LICHUN CHANG
LEGENDARY INTERVIEW
Design Legends ("DL") had the distinct honour to interview legendary designer LiChun Chang ("LC") 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?
LC : My major is in Architecture. The structure design and computation design were my main interests when I studied in the university. I also like to participate the construction works. Besides those practical courses, I like to discover ideas in urbanism and art works.
DL: What motivates you to design in general, why did you become a designer?
LC : It's a way to express myself. In the design work, I can talk to many different clients, who have many different approaches for their demands. It's interesting to listen to stories.
DL: Did you choose to become a designer, or you were forced to become one?
LC : I was advised to study architecture and design in the beginning. However, I found my interests in this subject.
DL: What do you design, what type of designs do you wish to design more of?
LC : I do interior design and architecture design. I hope I can design chairs, table, or sofa later.
DL: What should young designers do to become a design legend like you?
LC : Keep open minded and listen, learn. Be confident.
DL: What distinguishes between a good designer and a great designer?
LC : Good designer can produce a lot of works for demands. Greater designer thinks more than just produces more.
DL: What makes a good design a really good design, how do you evaluate good design?
LC : The ideas of looking after users. Think about how users will appreciate and live with it.
DL: What is the value of good design? Why should everyone invest in good design?
LC : Good design expresses the imagination and art. The imagination and art are the extension of living experience and thinking. It's a way to tell someone yourself in the different forms. For those reasons, it has a good value to invest.
DL: What would you design and who would you design for if you had the time?
LC : Design a house for my family.
DL: What is your secret recipe of success in design, what is your secret ingredient?
LC : no, just be open minded and realize the design project steadily.
DL: Who are some other design masters and legends you get inspired from?
LC : Zaha hadid, Norman Foster, Richard Rogers, Kerry Hill, OMA
DL: What are your favorite designs by other designers, why do you like them?
LC : Zaha hadid's architecture works. It represents the techniques of architecture and interior design skills of computation knowledge.
DL: What is your greatest design, which aspects of that design makes you think it is great?
LC : Urban Twilight Residential House. I had chances to create and realize its very fine details.
DL: How could people improve themselves to be better designers, what did you do?
LC : Keep travelling and see the good projects in real world, not just google search images.
DL: How do you define design, what is design for you?
LC : Design is to create problems and resolve problems in a deliberate process. Design is my professionalism.
DL: Who helped you to reach these heights, who was your biggest supporter?
LC : Good Clients and good construction contractors.
DL: What helped you to become a great designer?
LC : Give me more projects and more time to think.
DL: What were the obstacles you faced before becoming a design master?
LC : I am not a design master yet.
DL: What’s your next design project, what should we expect from you in future?
LC : A family house.
DL: What’s your ultimate goal as a designer?
LC : Not sure. At least be a responsible designer.
DL: What people expect from an esteemed designer such as yourself?
LC : Expecting a design who can listen to them and understand what they want. Then Designer bring their ideas to another higher level of thinking.
DL: How does design help create a better society?
LC : Design is organized in order. Design tells stories. It makes society happier and good living experience. It might also open a new way of socializing in community.
DL: What are you currently working on that you are especially excited about?
LC : A family house. I am looking forward to realize this project in reality. The client has strong feelings about trying new shapes to redefine family house.
DL: Which design projects gave you the most satisfaction, why?
LC : Urban Twilight Residential House. I saw what I want in the design, and clients have not problems.
DL: What would you like to see changed in design industry in the coming years?
LC : More technology improvements to liberate designers' imagination.
DL: Where do you think the design field is headed next?
LC : Not sure.
DL: How long does it take you to finalize a design project?
LC : 3 months.
DL: When you have a new design project, where do you start?
LC : Site observation.
DL: What is your life motto as a designer?
LC : Be confident and calm.
DL: Do you think design sets the trends or trends set the designs?
LC : It is mutual.
DL: What is the role of technology when you design?
LC : It helps to eliminate the constrains and provide more imagination.
DL: What kind of design software and equipment do you use in your work?
LC : CAD, 3D software
DL: What is the role of the color, materials and ambient in design?
LC : it's a spatial expression, representing the definition surface.
LICHUN CHANG
LEGENDARY DESIGNER
AS A REGISTERED ARCHITECT, MR.LICHUN CHANG IS WELL-EXPERIENCED IN ARCHITECTURE DESIGN, AND INTERIOR DESIGN GLOBALLY. MR.LICHUN CHANG HAS ARCHITECTURE EDUCATION BACKGROUND IN TAIPEI, MELBOURNE, AND RECEIVED ARCHITECTURE MASTER DEGREE IN ARCHITECTURAL ASSOCIATION SCHOOL, LONDON. HE BELIEVES THAT GREAT CITIES ARE BENEFICIAL ENVIRONMENTS FOR GOOD DESIGNER’S CULTIVATION. BY THE TIME LIVING AND WORKING IN LONDON, HE ABSORBED MULTI-CULTURE LIVING STYLE, AND PARTICIPATED SOME HIGH-GRADE DESIGN PROJECTS IN EUROPEAN CITIES WHILE SERVING IN ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN FIRM. AFTERWARD, HE JOINED AMERICAN ARCHITECTURE FIRM AND MOVED TO HONGKONG AND SHANGHAI FOR WORKING. DURING THE TIME IN LONDON, HONG KONG, AND SHANGHAI, HE MOSTLY WORKED ON PRESTIGIOUS SUPERTALL BUILDINGS WITH GREAT DESIGN TEAMS. DUE TO THE LARGE SCALE OF PROJECTS, HE DEMONSTRATED HIS BRITISH TRAINED TALENT FOR URBAN SCALE TO ARCHITECTURE, AND INTERIOR DESIGN. THEREFORE, HE HAS A GRAND VIEW SCOPE FOR DEVELOPING THE DESIGN PROJECT. THE ART, HUMANITY, ENVIRONMENTS, AND SUSTAINABILITY ASPECTS OF PROJECT, ARE THE CORE VALUES FOR HIS DESIGN CONCERNS. ULTIMATELY, THE ART OF LIVING AND CULTURE ARE DELIBERATELY BLENDED AND DELIVERED IN HIS DESIGN PROJECTS. FURTHERMORE, MR.LICHUN CHANG HAS ACADEMIC TEACHING BACKGROUND. HE WAS A DESIGN STUDIO MASTER OF PARAMETRIC ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN IN THE UNIVERSITY FOR 6 YEARS IN TAIPEI, TAIWAN. IT’S AN OPPORTUNITY FOR HIS DESIGN EXPERIMENTS, THEREFORE HE CAN TRY SOME DIFFERENT DESIGN APPROACHES FOR HIS DESIGN ENTHUSIASM. IT’S IMPORTANT FOR A DESIGNER TO REFLECT AND RETHINK OF DESIGN STATEMENTS. SINCE HE STARTED HIS OWN DESIGN FIRM IN 2011, HE IS NOT ONLY DOING DESIGN, BUT ALSO A CONTRACTOR FOR HIS OWN DESIGN PROJECTS. THE MATERIALITY AND THE METHODS OF MAKING ARE BOTH HIS PRIMARY FOCUS, IN ORDER TO REALIZE THE DESIGN CONCEPTS FROM PRELIMINARY PHASE TO REALITY. IT’S A COMPREHENSIVE APPROACH AND A MUST FOR DESIGNERS TO BE CONFIDENT WHILST CONTROLLING DESIGN DEVELOPMENT, BUDGET, AND QUALITY. HE ALSO HAS GREAT INTEREST ABOUT INVENTING DETAILS FOR DIFFERENT MATERIALS MEETING IN A HARMONY COMPOSITION, WHICH IS THE GENUINE OF THE BEAUTY OF DESIGN IN HIS PHILOSOPHY.
