Lo, Ron

LEGENDARY INTERVIEW

Design Legends ("DL") had the distinct honour to interview legendary designer Lo, Ron ("LR") 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?

LR : I born in a traditional, middle-class Taiwanese family. The country is not developing right now, the atmosphere is stressful and filled with depression. I choose to get into design filed because I feel things strongly. At first, I didn't know what is design but I like to find the relationship between objects and human. That how it is started. The education I would talk about Shih Chien University more. It's an experimental design institution. The Industrial department has a different specialty instructor, such as physiologic, sociologic, philosophy and of course with the ID/UI/UX/Mechanism. So, it's an integrated design school to let students explore their mind.

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

LR : The reason that I become a designer because I feel things, read stories, create stories. Exploring the feeling of emotion, sensation, conscious. Finding the stories beyond the object, people, connection. Creating the stories of the object, relation. If I'm not a designer, I might be a movie director, writer, filmmaker.

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

LR : Become a designer isn't the most important thing. Be a integrity, decent person is the main purpose. I'm a designer, and I'm not perfect so I put the effort of myself to make design driven by integrity, the decent mindset.

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

LR : I wish I could create more objects like furniture, living electronic products which are stayed with people but in the silence way.

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

LR : The legend just a title. Be true to yourself.

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

LR : A good designer has good technique, mindset, vision. A great designer has those things, but it has more social consciousness as a dignity, decent person.

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

LR : Bestseller products make you become a good designer to make the profit, fame. Make the statement of social consciousness, culture could bring you to the higher level. But forgot those levels or steps first, be a good person first.

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

LR : For finance, it earns the profit. For humanity, it brings vision.

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

LR : I design an image, vision for

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

LR : IoT project.

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

LR : Bouroullec brothers, Naoto Fukasawa, Jasper Morrison, Keiji Ashizawa, Tomoko Azumi, Konstantin Grcic, Edward Barber & Jay Osgerby.

DL: What are your favorite designs by other designers, why do you like them?

LR : In this contemporary era, I select "Serif TV". Most of the electronic brands are pursuing make an ultra flat one. But the Bouroullec brothers gave it a new language of TV. The TV likes go back to 19 century which has a standard, could put something above it. The form doesn't look like electronic products, it is more like a furniture at home. To me, this is an impressive design for me.

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

LR : Ning collection, the way that conserves the aesthetic of Chinese object.

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

LR : If I'm not a designer, I might be a movie director, writer, filmmaker.

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

LR : As a methodology, in the future, many people will get involved in the design field. For an architect, designer, an artist still needs to learn the aesthetic, history of arts and design, Human science. For nontraditional design people, the design means not only make thing functional, beautiful, logical. The design will be a methodology to explore their mind as a tool which helps people brainstorming, reviewing the results. Then, if people still love to get into the traditional design filed they still need to take the process to know aesthetic, history of arts and design, Human science.

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

LR : My family, instructor, friends, lover.

DL: What helped you to become a great designer?

LR : Be true to yourself.

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

LR : Lie to yourself

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

LR : Show the true things from yourself.

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

LR : Furniture, because it's the closest object with human life, body. It brings the memories to your life.

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

LR : People satisfy with my design and find peace.

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

LR : There's no need to do it, just put mutual respect to each other.

DL: How does design help create a better society?

LR : By carefully research, compassion, conscious.

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

LR : Use industrial design method to solve environmental problem.

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

LR : None, the process of cooperation make me satisfy.

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

LR : Brings more story to the public.

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

LR : More and more un-general for everyone, pretty sad thing.

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

LR : The wording, writing the keyword of the perspective.

DL: What is your life motto as a designer?

LR : Silently integrity.

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

LR : It depends on the situation. But I would say, design set the trends in the start. Then we have human objects so we can define the trends from the human objects.

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

LR : Hi-Fi products with Lo-Fi experience.

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

LR : Rhino, LAMY pen.

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

LR : Morandi color system.

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

LR : Design for what?

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

LR : The vision, story, perspective of the creator.

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

LR : Yes, my closest friends.

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

LR : Myself, to make sure I didn't lie to myself and be true to myself to make things that I could believe in a decent way.

DL: Which books you read had the most effect on your design?

LR : Tristes Tropiques, it brings the general scope of the world and reveals the deepest reflection of observation.

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

LR : Practice doesn't make it perfect, perfect practice is.

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

LR : Dahong Wang.

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

LR : iF design award, Red dot design award.

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

LR : Orange, home with family, rice, winter, Vitra.

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

LR : Some young designers wish that I could give them some advice, but I just too nervous so I couldn't speak out any words.

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

LR : The expectation from my friends, instructor, mentor, family. That pushes me to dedicate myself to improve myself.

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

LR : No. There are some people who have a mindset that I'm born to be somebody. But I'm not this kind of person.

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

LR : Even our conscious become digital, but we need to design the way let people feel tangible things in an intangible environment.

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

LR : Nope, the questions are great.