Ellen Zhu

LEGENDARY INTERVIEW

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

EZ : I am a visual artist and visual communication designer, currently completing my postgraduate design degree at Tsinghua University in Beijing, China. My Bachelor Degree in Fine Arts at The University of New South Wales (UNSW ART & Design) was completed in Sydney. I consider myself as a mixed-media artist.

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

EZ : My Australia identity and China heritage strongly influenced my art and design practices.

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

EZ : At the age of two, I followed my family immigrated to Australia in 1996. In the beginning, before I completely mastered both Chinese and English, drawing was the way foe me to communicate with others, I think from this point laid my future to study art and design.

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

EZ : I like to engage with art related categories of crossover design. Working in different areas can motivate and inspire my design.

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

EZ : The depth of the design's embedded value. It is important to focus on the aesthetic aspect for a design, but at the same time a design without any connotation and meaning is nothing.

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

EZ : To me "design" is the language to communicate and express identity to others.

DL: How does design help create a better society?

EZ : I think it is important to deliver positive energy to the public.

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

EZ : Having an good idea, seeing it slowly starts to take shape and having the design produced is like witnessing a birth of new life, this is the best part of being a designer.