Sha Lu

LEGENDARY INTERVIEW

Design Legends ("DL") had the distinct honour to interview legendary designer Sha Lu ("SL") for their original perspective and innovative approach to design as well as their creative lifestyle, we are very pleased to share our interview with our distinguished readers.

DL: Could you please tell us a bit about your design background and education?

SL : Actually, I'm not a design professional. My major is journalism. I've been interested in design and art since I was a child. When I was a child, I loved painting, calligraphy, poetry and making all kinds of handicrafts. After graduation, I worked as a character peripheral designer for an animation company. Now, my work is mainly handicraft production, illustration design, space design, brand design, packaging design, Ip design and so on. These areas continue to expand. Because I think the visual and beautiful is an unlimited and the end of the matter.

DL: What motivates you to design in general, why did you become a designer?

SL : I think the reason why I became a designer, this is the main kind of persistence of my own heart, then seriously to do this thing, because love can always make a thing become full of motivation, and then let people put all their feelings into it, I think it will be able to create a different design.

DL: Did you choose to become a designer, or you were forced to become one?

SL : I have a natural desire to be a designer, and I often give advice: Don't be forced to do something, follow your heart.

DL: What do you design, what type of designs do you wish to design more of?

SL : I design a lot of areas, I think design itself is cross-domain, can be extended indefinitely, we will continue to update their knowledge base and related skills to engage in related design work.

DL: What should young designers do to become a design legend like you?

SL : Young designers actually have more energy, more intelligence, and are able to find better designs. This time must go to the good use of their own brain, do not be bound by some inherent thinking. All lessons, like any knowledge, need to absorb the good and discard the bad. Any piece of advice is worth saving. Don't copy it, because if you do, your brain will lose its fresh energy and will never be able to develop its own brilliant design.

DL: What distinguishes between a good designer and a great designer?

SL : A designer can do a lot of design work, but the product he designs is not necessarily good design, and good designers, he can make the product in the realization of the foundation to more shining, I think this is very obvious thing.

DL: What makes a good design a really good design, how do you evaluate good design?

SL : I once saw a Japanese designer comment on what is really good design, and I was impressed by a quote. He just said that good design is like giving a rose to someone. When you put a good design into practice, society becomes a better place, and your heart becomes a better place. This beauty is not narcissism or complacency, but a gentle beauty.

DL: What is the value of good design? Why should everyone invest in good design?

SL : Good design can give people a lot of spiritual energy, can let people actually feel its use value, design sometimes will be some imitation or copy, or even change a color, if you want to feel the whole process of it, then you have to invest in good design, but if you don't care about design at all, totally only value in some price above some plagiarize the moral low price, then? I think this is something that a lot of people who really love life don't do. Of course, it's not that design is necessarily expensive, very routine is mainly to look at his a material, a construction of his difficulty and the designer of his hard work, we should have the value of the design, with a better investment to motivate him or return him.

DL: What would you design and who would you design for if you had the time?

SL : I've always wanted to be good at my own design, I don't want to copy, I don't want to be anyone, I want to be myself, even though I don't have a lot of voice or energy, but I think I just want to do some loving little things, and these little things can be seen everywhere in life, and I want to design the beautiful things in life that can make people see and smile, or these products that let people relax their unfurled eyebrows, people seem to have everything, with the advancement of technology, but the inner perfection of the beautiful, should be elusive perhaps my energy is not so much, but I believe I can do this little thing.

DL: What is the dream project you haven’t yet had time to realize?

SL : I haven't decided on this yet, because as far as its designers are concerned, of course, they want to present their designs one by one, but I don't seem to have any particularly grand goals. Maybe what I do is some small things in my opinion, every design, if it can be presented, if it can bring a little bit more beauty to our lives, is a wonderful thing. They are not high or low, nor big or small, of course I will try harder to do it well.

DL: What is your secret recipe of success in design, what is your secret ingredient?

SL : The secret to design success is to be yourself. Be Yourself fully but humbly and with all your heart.

DL: Who are some other design masters and legends you get inspired from?

SL : I like to see interviews with design Gurus and legends, and some of the advice I've given has really helped a lot of designers and inspired a lot from their own experiences, in addition to design masters and legends, I also like some poets, some writers, they can also give you a lot of inspiration, as if all inspiration is actually spread throughout this space, we meet some worthy people, some of their body of astigmatism will fall on our minds, this time to feel good, I think, you will have something.

DL: What are your favorite designs by other designers, why do you like them?

SL : Sometimes I meet a lot of designers, their designs may not look so good, but they all look normal, also very suitable for the general public, maybe when designing for the general public, sometimes they may lose their aesthetic and achieve a functional presentation, but I would like to combine beauty and function, although I'm not saying that my work is necessarily better than theirs. I believe that as a designer, there is a responsibility to combine both, a lot of people might like some low-priced designs, because they already look like the norm, even if they don't look that impressive, or they look that bright, and they don't have a moving feeling, but now that a basic task has been completed, so even a design fee that seems cheap can be accepted by most people. I've always had this feeling, it is very reasonable to pay a person for his or her service if he or she has devoted himself or herself to it, and to have the right values.

DL: What is your greatest design, which aspects of that design makes you think it is great?

SL : I am good at the design should be the healing style of some illustration craft or space, there have been many people told me, i think my work is very healing and the dolls I used to sell on the Internet people might go to my website and see my posts when they're in a bad mood, they said that even when I was in a bad mood, I would calm down in an instant. I always remember these words. Some of them even went away for a long time, even for decades, sometimes I even think it's been so long, but I keep these words, and even some of my clients will contact me after so long, I feel very moved, these clients even send me lovely paintbrush paints, or delicious gifts. I think it's really nice to meet people who are so friendly, thanks to the beautiful designs.

DL: How could people improve themselves to be better designers, what did you do?

SL : We have to learn new things, new knowledge every day, and we have to stand up for our inner banner. It doesn't mean that what you absorb is necessarily right, you have to make choices. I do this every day, we have seen many articles. If you use a reasonable method, you will see whether his views are completely correct or biased. These are all things that you need to feel for yourself, as a designer, you learn the same lesson from others but don't be influenced by some bad social trends. I think no matter what industry, my heart is the most important. If I can keep my original intention, then you can be different in the end.

DL: If you hadn’t become a designer, what would you have done?

SL : If I really love this job, I will continue to work hard.

DL: How do you define design, what is design for you?

SL : I think design is a kind of work or a way, through your ideas and your practice, to create something that makes the world a better place, that makes people happier, and a lot of things take on a state in their lives, we can make it better, or we can make our public objects more pleasing to the eye, and all that has to do with design should be a good feeling, or be able to make a difference in the world with more progress, to make our lives more convenient.

DL: Who helped you to reach these heights, who was your biggest supporter?

SL : There are a lot of design portals, and they all praise my work, and they set them as home page recommendations or a selection of website columns, and there are some personal fans who will always support me, in fact, I'm not the kind of person who is particularly good at promoting or paying attention to whether I have fans, because I'm not the kind of person who can talk socially at all, but if you don't talk, people will still pay attention to you, it means that maybe they are supporting you, I think, I will listen to the good voice and the bad voice.

DL: What helped you to become a great designer?

SL : I guess it's just something I love.

DL: What were the obstacles you faced before becoming a design master?

SL : In fact, everyone will encounter various difficulties in their work, perhaps your first design work will be attacked by everyone, fortunately, I have not encountered these problems for the time being, but I will also check myself, for example, I may be careless and careless occasionally, but I will definitely write down the reasons for these mistakes after I finish this epilepsy, in this way, I will always pay attention to these aspects next time. If I just change one revision at a time, then maybe someone will make the same mistake next time, i think it is particularly important to be able to learn lessons in a timely manner.

DL: How do you think designers should present their work?

SL : I think designers should display their works on some official design portals, and it's a good idea to have a sense of copyright protection for your own work to participate in meaningful competitions, I mean fair and reasonable, some competitions that can determine the level of your design, rather than some bogus competition, where there are canvases or unfair judgments, or where you can submit your own awards, i think it is not up to me to determine my own design level, but should be seen by everyone. How many people like your design, how many authoritative platforms to recognize your design although we do not design for others to recognize their own, but these can be used as a reference.

DL: What’s your next design project, what should we expect from you in future?

SL : The future plans haven't really taken shape yet, but one thing is clear: I will always do what I love to do, and do what is nice and pleasant and may not be earth shattering, but to be able to do one loving little thing, I think they are the most meaningful.

DL: What’s your ultimate goal as a designer?

SL : My ultimate goal is to keep doing this little loving thing until I die with a smile on my face. I won't stop for a second. I will always love design and art.

DL: What people expect from an esteemed designer such as yourself?

SL : Many of my friends are very supportive, but my family are always worried about my health.

DL: How does design help create a better society?

SL : Design can indeed create a better society, because it not only makes the future more beautiful, but also more comfortable, more convenient, all these depend on design, if there is no design, then the pace of social progress will be slower, even he doesn't look that good. They all think that beauty and function are the same, that vases can't be changed, that they're more popular, and that designers can create new trends, he can turn ordinary things into flashes of light.

DL: What are you currently working on that you are especially excited about?

SL : I am currently working on a renovation of my studio, and I am very happy to be able to make it a new and better place for myself. At the same time, I have been in close contact with many of the materials in my collection, this is the happiest place I've ever been.

DL: Which design projects gave you the most satisfaction, why?

SL : Well, I don't have a particularly satisfying design project. I guess I'll just have to keep working on it.

DL: What would you like to see changed in design industry in the coming years?

SL : In fact, great changes have taken place in the design industry. For example, in the field of artificial intelligence and artificial design, many basic requirements can already be met. They seem so convenient, they can definitely replace some of the normal designers, and everything will become more intelligent, but I have also looked at some artificial layout or typography, in fact, they all use a certain algorithm, but when they change another picture, their golden ratio may produce some different matches and flaws with the picture, and these are only really good designers, which is why, maybe a good design is copied, and after changing some fonts or colors, it will become very common, so artificial intelligence can really help us, but really good design, really can inherit the design or need human to carry on.

DL: Where do you think the design field is headed next?

SL : The field of design should be made more explicit about future trends and the impact of technology on us, which must be good for us, even artificial intelligence, he can only make the difference between the average designer and the good designer more obvious. As a good designer, he should improve his skill of a comprehensive vertical and horizontal. It may take 10 years for each skill, and human life is so short, but if you learn each skill by heart and let them accumulate day by day, I think they will play their part.

DL: How long does it take you to finalize a design project?

SL : Generally speaking, the design of the project will be based on the category to determine his time, so I do not have a precise concept of time to tell you, because different design time is definitely different, we make a pre-estimate of the design to see how much time it will take to communicate with the client.

DL: When you have a new design project, where do you start?

SL : I'll do a variety of collections, and just like we do in brainstorming, you'll need to list a lot of keywords, a lot of different color swatches, a lot of different features and survey data, and then you put them in a series of combinations, and you put them in different arrangements, to get the best presentation, and you do a lot of actual testing to get the right data.

DL: What is your life motto as a designer?

SL : Warm heart only.

DL: Do you think design sets the trends or trends set the designs?

SL : I think the two go hand in hand. Design and trends are a hybrid product, not a sequential one, if they have to be decided, it seems a bit unfair that trends are a reflection of some design, and that design shouldn't be around trends, that design and trends are interconnected and distinct from each other.

DL: What is the role of technology when you design?

SL : The purpose of technology is to make design faster, to help in terms of efficiency, or to give people something to look forward to.

DL: What kind of design software and equipment do you use in your work?

SL : Because what we do in our daily work is actually very wide-ranging, and all the fields related to vision will be involved. Therefore, we also use more in designing software. According to different jobs, we will use different software or devices, these are not really special, like everyone according to their own needs to choose.

DL: What is the role of the color, materials and ambient in design?

SL : Color,materials, and other related factors, can better embody a visual effect in the design, can assist various functions, a pleasing design can not be better without these elements of vision and touch, which are auxiliary and vital elements, and which are dependent upon them, but not the determining factor, of course, in certain products, which may have a greater weight.

DL: What do you wish people to ask about your design?

SL : I want people to look at my designs and ask questions about what they want to know, and I'm happy to solve them, because everyone is different, there are many new sparks that can be created between people to achieve each other.

DL: When you see a new great design or product what comes into your mind?

SL : When I see a great design or product, I analyze the things that move me. It doesn't seem like a serious thing. It's casual, but it can give you a lot of new ideas, that is, these little things can give us a lot of new feelings, we often say that to find some inspiration is actually called inspiration, because they may be a flash of inspiration, or maybe they are feelings that you didn't have before. For designers, inspiration is priceless. We see products that appeal to our hearts, and we will never let them off the hook, good design.

DL: Who is your ideal design partner? Do you believe in co-design?

SL : I hope that my design partners will have some relevant matches, such as their views on things or their feelings of beauty, not to say that they should be completely consistent, but should be consistent in the big direction, in order to move forward in a coordinated way, I very much welcome young people like this to interact with me. I can also learn a lot from him. I think the strength of the team must be greater than one person, one person may also be able to complete a great design, but he will definitely spend more time and energy working as a team, so to be able to build a good design team, so it's very important for a design company to have a good design team. You don't need an independent designer, you need an integrated design team to do the work of the company.

DL: Which people you interacted had the most influence on your design?

SL : I think I can learn a lot from everyone, for design, a lot of people, they will give some good advice or opinion.

DL: Which books you read had the most effect on your design?

SL : In terms of inspiration and books, I really like design books, especially design magazines, which are usually quicker to present some good design than design books, or fashion, some popular trends, if you want to know them quickly, you can look at some magazines, if you need to look at some established, to be able to have a final conclusion of this knowledge over a long period of time to study, you can read some design books, but I do not particularly recommend to see which one, because these books are too many, there is really no way to go one by one ranking, because really maybe I found a good, but there will be better, in this respect we do not have to seriously, as long as you have read, you will absorb these knowledge, that is good.

DL: How did you develop your skills as a master designer?

SL : Know your own path, go on firmly, to master the basic skills skillfully, but also to their own thinking of a continuous training, if only stay at the technical level, then it may stay in one phase and not be able to move forward. It is very important for the whole design to grasp one thing from the whole.

DL: Irrelative of time and space, who you would want to meet, talk and discuss with?

SL : If it had nothing to do with time and space, I would of course like to communicate and discuss with beautiful people who have excellent ideas. It would be a wonderful thing. There are so many such people in the world, they are like celestial beings to me.

DL: How do you feel about all the awards and recognition you had, is it hard to be famous?

SL : Uh, I have won many awards since I started my career. Since College, I have won many large-scale awards all over the country. There are probably quite a few, big and small, that I feel the reason for participating in these competitions, not so that someone would approve of you, but as a way to test yourself. So if I'm going to a contest, I'm not going to ask for votes, I'm not even going to share it with anyone. Maybe I'm not thinking this way, but I just want to test myself, i didn't want this to cause any repercussions. If I can win the prize, it may mean that at this stage my design is of value. Then I will continue to do it better. If I say it has frequent reactions, that means it still has a lot of problems. Well, I believe that some authoritative institutions can give me the score I want. I think it is wrong to hold Chen Ming's idea, although there is an old saying that a soldier who doesn't want to be a general is not a good soldier, I still think it's good to be famous, but don't do anything to be famous, if it's true that the difficulty is related to the effort you put in, if it's true that the ease of doing something doesn't necessarily lead to some satisfactory achievement, then it's not true, if you actually took the time, he would turn into something shiny like a gemstone, even if invisible, and at some point he would amaze the world.

DL: What is your favorite color, place, food, season, thing and brand?

SL : My favorite color should be white, because I think white is a sacred color, and on white it can produce a variety of colors, white is like a foil, can make other colors more beautiful, so white in my life is the most common color, and even my clothing, my shoes are mainly white, i would probably go for lighter colors in my designs, too. My favorite place, I would like some of the European countries with a national style of design, such as Italy, Milan, Paris, and so on. If it is in China, I also like to go to some places with characteristic style to feel the local humanities, they will give me some new feelings. China has a number of worthwhile to visit some of the characteristics of the landscape, which will actually become your hands of the beautiful colors or design. My favorite season is autumn. There will be sweet-scented Osmanthus I like, it tastes like a very delicate girl, and this season is very short, he may exist in the four seasons, let me feel the shortest, but he is feeling the air is very fresh, the sky seems very far away, everything is just right. Because I am a food lover, I have no way to choose the number 1 in my heart, I will eat anything that is delicious, as long as they are not strange looking or strange, I think I will be willing to try. I like the things I like those look very lovely, very simple and very good things, a little thing I feel very moved. I like some of the brands of Japanese design brands, I quite like, especially some of the forest or full of children's brand, or some small, with some folk customs brand, I will like very much.

DL: Please tell us a little memoir, a funny thing you had experienced as a designer?

SL : I think being a designer is really a good job, and he will experience a lot of interesting things, but being a designer is your first choice, not because it's fun or because it pays second, we have to figure out if you really love this job, and then just do it and stick to it.

DL: What makes your day great as a designer, how do you motivate yourself?

SL : There is so much design can do, and it can be infinitely divergent, in space and time, he can not be so constrained. As long as you have a good idea, and you're willing to take the time to present it, there are good teams out there that will find you and invest in you. Don't live aimlessly, cherish your time, cherish your inspiration. Inspiration is everywhere, and people tend to care about what they are interested in. In fact, everything will give you feelings, these feelings are precious. Don't focus so much on where to look, but on training yourself to feel.

DL: When you were a little child, was it obvious that you would become a great designer?

SL : When I was a kid, I loved to draw, to mix materials, to make things. I think I like nice things.

DL: What do you think about future; what do you see will happen in thousand years from now?

SL : I'm not a fortune teller, I really can't predict the future, but the future will be better. Perhaps some people are not very confident about this, they feel that the development of society will cause more problems. But I still think there's a way to fix it. It'll all work out in the end. I don't know what will happen after 1000 years, I just hope the world will develop with love and peace, even if one day we may not live on the earth, we will go to another planet, it's not impossible. Of course 1,000 years from now people will think differently from us, there will be all kinds of new jobs, and designers will no longer be called designers, and there will be other names to replace them, if you want to imagine it, you can even write a book about it, which I think is really a very big divergent topic, and there's really an infinite amount of content to come out.

DL: Please tell us anything you wish your fans to know about you, your design and anything else?

SL : I'm an illustrator, a visual designer, and a craftsman. I'm not much of a talker. I guess I'm more of an inner person. My parents always thought I would have a social disorder, but maybe it was because I was so closed off that sometimes the mental side became more obvious. I tend to focus on something that goes to the heart of the person, not just to explain the concept from the material, or to sell a product, but the pure moving part behind it. Because I think that when you give the world a real feeling, the world will return it with its own love. I have a lot of supportive people, some of them over 10 years, who have been a source of strength and inspiration for me to keep my style. There are many types of design that we do. For example, we have art direction content, online teaching, design thinking and aesthetic cultivation of some of the content. We do brand design, interactive design, product packaging, photography, cultural publicity, fashion IP, space design. Because the design is a fusion platform, the reason why we do the work is also based on this large fusion to continue to diverge. Some people may feel that doing more is not as good as doing better, but I would say that we want to do the best we can in every field we can. That's our goal.