Sam Sum

LEGENDARY INTERVIEW

Design Legends ("DL") had the distinct honour to interview legendary designer Sam Sum ("SS") 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?

SS : I have been working with my company partner more than 10 years, AS Design Service Limited was founded around 7 years ago, we like to inject an essence of experimental art for the possibility of combining space and art, which is our design philosophy.

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

SS : I started to learn art and the courses related design during my high school period, I felt very fun at first. I like drawing and thinking in my childhood, I had been spending more time to it and I thought that design is suitable for me, I started walking on the path of design slowly and unconsciously, the more time that I spent to it, the more I think my choice is right, because I really like design.

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

SS : I am sure that I choose to become a designer, because it brings a lot of fun.

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

SS : It must be retail design, but we have not specified any direction initially in the design development. Design emphasizes change, and we will not be restricted from a particular concept or mode, we hope to create and design continuously, and also make changes ourselves at every moment. Retail design is basically the closest type as our design philosophy to create the most suitable theme story, design of retail stores must be unique every time; it is the third place for human, and it is dramatic, and it has a great story.

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

SS : I think young designers’ attitude should stay humble in learning, do not “close the door while making car”, do more learning and understanding different things, do more trying and do not give up on design as philosophy to yourself.

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

SS : I think a good designer can fulfill architectural particular needs, including the functional needs for people, and also creativity and visual feeling by request, as well as feasibility of restricted conditions (including economy and material substance ability are also satisfied by people’s needs). I think a great designer could do more than a good designer does, the most important thing is that, the design work could impress people, and make people feel it is amazing.

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

SS : I think good design can be given people a message, it should be concerned about the relationship between human and substance, which is not only focus on trendy and good-looking, and that disregarded the relationship with users.

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

SS : I think the value of good design have so much more, including cultural value, commercial value and emotional value, from point of view of cultural value, every designer from different countries would reflect the characteristics of culture from their own countries by the works, not only flow across and communicate each other with their culture, in a longer time to looking up, for the point of view and cognition from the designers’ for their own countries, the world can be affected. From point of view of commercial value, if the design can manifest brand’s value, it can be attracted the customers through the visual design, to help sending messages by the brands, extending the vitality and possibility to the brand, bringing huge number of economic value, to motivate brand enterprise development. From point of view of emotional value, a good design can inspire people with different emotions and heal their soul, it combines between human and the environment, which is inseparable.

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

SS : I haven’t thought of it for now, I believe that I would know what I want to design if that moment has come.

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

SS : If I have a chance, I wish I can design a hospital, the sense and visual could help some patients, so that they can be living in the positive, fun and cozy place against disease.

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

SS : I am not saying that I am successful in design for now, because I am still searching for the right path to success, actually there is no secret recipe of success in design. I think the thing is, do not give up on your dream, keep learning in humble, and cherish every design opportunity, one hundred percent passion to put in, then you will embark on the right track to success slowly.

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

SS : I like the well-known architect Mr. Andou Tadao, his architectural style is said to create a "haiku" effect, emphasizing nothingness and empty space to represent the beauty of simplicity, his comprehend of symbiosis with people, architectural, and the natural environment. I have read a lot of his works and books, I can get the different feelings and inspiration from it, one of my favorite words are “the unknown possibility and the territory which the eyes cannot see, it hides the true beauty.

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

SS : Mr. Andou Tadao and Mr. Kohei Sugiura both are my respectful designers, both of their works have the great stories and infectant power, which affected me deeply for life, art and philosophy of life.

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

SS : I would say “UMix ”and “UM Junior”, but I cannot say they are my greatest design, I think they are just the more satisfied ones, I like both very much because they have a strong design concept, and also a strong infectant power, giving viewers and users a space which has so much imagination and fun, because of it, both design also has won several interior design awards and got the recognition from people.

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

SS : I think it is not only upgrading itself ability and knowledge, but also viewing all over the world and thinking globally, life experience is the greatest source to be innovative, different experience details could increase the creativity thinking to yourself.

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

SS : If I hadn’t become a designer, I would have worked for children’s creative education, I think children’s imagination and their life attitude is powerful, they have infectant power. I like being with children, their mind are direct and simple, their life might not have any limit and restraint.

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

SS : I think design is improving life quality and attitude to fulfill its needs, and bringing people creativity, comfortable, convenient and aesthetics kind of life pursue.

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

SS : My partner and my team are my biggest supporter, their support and efforts could let me concentrate on my design work, so that I could think out of the box and make it work, because I know they always back me up.

DL: What helped you to become a great designer?

SS : I think a great designer is not only keep it up on work, but also not giving up his/ her faith, clients and design team are the important factor to become a great designer as well. I feel very thankful to our clients who gave a lot of freedom for us to design, which means a lot to designers. Design team should understand and respect to each other, this will reduce unnecessary problems, the problems can be solved when they come out, so that process of the project would be getting smoother, we also could concentrate more on the design work.

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

SS : With the social and global economic problem, touching off the obstacles that set on the road, I do not think these obstacles have been reduced, I am still walking across them until now, however, these problems can be motivated and leaded me move forward step by step.

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

SS : Designer is like a bridge, which link up together with people and things, and capable of the perfect combination of practicality and aesthetics.

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

SS : We will design more modification of shopping mall, which is a challenge and a new try, through a larger platform, making more people easier to recognize our design work.

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

SS : Our ultimate goal as a designer is to be able to appeal our representative work all around the world, so that people from all over the world could recognize our design philosophy and design work, I think it is very meaningful and worthy expectant.

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

SS : I expect an esteemed designer could design more impressive work, which can make more people to discuss, the expectation for myself is to keep curious to new things.

DL: How does design help create a better society?

SS : We need to reconsider to design what the meaning for life that you can bring, how can be used creative “design thinking”, including technology and environmental protection to conquer the future social problem.

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

SS : I think I can keep working on design, which make me feel excited and satisfied already.

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

SS : It should be Umix Top Underwear Multi-brand Store, the design concept is the “Compatibility between men and women”, which has very strong impression and topicality. UMix is a world famous brand in men and women underwear and casual wear led shop. I think there are many different opinions and philosophies between the sexes today, and hope to use the compatibility phenomenon as a new image to be the core design concept of UMix shops, that men and women are compatible of the modern ideology of mutual tolerance. The use of different size, different angles of polygons to describe their own opinions and the independence idea of both the sexes, and after being compatible, not only having idea of independence, but also it will create a more extended ideological significance and provide a new space for thinking philosophy. In the whole design process, we think that this concept is very interesting.

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

SS : I think it will become more humanized in design industry in the coming years, using high technology and regenerated material to achieve the concept of environmental protection, will be more concerning about the human needs of cultural and spiritual level.

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

SS : The design field headed next is getting blurred gradually, the design capability of cross platform would become more important, with the social and environmental changes, designers will pay more attention for humanized design, particularly for different ages and needs are more meticulous and appropriate.

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

SS : It depends on practical situation, normally it takes about 45 days to finalize a design project.

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

SS : We are good at theme concept, then develop design detail, so that we take so much time to brain storm and search related information, the most difficult thing is to depend on the theme and role, because once we picked the wrong theme or role, the story is hard to carry on.

DL: What is your life motto as a designer?

SS : You can do it, only if you believe that you can!

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

SS : I cannot barely define both relationship, I think both is complementarity, both can be affected by others, it is like questioning me the relationship between chicken and eggs!

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

SS : When I start to design, “concept” must be the leading actor in the story, and “technology” is the very important supporting role, it helps me to resolve the conflict between functional and aesthetic, which can highlight the strong point of leading role, and strengthen the rhythm of the story, making your story moving smoother.

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

SS : Autocad, 3D Max, V-Ray, Adobe Illustrator & Adobe Photoshop Image are also our usual work design software.

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

SS : Through the changes of color, materials and ambient, expressing human’s emotional experience and psychological feelings, so the design itself can have feelings, personality and vitality, which are essential elements of human design.

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

SS : I hope people could pay attention and question us our design detail and any matters about our design. I also hope that we could get different voices and discussions from others, it could make me review our design with different angles.

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

SS : My mind will let it to decompose into a few tiny pieces of accessory, to comprehend and keep in mind the function, characteristics and concept of every tiny pieces, when the right timing come, the new idea will be emerged from my mind, then I change them to the most appropriate accessories in my design.

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

SS : My ideal design partner is my existing partner in my company, many of our thoughts and life attitude are totally opposite, but our same thought which is persist in doing design, when we started working on the new project, every time we have different opinions, points of view and design concepts to brain storm, we discuss continuously, an agreeable concept will be came out finally, although it takes so much time, but we both believe that it worth the time and effort, because that exactly is the closest design concept as our company philosophy every time! I believe the feasibility of creative design! However, we both want the good in this matter, so that is not a problem to cooperate and work it out together.

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

SS : My company partner, we discuss almost everything, sometimes the good opinions and new ideas have brought out through our conversation.

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

SS : “I Ching” is the book that I like very much, the central idea is to describing all things in the world with alternation of “Yin” and “Yang”, “I Ching” was originally used for card divination, but it spreads and influent the religion, philosophy, art, architectural, arithmetic, astronomy and etc all around Mainland China, It mentions “Integration of heaven and human” in the book, that is harmonious unified between human and substance, that is also the relationship between human and nature, this point of view is very important for my inspiration in design.

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

SS : Believe and keep up to yourself! I think that is so important, that keep me walking on the right track to design until now.

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

SS : I believe that must be Leonardo da Vinci, whose areas of remarkable achievements in painting, music, architecture, invention, botany, astronomy, etc., he has different points of view and field of vision for discussion, I think it is very interesting!

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

SS : Winning award is very joyful and exciting, because it means that we get acknowledged of our design work by others, we have more confident to pursue our dream for our philosophy in the upcoming future! I think it is difficult to be a famous designer, you must do your best, keep learning new things, strengthening yourself and do not give up on your dream, you also need recognition by people all over the world who are from different background and culture. This is just one step, as time passed by, your works are widely spread and recognized by others at every moment, I can say perseverance is very important to be a famous designer.

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

SS : I like the three colorless neutral colors between black, white and grey, because they have a wide variation in these colors, matching with other colors can be achieved harmony. My favorite season is autumn, because most of the time, I go camping with my family at my favorite place in this season. It is no doubt, my favorite thing I like to do is being with my daughter, because I feel happy no matter what I do with her, and which are very interesting!

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

SS : Design has given me lots of good memories, I remember I won my first award in the city that I born, and the first time I won an award in foreign country. I believe that the most interesting and unforgettable night must be the day before my wedding, because I had a rush day to make the deadline of a project to my client, I worked over night and I looked very tired in my wedding day, many people thought the reason why I felt so tired is to prepare my wedding, nobody thought that I needed to work over night before my wedding, I feel the most thankful for is my wife’s understanding!

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

SS : I am not good at management kind of person, but I believe that nothing is impossible, if you want to, and not giving up to your faith, you can do it if you believe in yourself.

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

SS : When I was a little child, I hadn’t thought about what I will do in my future, I only liked to play in my childhood, most of the time I was daydreaming, over-thinking, and making fun of my friends!

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

SS : I think design becoming more valued in the future, people are already beginning to appreciate it. The general public is weighing in and voicing their opinion, that’s fantastic because it shows people are paying attention.

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

SS : I wish that my fans would understand our design philosophy, our ideal design contains “Sense and Sensibility”, they try to be capable of the perfect combination of practicality and aesthetics, creating more possibilities of different designs, and more impressive projects which are beyond anyone’s imagination.