Interview with YU,PIN-CHI

YU,PIN-CHI ("YU,PIN-CHI") interviewed on Tuesday, 11 December.

How did you become a designer?

YU,PIN-CHI : It’s my family business. I dropped out senior high school and went to vocational school. I learned architecture-related graphics ability and engineering practices and experience when I was in the vocational school. I laid solid foundation in this period of time.When I was a student, I studied for 9 years from vocational school to junior college to university. In this 9 years, I learned related basic techniques and related knowledge of design. Once I contacted interior design field in my internship out of the school. I found out there are a lot of knowledge about detail of aesthetic and emotional expressions need to be learned in construction field, so I was in the interior design company when I graduate and start my designing career.

What are your priorities, technique and style when designing?

YU,PIN-CHI : Design is a self-cultivationThere is no specific design language and style in the creation field. Because it will reduce designer's creativity and eliminate the chance of the innovation and exploration.I insist on the concept of creative diversity and reflect the spirit of field that makes people feel full of spatial tension.Our design philosophy is to hope that every work is unique. In view of this innovation and unique ability to attract more and more people's attention and then to understand the meaning of the design. Designer is not dependent on the popular culture or customer’s tool. To be a designer who is confident and able to solve problems, to feel sense of satisfaction in his works and always be happy to be yourself.

Which emotions do you feel when designing?

YU,PIN-CHI : I think all of my concepts are not figment of my imagination. Most of them are related to my experience and life. I need to care more about all details things around me and this will be source of my inspiration. To me, I need to feel all the changes of detail microscopically and take a macro perspective to extend the source of new knowledge. This is my training and discipline of design. Through reading, doing and introspection to increase the sense of beauty and cognition of proportional. Reading means the repeated visual impacting. Through the eye to increase diversity works and images, but also not confined little things to inconspicuous fields. Such as vegetable vendors receive cash in the grocery market, or some details in life. All of these may become my source of inspiration or database.So called doing means drawing things for something good or drawing what i think that is good by hands. To memorize it and reinforce the impression at the time.And introspection is to understand the original ideas of the space users or design creators in the creative process.

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

YU,PIN-CHI : I like to try challenge fresh things. In every challenges i can find interesting points that I can deeply extend it. There are different new things and professions in different fields you can learn them. These interesting points can enhance my professional ability efficiently.

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

YU,PIN-CHI : We are in the globalized world. We must rely on glogalization influence, business trade and trading, but more and more people are worried that we will lose local values and local art and customs due to the influence. In these years some of architects who won Pritzker Architecture Prize award in the world like Spanish architectural firm RCR in 2017, Chilean architect Alexander in 2016, German architect Freiottozi in 2015, and Japanese architects Shigeru Ban in 2014. The reason for those architects won the Pritzker Architecture Prize nothing more than the spirit of humanitarian, environmental technology innovation continues ecology development. Users join construction process to enhance their actual needs, respect the region and culture, save the history and story of space, concerning the space layout and all aspect of fields. So I think the combination of design and ecology and cultural practices are very important trends in the future in design field.Over decorated space method was replaced by pure expression of space. For example, these years was popular with mashup style in interior design - New Chinese style combine with modern functions. Industrial loft style - Keep the spiritual of field. Scandinavian Style - Coexistence with natural symbiosis. Light classic style - Emphasizing the meticulous craftsmanship level. Those cases express consumers do not intend to have too much tedious visual complications. Essentially consumers want get back to the nature of human and art environment space.

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

YU,PIN-CHI : 1.Strong and sensitive sensationModern society environment changes faster and faster.As a designer, he must train himself to observe the surrounding environment with a strong sense of sharpness, and think about everything in his changing life. In this way, he will continue to discover what people’s expectation that has not archive from a designer’s point of view. This shows the designer's unique ability of sense.Although this kind of ability was born, you still can practice it.2. Ability of desire of exploring and pursuing the sourceAs a designer, he need to be lead his attention and curious by everything around him. He always observes, asks questions, thinks and likes to gets to bottom of anything and explore the inner mysteries of things.He always can trace the source through a very insignificant thing. Use a basic principle of a certain thing to be interpreted as a far-reaching and full of creative theorem or initiate a new concept and can be applied in practice.3. Ability of inventionA designer can learn all the theoretical knowledge from books or from others’ design works to improve and enrich their own skill.So, knowledge and skills can be taught and learned, but relying on them alone does not make a designer.He must have ability of ideas for inspiration andInvention. This ability need to be developed in learning process. Keep exploring and creating in positive way and through continuous practice and experience, he may possible to flash out fantastic ideas. Base on a solid knowledge and technology, a designer will full of the ability of invention. So that he's design will keep with fresh idea.4. Ability of appreciate for aesthetic function of the designAs a designer, our ability of appreciate for design need to be higher than ordinary people.Because only superiority can design some avant-garde products and guide consumption.Raise the ability of appreciate for design can not be accomplished overnight. It relays on multiple art practice and professional knowledge in design very often. In particular, it is necessary to constantly pay attention consciously to observe the designs of successes or failures around them and figure out the advantage and the disadvantage of the design.So that, it is finally possible to achieve "talented and bold" field and to have some potential ability of design.5. Ability of expressing design ideasDesigner needs to express their own creativity by drawings and models. It is not possible to express their own design painting without basic skill of drawing, nor can be make design ideas into reality.In addition, a successful designer must also understand the mechanical structure manufacturing process of the product he design, and have a comprehensive understanding of the processing technology of various new products. In this way he can draw a perfect design painting and make a beautiful and accurate model.6. Ability of predicting the market.A good designer should always pay attention to the needs and changes of the market, and must have the ability to conduct research and scientific predictions.This predictive ability was based on various factors, which is from rigorous market research. It’s not just a simple statistic, but on the basis of market psychology. To analyze the consumer psychology of the consumer groups, it is necessary to analyze factors such as gender, age, cultural level, lifestyle, income and living environment of different consumer groups. In this case we need to design various products to adapt to the psychology of the purchase of different consumer groups, and make them happy to accept those products. 7. Become a bridge between manufacturers and consumersAn excellent product design should be acceptable by both consumers and manufacturers.This requires designers to design products on the basis of marketing. It is necessary to consider not only the profit value of the manufacturer, but also the demand of the consumers. Such as the aesthetic value of the products, price, safety, durability, if the product easy to use or not and if the consumer to achieve both material and spiritual satisfaction. 8. All-aspect professional intelligenceThis is a general requirement for designers. It means the designers should have special expertise and professional intelligence.Although each of us has its own wisdom, due to the aptitude and the difference of the education environment, everyone is different.As a designer we must have unique qualities and superb design intelligence. No matter how complex and thorny design issues that we have, we may have inspired by hard working, get experience, review it repeatedly, have some idea from the same type of excellent design work.“Practical ability, Professional ability, Foundation ability, Expressing ability in team work, Introspection creation ability and Global thinking ability.”

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

YU,PIN-CHI : Studying more related design knowledge, increase knowledge by traveling, and practice professional basic skills from time to time, such as hand-drawing, software application and the most important thing is stay curious and have fun for any thing and increase some image in your design image database.

What is your day to day look like?

YU,PIN-CHI : I usually take a trip and read some books to increase my life philosophy and life experience. In addition, I am very interesting in streamlined industrial design products. The perfect proportions and lines can lead people to pursue of perfection and increase the impression of viewers also guide people to explore inside. I can learn and obtain knowledge in every moment.

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

YU,PIN-CHI : For using of color hue, I will not seek for high color and high color saturation, I focus on the expression of the natural light fields instead. I will use the large window let the natural light get inside with a first priority, and reproduce the original texture of the living room. Use some metals as detailed edges to embody the craft spirit of the wall. In addition, I will put some metal in the space to increase the exquisiteness of the components. I often add some sense and sensibility elements in the fields. Such as rose gold may express the soft and sensibility of woman's elegant, copper matte may show the sensation of the strength of calm and steady and I will place some green pieces or artistic products in the middle of empty space to increase positive atmosphere in it.

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

YU,PIN-CHI : For me, every projects are a new start, and there is no standard operation process, only a different starting point. Consumers are not professional, so we need to use our professional evaluation and tell them with a simple language. I think design is kind of a process of self-introspection. In order to solve the outer, complex and diversity change issue of people and space, we present our professional knowledge with efficient, high value and systematical in the fields and make it as perfect as possible. This is what we pursue. The project will reflect the inside of the designer for what they received and through their life experience to reinterpret, redefinition and interpret the sense of beauty of space. To express the nature of design and discover the true needs of the project of myself. This procedure can only be achieved through firm belief and unyielding persistence.

How do you decide if your design is ready?

YU,PIN-CHI : For me, I like to try challenge fresh things. In every challenges I can find interesting points that I can deeply extend it. There are different new things and professions in different fields you can learn them. These interesting points can enhance my professional ability efficiently.

What is your biggest design work?

YU,PIN-CHI : Designer can not live without beautiful things. I need to realize everything and people around me carefully. Feel the feelings from people and environment smoothly. It’s very helpful for me to think, if there is anything inconsistent or out of balance in my life. I am really joyful in this situation. All of these experience may improve my strength of design.

Who is your favourite designer?

YU,PIN-CHI : Toyo Ito,Rem Koolhaas,Jean NouvelWhen I meet some difficulties in the projects. I will recall some modern architects’ theories and operating methods in my student’s time. For example Le Corbusier's “Five Principles of Modern Architecture”.1.Pilotis: The independent pillar makes raise the first floor, and make the first floor easy to use.2.Free plane: It is not limited by weight of the walls. The position of the partition is determined by the space requirements.3.Free facade: Façade shape created by free planes.4.Ribbon window: Provides the largest indoor lighting and viewing.5.Roof terrance: Take advantage of the characteristics of a flat roof to create a hanging garden.These major principles can provide me with some ideas of layout at critical moment. As for the texture and details, Finnish architect Alvar Aalt has enlighten me a lot. I always admired him in handling material and details very much. He can use different layer and materials of tactile impression to handle one thing. Keep deepening and deepening, better and better. He would like to handle the detail with his full heart as an art design. Sometimes my experience and some procedure were pushing me forward. This is my motivation of innovation. I will have a self-evaluation to see the errors. Like to solve puzzle box, I like to collect my thoughts and clear in mind. These thoughts establish my expectation for design.

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

YU,PIN-CHI : I usually take a trip and readsome books to increase my life philosophy and life experience. In addition, I am very interesting in streamlined industrial design products. The perfect proportions and lines can lead people to pursue of perfection and increase the impression of the viewer also guide people to explore inside. I can learn and obtain knowledge in every moment.

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

YU,PIN-CHI : M-shaped society was established under the change of the industrial structure and social economic. More and more consumers from high end of the M-shaped society pursue the exact art of living space model. Most of the consumers on the other side of the M-shaped can not afford extra budget for such a exact art of living space but only fix the old house to improve the original lifestyle and raise the standard of living. We keep concerning how to balance two different social economic level. Since early 2017, we try to make a new mold as a industrial process for merchandising space to reduce human resources and technical faults. In this case we can reduce consumables and high cost of labor, but increase construction accuracy and reduce errors. This is a bit like the master architect, Le Corbusier, use mass of raw concrete in series of residential projects to reduce the cost of construction for residential right in early 20th century. It’s 21st century now. The revolution of technology industry and the application of new technologies have been able to produce more precise and less error plate. We want to achieve a balance between economy and value of output. Both these goal and vision are what we continue to promote in the future.Designers like dancers or musicians need an international stage to expand their concepts and goals to the world. Therefore, oversea markets such as China and Southeast Asia where the economic developments have been increasing year by year. They are the focuses of our business. I hope this system can make space more and more popular.

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

YU,PIN-CHI : We always to create different spatial plans, and everything must be consistent with users' perceptions and demands. In many projects we have to change our own characteristics and describe the story of each space in every time and space. I think we are traveler and telling stories in every spaces. We write travel diary chapters by chapters with carrying a graphic ruler and recording the story of space and time by design.

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

YU,PIN-CHI : While more and more designers and enterprises have won international awards, those awards have also impacted entire design field. We could say that international standards have promoted the design.“These awards are great significance to me. They make me more confident. Therefore, I can understand the world's standards and I have also known my strengths. These are recognition to my own strengths.”More and more people are participating in these competitions, and also reflect the needs of the market. In fact, it shows that the aesthetic and taste of public are raising. This is because the demands of the market, and that is a very good thing.Design is not enshrined in temple. It's in our life. It’s a quality that we should have.So every designer should try to win a prize, we should have more people to understand these awards. Also we should give winning designs some substantial affirmations.

YU,PIN-CHI Profile