Jo Zhu

LEGENDARY INTERVIEW

Design Legends ("DL") had the distinct honour to interview legendary designer Jo Zhu ("JZ") 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?

JZ : Before becoming a furniture designer I was an interior designer with my own studio in Guangzhou, China for more than 10 years. I received my college education in the Interior Design Major of Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts.

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

JZ : Specifically I would try to answer what made me a furniture designer. During my work in sometime earlier I found it was uneasy to find ideal furniture that could fulfill my requirement, expected artistic imagery, etc. Thus I began to try to design furniture for my own interior designs and I found it successful. Later I designed more works and started my own brand Suyab Furniture, which is what you see today.

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

JZ : I design furniture with oriental aesthetic, but they totally look modern and can fit into modern daily life. I have been seeking something different from my Chinese designer fellows. They have tried to do something more traditional, using red sandal woods and traditional symbols more frequently than I do.

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

JZ : Never ever think about copying. Always think about innovation. In that way you make good products with market differentiation. This is not just idealism, it is also realistic in business sense.

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

JZ : Good designer is someone who works with sufficient professional skills and knowledge, and works in remarkable work ethics. Under that condition they provide notable works. However, great designer will be someone who can foresee potential changes in people's life, needs, and can bring not only fulfillment but also innovation and empowerment to these things.

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

JZ : I think good design really can pay attention to people's daily life need, cultural and spiritual concerns.

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

JZ : Yes, as good design can bring goodness into people's life, it is both humanistic and business concerns to invest in good design.

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

JZ : My secret recipe of success is I must pay sufficient attention to the details of my furniture. It is always in detailed works that I can promote the quality and vintage sense in my furniture.

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

JZ : I really enjoy Tony Chi's work. Tony Chi is a master on outlining oriental sense only through artistic imagery but not exaggeratedly using popular oriental symbols.

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

JZ : I think designer can improve themselves by studying rhetorical skills, making design is like speaking in some way. You try to choose proper "words" or "phrases" to make your design to convey meanings, aesthetics with excellence. Rhetorical skills in designing can be very tactical.

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

JZ : I don't know (laugh), maybe to become a gourmet? I had grown up in Foshan which is a place with a lot of good foods!

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

JZ : I think design is a tiny entrepreneurial activity process, that you will involve a lot of ideas, use of materials, use of craft techniques and allocation of resources to achieve aesthetic goal and to benefit the life of user or customer. It is really a process more than entertaining yourself, but also bringing goodness unto other people in the world.

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

JZ : I would like to thank my wife Catherine, she works in building our brand. Without her effort we couldn't make this far. It was also she introduce me to take part in this competition.

DL: What helped you to become a great designer?

JZ : Good Designs really make a difference to human society. Some designs facilitate and empower people with handicaps. Some designs provide women and young people with more freedom. Some designs help people with specific culture background to get closer to their culture heritage.

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

JZ : I am working on opening some more retail stores in China and trying to improve my business's productivity.

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

JZ : Wow, I don't really use any software, I actually enjoy hand drawing.