Ming-Li Chang

LEGENDARY INTERVIEW

Design Legends ("DL") had the distinct honour to interview legendary designer Ming-Li Chang ("MC") 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?

MC : I graduated from ArtCenter College of Design in 2021 with a Bachelor’s degree in industrial design and I am now anticipated to graduate in 2025 with a Master’s degree in Spatial Experience Design. The furniture, spatial, and lighting design journey started for me working with Los Angeles based designer, Cory Grosser.

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

MC : I have always put a lot of thought into what it means for me to be a Chinese designer in this era and what I can do to help contribute to the design world while pushing forward the messages and stories behind Chinese design. There's a lot of negativity around the term "made in China". Growing up in China around craftsman, I think there's a lot of stories to be told and a lot of misunderstanding that can be rewritten about Chinese craftsmanship.

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

MC : I chose to become a designer. Like a lot of other peers, my parents sat me down many times to question if I wanted to work in the medical field. Even when I expressed my interest in design, they pushed me to get into the medical design industry. I have always stood my ground in what I believed in and what I wanted to achieve with design, hopefully it gets easier down the road.

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

MC : With my work experience, a lot of design has went into furniture. I hope to work more with lighting and experiential spaces. My goal is to design a restaurant or gallery space soon.

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

MC : I am still very much a young designer looking to make a name for myself, but with the little experience I have I always tell myself to not try and solve too many problems with one design.

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

MC : I think a great designer could create pieces that speak for themselves. Great designers can craft spaces or furniture that can tell its own story with out someone there to explain it.

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

MC : I think really good design allows the audience to immerse themselves emotionally in a way that helps develop a sentimental connection with the designed objects that they are interacting with.

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

MC : The value of good design is the emotional qualities that one can have in their lives. I think living with good design helps you understand your space better. Living with good design also helps elevate your memories and senses associated with spaces.

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

MC : I would love to one day design for a company like Stellar Works, where there is so much detail and effort put into understanding the craftsmanship behind building a really high quality pieces of furniture.

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

MC : A dream project of mine is to design a resort. Something about a getaway space that has its own sense of time and energy is so fascinating to me.

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

MC : My secret ingredient is people watching. I think understanding emotions and how people interact with design and how people interact with each other through design is so important.

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

MC : Recently, I have been very fascinated with the work of Kengo Kuma. It is so inspiring to read about his understanding about cultural context and the importance of delivering a type of ambience related to site specific cultural meaning through his use of materials.

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

MC : Some of my favorite designers recently are Kengo Kuma and Neri&Hu. I think they have such great understanding of culture and time. Their effort and thought behind the meaning of a space existing at the time and location that it is built is so admirable.

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

MC : To me my greatest design has yet to come. I think there is still so much for me to grow and learn from my peers and others in the space.

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

MC : I think one step that I took into helping myself understand design better is to not try and solve too many problems with one single piece of design.

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

MC : A chef or restauranteur, I have always been in love with food and the processes behind creating food.

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

MC : Design for me is a vehicle to bring forth emotions through stories.

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

MC : Other than my parents, my instructors and peers around me have been my greatest supporters. I am so lucky to be in a community of young designers that help each other to reach greater heights. I also had the wonderful opportunity to learn and grow under LA based designer, Cory Grosser.

DL: What helped you to become a great designer?

MC : I think growing up around people who cared about design and craftsmanship really helped me develop the eye for design.

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

MC : Like I said earlier, I still have a bit to go before I consider myself a "master", but I think understanding feedback and criticism has been one of the reoccurring obstacles in this journey.

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

MC : I think no matter how designers present their work, it has to be done with confidence. With social media, it is so much easier to have your design for exposed to the masses but it is also important to understand that there is no designed object in the world that is unanimously liked by everyone.

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

MC : I am currently working on a ceramic lamp with a lot of character. I am so excited to debut it in June this year at Design Shanghai.

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

MC : My ultimate goal as a designer is to be able to share my designs and stories with my friends and family through meaningful ways.

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

MC : I am not quite sure what people expect from me actually, but I do know that i expect myself to build and create objects that people love.

DL: How does design help create a better society?

MC : I think design can help shape and influence a lot of how people live and interact with others and the things around them. Design can help develop habits that make us better as a community.

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

MC : I am currently working on developing a ceramic table lamp that delivers an aesthetic and story that is very personal to my upbringing.

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

MC : I have yet to be extremely satisfied with any of my projects, to me there is always something missing, something I can do more. I do think this is a good think that helped motivate me.

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

MC : I think design is currently at the forefront of many conversations, and that will only continue to grow in the next decade. We talk a lot about artificial intelligence in design, but a lot of the opinions are negative. I believe that with the ever-growing tech, media, and AI space, people will only be more sensitive towards good design.

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

MC : Design will be more on the demand as it is becoming more and more common for people to be able to realize the possibilities of design through the internet and AI. Artificial intelligence brings exposure to art and design in a new light, and hopefully, people’s sensibility towards well-designed objects will change over the years. I believe that the younger generation will grow up being more exposed to beautiful objects and spaces through the internet and will have a stronger sensibility for aesthetics. We are already seeing a fast-changing design landscape in east Asian countries just through the fact that young professionals are able to fulfill their design curiosities with their own growing income.

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

MC : I think a piece of design can be worked on a tweaked for years and years, but it comes to a point where you have to show the world your design. For me, that is usually around two to three months.

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

MC : A lot of sketches, random sketches, is where I start with all my projects.

DL: What is your life motto as a designer?

MC : My motto I think is to bring people together through the warmth of design.

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

MC : I think its definitely both happening at the same time and there is no right or wrong answer, it just depends on which end of the spectrum you are on as a designer.

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

MC : Technology is always a tool, just a tool. I am a fast learner, and like all tools you can learn to use them in a way that helps deliver your story. I always see technology as a bag of tools to reach into when crafting a piece of design, it is important to understand which tool to use when and where.

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

MC : I use a lot of everything from Adobe software, to Solidworks, to Rhino, to Keyshot, and even Unreal Engine.

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

MC : Very important, the decisions behind color and materials contribute to the ambience that your design creates.

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

MC : I hope that people can see my designs and ask questions like what the details are trying to say.

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

MC : I always think about what was the story and process behind the development of certain details in the design.

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

MC : While I do believe in co-design, I tend to work a lot on my own. Being able to sit down and think to myself over pieces of drawings is such an important part of my process.

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

MC : My mentor, Cory Grosser, taught me so much not just about design but also what it means to be a designer.

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

MC : 100 Whites by Kenya Hara with his understanding emptiness really influenced the way I think about aesthetics.

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

MC : I am always observing, looking around, poking at details, and learning through them. Design exists everywhere, and it is important to take in the details of design decisions being made around the world.

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

MC : I.M. Pei, I would love to have a long conversation with I.M. Pei.

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

MC : I definitely don't think I'm famous, but I am so appreciative of the recognition.

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

MC : Favorite color is blue, favorite place is Shanghai, favorite food is rice noodles, favorite season is the fall, favorite thing is my camera, and favorite brand I think is Uniqlo.

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

MC : A funny thing I experienced as a designer is my first time speaking in front of a large audience. I remember being so nervous that afterwards I thought that I had peed myself.

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

MC : What makes my day is seeing something in the world that reminds me of a design idea that I had and appreciating the beauty of it.

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

MC : Since I was four years old, there is this building in downtown Shanghai, where every time we passed by it in a car I would say, "I built that". To me, that shows my interest in design since I was at a very young age.

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

MC : The idea that our designs become relics and artifacts of the future has always fascinated me. I hope that one day great designs of today can be studied and examined by people in the future.

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

MC : I hope that people can just appreciate and love the designs that I create and I am so thankful for the support and recognition that I am recieving.