your lifestyle and culture?

NS : My favorite and inspiring city is Barcelona. I’m teaching in the Department of Architecture, National Taiwan University of Science and Technology. The change to my life is an office full of interesting design stuffs.

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

NS : I am a hard worker and usually work alone for a not so tight inspection of personal progress.

What are your philanthropic contributions to society as a designer, artist and architect?

NS : I have managed several design exhibitions with students in recent years to let us get involved with communities. It also comes with pedagogical purpose.

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

NS : It’s a self-evolving process when you are a professor for over 20 years. It’s a also a challenge when most of the instructors co-author designs with students too often. To attend A’ Design Award is to connect with the world in every manner.

Naai-Jung Shih Profile