Bryan Wong

LEGENDARY INTERVIEW

Design Legends ("DL") had the distinct honour to interview legendary designer Bryan Wong ("BW") 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?

BW : I'm an industrial designer graduated from Pratt Institute with a minor in graphic design.

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

BW : I'm motivated by problem-solving. I love looking at products and ponder how I can make it better, what aspect can be improved upon, and how it's made.

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

BW : I subconsciously chose to become a designer without knowing the occupation exist when I was growing up. I've always loved tinkering with things and studying how components are assembled.

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

BW : I design everything, may it be packaging, furniture, consumer electronics or shoes. I wish I can design more consumer electronics as it allows the design process to involve a big team to discuss and share ideas, while each person utilizes their own expertise.

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

BW : Young designers should play with materials and don't be afraid to get their hands dirty. Nowadays, a lot of designers are carried away with CAD, renderings and 3D printing that they forget the basic skills of being a designer.

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

BW : A good designer creates products for consumers, while a great designer creates products that even the consumers didn't know they wanted it or takes the extra step and challenge us.

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

BW : A good design is when people can use it without thought and is accessible for everyone to use.

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

BW : I think the value of good design is intangible and can't be easily quantified. It's something that looks good, feels good, functions perfectly and you feel great using it. To non-designers, it's an object that gives them value without question or doubt.

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

BW : I would like to design furniture or products for G-Star Raw. They are one of my favorite brands and I love their aesthetic and approach in their clothing line that I would love to do a collaboration with them.

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

BW : My dream project would be designing a chair and table that I can sit in and work on daily.

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

BW : My secret recipe is in designing normal, mundane objects. We take a lot of things for granted, and it's the simple things that are easily overlooked or ignored. With my design works, I redesign ordinary products and made them extraordinary.

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

BW : To name a few; Ron Arad, Marc Newson, John Ive, Naoto Fukasawa, Jasper Morrison, and Che-Wei from CW&T.

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

BW : My greatest design so far is the Zirconia Sharpener. It's a reinterpretation of an analog pencil sharpener that we’re already familiar with, a product that we trust and use everyday. By utilizing zirconia's material property, the blade doesn't need to be changed and offers a smooth sharpening experience.

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

BW : I've spent a month analyzing my skills and looking at what is it that I wanted to achieve. It wasn't an easy process as I had to think critically without bias. After that, I've started building on skills that I wanted to improve and completely changed my design style and philosophy.

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

BW : If I hadn't become a designer and can calculate complex math questions, I would've become a mechanical or robotics engineer.

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

BW : To me, design is a transformation of objects into a preferred state.

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

BW : My biggest supporter is a friend and design partner of mine, Chengtao Yi. We've done multiple collaboration projects and we compliment each other's skillset, while challenges each other to reach higher.

DL: What helped you to become a great designer?

BW : Having an open mind while being investigative helped me. You need to have an open mind so you can take feedbacks or gain new knowledge, and at the same time, you need to be driven by curiosity to question the information and conduct your own educated guess.

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

BW : One of the biggest obstacles was defining my design philosophy, as well as improving upon my design skills. It takes a lot of critical thinking to fully develop it, as well as the discipline to abandon the old mindset.

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

BW : I think designers should present their work the same as how they present themselves. Their work is an extension of their own image and should be treated as one.

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

BW : My next design project is an environment's musical instrument. It's easily one of the hardest projects I've done as it involves a lot of hidden knowledge that's not accessible, as well as piles of research done behind the scene.

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

BW : My ultimate goal as a designer is to have designed everything; such as clothing line, interiors, planes, buildings, gardens etc.

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

BW : Apart from showcasing my design, I think people or fellow designers would also like to see my design process for each project. That was one of the biggest wishes I had when I was a design student and I also tried to do so for my own projects as well.

DL: How does design help create a better society?

BW : As designers, we have the ability and responsibility to change and shape our society and environment. We're on the front lines pushing innovation, driving change in multiple levels, no matter how big or small.

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

BW : I'm very excited about the musical instrument that I've been developing for the past few months, and I can't wait to publish it. It was a big design challenge for me and I've very satisfied with my final design.

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

BW : My Aluminum Heatsink Laptop Stand gave me the most satisfaction. It first started off as a problem I was experiencing with and I thought my initial solution for it was a silly idea; however, that same silly idea also became my design solution without the use of power while remaining silent.

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

BW : I would love to see a shift in design industry towards sustainability by design products cradle-to-cradle, and not cradle-to-grave.

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

BW : I think the design field has been heading towards wearable and 3D printing. It seems to be the biggest trend and receives the most mixed opinion about it. It's also exciting as this is the time when the industry will define what they are for the next decade.

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

BW : It usually takes me a few months to finalize on a design project. I spend the most time in research and making sure my work is designed for manufacturing.

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

BW : I always start by creating some preliminary parameters for myself and create hypothesis with educated guess. Once those are defined, then I would go into research to validate them.

DL: What is your life motto as a designer?

BW : "Head, Heart, and Hand"

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

BW : I think it goes both ways, but I think a great designer sets the trend.

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

BW : Depending on the project, technology can be a tool or a driving force.

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

BW : I heavily use SolidWorks, Keyshot and Adobe Suite, as well as 3D printing.

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

BW : CMF plays an important role as it gives us a perception of an object before we approach and touch it. We judge if it's heavy or light, expensive or cheap, durable or fragile — all via visual inspections.

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

BW : I wish people asks me about my initial thoughts on projects, and what are the things I was correct and which are incorrect. It shows the lack of information I initially had and new knowledges I've gained.

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

BW : I'm always skeptical, so I try to think critically if the design has any use, is it needed, and how is it innovative when compared to others or existing design.

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

BW : I'm a big believer in collaborations as it allows people to complement their own skills with each other. My ideal design partner would be someone who is the exact opposite of me, and would constantly challenge me to validate my concepts.

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

BW : One of my professors at Pratt influenced me the most on my design. Since I took his class and was exposed to his methodology, it greatly improved my design skills and form a new design philosophy.

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

BW : I spent most of my time reading different articles and researches on different topics, as well as viewing other designers' work. This allows me to build a visual library where I can pull sources and inspiration from whenever I need.

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

BW : I would love to meet Leonardo da Vinci as he was one of the first industrial designers and created a lot of innovative designs ahead of his time.

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

BW : I don't consider myself to be famous as I'm still young in my career and there's a lot more that I needed to learn.

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

BW : Blue, Hong Kong, dim sum, Spring, consumer electronics and Muji.

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

BW : When I was a design student and presented concepts of a kiosk that goes with an advertising campaign, one of the guests said I did well but I should've also included the dimensions and floorplan of the kiosk. As soon as she finished commenting and turned around facing towards me, I handed her the floorplan with all the dimensions.

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

BW : I'm heavily motivated by solving different problems, no matter how big or small. As a designer, I had the skills to approach different problems and create different solutions. This excites me and drives me.

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

BW : I knew I would be involved in the creative industry, in some form or another, but I never would've expected to be an industrial designer.

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

BW : I think a lot can happen in the future, but the most exciting thing I would like to see is the development and implementation of sustainable materials and the recycling support from the industry.

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

BW : I never stop designing, it's a gift and a curse for industrial designers. People interested in my work can go to my website www.bryanwongdesign.com or follow me on social media.