Fu Yong

LEGENDARY INTERVIEW

Design Legends ("DL") had the distinct honour to interview legendary designer Fu Yong ("FY") 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?

FY : I began my design work in 1997. I founded my own design company in 2003 and graduated from Visual Communication. I am a designer/artist funded by the National Arts Foundation of China.

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

FY : Good design can bring you a happy mood and a happy consumer experience, I am willing to bring you happiness.

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

FY : The designer is my personal choice, I like this profession.

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

FY : I focus on brand design, hoping to create more well-known brands.

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

FY : Design is the refinement of life. To observe and experience life, your design will have a soul.

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

FY : Good designers have to solve the problems at hand, and great designers can raise a brand to a certain height.

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

FY : If you can make both customers and consumers win, this is really good design.

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

FY : Good design can reduce the cost of communication, thereby reducing the price of goods or services, creating a win-win situation for customers and consumers.

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

FY : I will design Chinese fonts for people who want to use Chinese fonts.

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

FY : Create a world-class brand.

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

FY : The design success lies in effectively conveying the information that you want to express. My secret is to design expressions with simple and easy to understand visual elements.

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

FY : Professor Yue Luo from the Academy of Fine Arts of Tsinghua University gave me the inspiration for design.

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

FY : I like the design of Mr. Henry Steiner, who can blend different cultures.

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

FY : At the age of 21, I designed the brand logo for a famous instant noodle company in China. I used the simplest visual elements to effectively convey the industry attributes and characteristics. It became a well-known trademark in China.

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

FY : Try to understand different art fields and enrich our expressions. It is also necessary to change positions and think that the works designed in this way are more objective. I combine the two for my design.

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

FY : I think I will be a traveller.

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

FY : Design is the art of communication and a means of solving problems.

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

FY : Life and experience have helped me the most, and my clients are my biggest supporters.

DL: What helped you to become a great designer?

FY : Love for life.

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

FY : Always trying to convince the customer, suddenly one day I understand that the design works can speak.

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

FY : It is most valuable for the market to test whether the work is successful or not.

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

FY : I will start to design brand image for the city. I hope every city has its unique visual image.

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

FY : I hope that my design has emotions and temperatures to make the world a better place.

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

FY : I hope that the design can be demonstrated and solved the problems.

DL: How does design help create a better society?

FY : The design has a leading role and uses more healthy and positive design works.

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

FY : I am encouraged by receiving the winning information from the Italian A design and writing these questions!

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

FY : I am satisfied with the promotional materials designed for the Bill Gates Foundation, because serving charity can help more people.

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

FY : We are facing an era of rapid change, hoping that design will be the leading role of this era, always at the forefront.

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

FY : The design will gradually shift from traditional design to Internet media design.

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

FY : Taking brand design as an example, it usually takes 6 to 12 months.

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

FY : Start with market research.

DL: What is your life motto as a designer?

FY : Start with your brain and then start your design.

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

FY : Trends determine design and design serves trends.

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

FY : Technology provides a means to achieve design.

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

FY : PS, I, iMac

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

FY : Tools and vectors to implement the design.

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

FY : Solve problems and have good associations.

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

FY : Where is its success? How can I do this?

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

FY : People who know more about the market than me in different design projects are my ideal design partners, and I can work with my partners.

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

FY : The interaction between customers and market participants has the greatest impact on my design.

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

FY : The Autobiography of David Ogilvy

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

FY : Watch various types of exhibitions, participate in professional courses from time to time, and keep in touch with university teachers.

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

FY : Mr. Lu Xun, i want to talk about his understanding of design.

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

FY : Behind any award is the accumulation of work, and the award is the best testimony. Everything is done well, and the result is naturally not wrong.

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

FY : White, Inner Mongolia, Lamb, Autumn, Prairie, Erdos.

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

FY : In New York in 2017, I was with the Hollywood Awards director Keith Merlin, using a Chinese-made translation machine for unobstructed communication. He felt incredible. If I had the chance to meet you, we might as well try it.

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

FY : It is necessary to always treat the client's entrustment seriously, and to use emotion to do the design, the design works will be accepted by the market.

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

FY : When I was a child, my idea was to be a painter. Of course, I will paint now, but I will serve the design.

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

FY : The future is handed over to the future.

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

FY : I hope that they understand me and I can be a good friend.