Bin Liu

LEGENDARY INTERVIEW

Design Legends ("DL") had the distinct honour to interview legendary designer Bin Liu ("BL") 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?

BL : I had studied art systematically when I was an environmental art design major in university. In my early years of working, I followed several internationally renowned interior designers who had influenced me a lot. The one who had influenced me the most is a Taiwanese designer Zhou Yi. I am deeply influenced by both his design works and the attitude towards design.

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

BL : I am passionate about fine arts. From fine art to design field, this is a natural thing.

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

BL : Designer is just a job for me at first. As time went by, I started to love this profession. I find that designer is a very interesting profession, because I can realize my idea in a short time. When I have a new idea, it only takes a few months to turn it into reality, which is very interesting.

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

BL : I mainly design health clubs. I wish to design some inns and villas.

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

BL : First of all, one must love the profession of designer, make unremitting efforts, visit and study the works of design masters. Don't care too much about the gains and losses at hand, because design is a cumulative process.

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

BL : Good designers can help clients realize their dreams, and great designers can help clients create their dreams and realize them.

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

BL : To complete a good design, first of all, there must be a client who likes and supports you. Then, a responsible construction team is absolutely necessary. A good design must be liked by consumers. At the same time, it is able to help clients realize their dream, to help the construction team achieve profitability, and to realize the designer's design idea.

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

BL : Good design can create more ideal results with lower investment. It can help people improve their quality of life and improve work efficiency. Good commercial design can enhance brands competitiveness and create greater business value.

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

BL : If I have time, I will design the dream home for my friends who appreciate my design.

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

BL : To design an estate for myself.

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

BL : I have seen a lot of successful projects and I have endless inspiration.

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

BL : The Japanese design master Kengo Kuma is my idol. His love and perseverance in design deeply influenced me, especially his tireless innovation pursuit of building decoration materials inspired me a lot.

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

BL : I like concise design, because it always brings me a sense of peace and comfort.

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

BL : There are many designs that I am satisfied with. The award-winning Gold Feet Bay is one of them. It has both a modern design atmosphere and a typical oriental culture, meeting the aesthetic needs for people of different ages.

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

BL : Keep learning forever.

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

BL : If I hadn’t become a designer, maybe I would choose to be a businessman. Because I like to do business planning. I think businessmen can create great social value and can also fulfill the dreams of many people.

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

BL : Since what I do is commercial space design, design for me is a process of commercial planning. Design is a process of advancing strengths and avoiding shortcomings. In terms of business behavior, it can not only help others realize business value, but also make their dreams come true.

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

BL : My wife has helped me a lot in my design career. When I am confused, she can always give me a lot of good advice to help me get out of trouble.

DL: What helped you to become a great designer?

BL : The competitors have forced me to make continuous efforts and to constantly revise every design project, and this makes who I am today. I would also like to thank my competitors for promoting my growth.

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

BL : As a commercial space designer, it is easy to be tempted by many commercial interests. I have also made some mistakes and invested some commercial projects. It has proved that only focus can be professional. Fortunately, I soon returned to designing.

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

BL : The perfect design completion is the best presentation of their work.

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

BL : I am designing for a SPA brand called Saina Spa located in Wuhan. I value and cherish this design opportunity very much.

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

BL : Discover and inherit beauty.

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

BL : People always expect to create better works with lower cost.

DL: How does design help create a better society?

BL : Design is a process of creating beauty. People are more likely to feel happy in a beautiful environment.

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

BL : I am currently working on Chu Hong Xuan Club in Yidu, Hubei, China. It is a complex for leisure and entertainment. In this project, I have designed a lot of new bathing methods, and the most anticipated of which is the family bathing mode. It promotes a healthier and more harmonious lifestyle.

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

BL : The ZBJ Spa in Hangzhou is one of my most satisfying designs. It subverts the traditional health club design and creates another possibility. The project changes the former relatively bright health club into a dim light atmosphere, which is the first try in the industry.

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

BL : I’d like to see more innovative designs emerging in the design industry.

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

BL : I think design will return to its original nature, the essence of life. The concise design style will continue for a long time.

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

BL : It takes 30 to 45 days.

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

BL : When I have a new project, I like to start with functional partitions and traffic flow panning.

DL: What is your life motto as a designer?

BL : Less is more.

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

BL : Social development trends determine design.

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

BL : Technology is the basic guarantee of design.

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

BL : CAD and 3D are my most commonly used software.

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

BL : Color plays a very important role in architectural decoration design. Compared with form, color can cause people's visual reflection, and also directly affect people's psychology and emotions. Since ecological design concept and simple interior with rich soft decoration become popular, soft decoration materials are more valued by people, which occupies an increasing proportion in the entire interior decoration. I focus on harmony in the application of environment in design.

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

BL : I don’t expect too much in this aspect.

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

BL : I have always been concerned about new and outstanding designs. I look forward to getting to know him.

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

BL : I believe in co-design, and I also expect some partners with expertise to join our design team and work together to complete the design works.

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

BL : The opinions of my clients and their operation team have a great influence on my design. I value their demands. In my design, I don't put too much emphasis on my personality, because I think design is service.

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

BL : Negative Architecture by renowned Japanese architect Kengo Kuma. In Kuma's view, negative architecture is by no means a failed structure, but a building that humans really need. On the premise of not deliberately pursuing symbolic meaning or visual needs, or deliberately satisfying the desire to possess, what kind of architectural model may appear? In addition to the towering architectural pattern, can't there be such an architectural pattern that is prone to lie on the ground and withstands all kinds of external forces without losing vividness?

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

BL : Keep learning forever.

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

BL : I hope to meet and talk with Taiwanese designer Zhou Yi. He is my idol and my teacher. We always have topics to talk about, from which we can always absorb a lot of nutrients.

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

BL : Participating in design competitions is just one of the channels of fame, but fame is not the purpose. I just want to take my design work further away by participating in the competition. It's not easy to be famous, but you don't need to pursue it deliberately. There is an old saying in China called " constant effort yields sure success", which probably means that.

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

BL : I don't have a fixed hobby. But I am extremely interested in new things.

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

BL : I still remember the first year when I designed a home, I designed a wardrobe more than three meters high. After completion, the client called me and told me that he needed to take the stairs to get clothes. At that moment, I feel extremely embarrassed. Finally, I also realized that designing is not a matter of imagination. Design is a combination of science and art, which are interdependent.

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

BL : It is hard work, perseverance, and guidance from famous teachers that has made me who I am. As a sentence recently popular on the Internet: people who are more successful than you work harder than you. Oneself is the root of everything.

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

BL : Unfortunately, not. It proves that success is 1% genius plus 99% effort.

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

BL : The future will definitely come. I don’t know what society will be like in thousand years from now. But I believe the future is worth expecting.

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

BL : What I want to say is that design creates value, and design makes life better!