Stella Guan

LEGENDARY INTERVIEW

Design Legends ("DL") had the distinct honour to interview legendary designer Stella Guan ("SG") 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?

SG : I am a multidisciplinary designer with experience spanning across print and digital (web) design, video production, animation and art direction. I originally went to school for broadcast journalism and worked as a TV producer right out of college. After a year or so, I decided that I'm more of a visual personal than a wordsmith. The only thing that made sense to me was to go back to school and study design. After completing my design education at Pratt Institute in New York, I started working as a junior designer at a small agency. After a few career moves, I find myself landing at JPMorgan Chase as an in-house senior visual designer.

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

SG : I find it extremely fascinating that design not only makes people happy - it solves real-world problems in the most creative and profound way.

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

SG : Obviously I chose to become one as I didn't even study design in college. I felt the calling to be a designer after working in another field and I never looked back since.

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

SG : Currently, I'm focused on designing interactive web experiences. I am very happy doing what I do now, but I do hope to be designing more for mobile applications.

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

SG : Ask yourself why you want to become a designer and what makes you different. There are many people in the world who can design exceptionally beautiful graphics - I'm sure you're one of them, but that is not the only thing you should be proud of. You should think about what sets you apart besides your visuals. That usually live in the form of your thinking behind your design and your innovative ideas for each project that you work on.

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

SG : I cannot stress enough the value of good design. The common misconception in our society that design makes things look beautiful and it stops there - that needs to be changed. A lot of corporations are still having a hard time catching up with the fact that design can make or break a product and design is not secondary to any other functions. Investing in good design is smart because you're ultimately investing in your product, which makes you money and that is what everyone wants.

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

SG : I always dream of collaborating with my favorite musical artists and design something that would reach and wow their millions of fans.

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

SG : Consistently reading design blogs and taking inspirations from other designers really helps. It is the same as reading more if you want to become a great writer. Of course, you can't stop at that. If you see a great design that solved a problem, think how you would do it yourself if you were presented with the problem and actually start creating the design even if it's just for practice.

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

SG : Musician. I live and breathe music as a kid and I've never once forgotten my passion in music. I play as a hobby now and attend concerts frequently, but it would be amazing to actually pursue music as a profession.