Ye Shen

LEGENDARY INTERVIEW

Design Legends ("DL") had the distinct honour to interview legendary designer Ye Shen ("YS") 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?

YS : I am a cross-disciplinary designer that has worked in the field of glassware, consumer electronics, furniture, eVTOL, soft goods, etc. Now I am focused on footwear design. I studied industrial design at Rhode Island School of Design, which taught in a heavily Bauhaus-inspired, problem-solving-oriented approach.

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

YS : I have a strong urge to express myself through what I create. I found it romantic to have designed mass-produced products that can get into the hands of countless users. Therefore, I become a designer to establish bonds with this world.

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

YS : I have practiced fine art since I was a kid. It wasn't until the end of my first year in college did I choose industrial design to continue my pursuit of creating physical products that can be used by many people.

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

YS : I have focused on footwear design over the past few years. I mainly designed lifestyle products with an emphasis on telling a unique story through materials and colors or delivering unique user interactions with hidden functions.

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

YS : Stay curious and never stop learning, always be willing to explore new territories.

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

YS : In my opinion, a good designer is capable of delivering what he/she is tasked and briefed for. A great designer, conduct projects and create products that speak to his/her purpose and vision.

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

YS : A good design should be functionally sound and aesthetically pleasing and should solve a problem in real-life scenarios. What makes a good design a really good design is the level of emotion it's capable of translating. A really good design is humane and cultural; a really good design should evoke memory, sensation, and emotions.

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

YS : The value of good design is that it solves problems that users have not yet realized. Good design should be invested in because it makes a more efficient and pleasing world.

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

YS : I would study cat ergonomics and design specialized cat trees that encourage indoor cats' exercise and provide comfort and ease of use.

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

YS : I hope to create a series of footwear collection that celebrates the history of my cultural background.

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

YS : My secret recipe for success is in the research process, and the secret ingredient is the attention of my end consumers.

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

YS : Marcel Breuer, Dieter Rams, Louis Sullivan.

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

YS : My all-time favorite design is the Wassily Chair by Marcel Breuer. It explored the manufacturing techniques of bent metal tubes while the method was freshly introduced. As a result, it created an elegant yet functional seating solution.

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

YS : Wacky pack, because it not only provided solutions and aesthetics as products but also dived into the cultural aspect of the sneakerhead and fashion community.

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

YS : I constantly try to improve my attention to detail in a way that elevates product quality while being mindful of the time consumption of the process. Time management and efficiency are the top qualities of good designers.

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

YS : I would perhaps practice culinary arts.

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

YS : Design is solving a problem or defining a problem before it emerges.

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

YS : My professors, classmates, friends, colleagues, and supervisors have all contributed to providing me with constructive criticism to help me improve.

DL: What helped you to become a great designer?

YS : Ambition, Determination, Sincerity, and Respect of the process.

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

YS : I can easily default back to my older ideas and concepts while solving a new problem. The obstacle is the difficulty of letting go of my ideas in the past.

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

YS : They should present their work with confident and clear logic about where they started and how they got to the end.

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

YS : My next design project is to bring back archival footwear models from Puma's 90s catalog, adapting them to the model's desire for aesthetics and functionality.

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

YS : Being able to implement my vision and creativity in all aspects and steps of my work.

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

YS : People expect constant breakthroughs in design and products.

DL: How does design help create a better society?

YS : By addressing societal problems with creative problem-solving skills.

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

YS : I'm reworking the designs of classic Puma footwear to target a younger consumer group with more design vibrancy and energy.

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

YS : Wacky Pack, because it gave me a chance to investigate a consumer group and target audience that I had always been interested in, and had been a part of myself.

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

YS : The increase in appreciation for Mass-produced products.

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

YS : With the emergence of AI, the design field could be heading more toward indigenous crafts and culturally originated design approaches, because they express more humane quality.

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

YS : As short as a day to as long as a year.

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

YS : I start by researching all aspects that are related to the topic, in order to sort through them and find connections later.

DL: What is your life motto as a designer?

YS : PROCESS IS KING!

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

YS : I think products follow trends but great design set the trends.

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

YS : Technology should be employed to boost productivity or realize certain functions.

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

YS : I mostly focus on physical prototyping to stay closest to the object I create.

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

YS : They can bring a vibrant story to the product, assigning emotions and attitudes to the product.

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

YS : I wish people understand the conversation I hope to start with my design and continue that conversation by creating new designs that speak to what I created.

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

YS : My first reaction is immediately starting to investigate how the product is manufactured.

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

YS : My ideal design partner is someone that possesses in-depth knowledge of certain materials or manufacturing processes. I believe in co-design as long as a clear role distribution is present.

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

YS : The non-designer consumers who use the design on a daily basis.

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

YS : Walden by Henry David Thoreau.

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

YS : Keep improving what I'm good at and keep practicing what I'm bad at.

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

YS : Leonardo da Vinci

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

YS : It is a source of motivation to keep improving and creating my next best design.

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

YS : Purple; Kyoto; Pork Belly; Summer; Cats; Puma.

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

YS : A college friend of mine worked as the developer of a project I designed. Neither of us was aware of each other's role until the product landed on the market.

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

YS : I attach emotions to the works of other creatives, trying to use their perspective to view the world a bit differently.

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

YS : Not at all.

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

YS : A thousand years from now, humans would probably live on other planets and design products that are used on other planets.

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

YS : I found the ideation process the most challenging, and the fabrication process most pleasing.