Yu Lin Hsu

LEGENDARY INTERVIEW

Design Legends ("DL") had the distinct honour to interview legendary designer Yu Lin Hsu ("YLH") 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?

YLH : Columbia University M.S.AUD Taiwanese Licensed Architect These Design Award of National Cheng Kung University Bachelor of Architecture

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

YLH : It’s a way to shape how people live, move, and feel in space. I became a designer because I’ve always believed that space holds emotion and I wanted to learn how to translate that into form.

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

YLH : Growing up in Tainan, surrounded by texture, material, and slow-paced urban life, I developed a sensitivity to space early on. That sense of atmosphere stayed with me.

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

YLH : I design across scales from interiors and architecture to urban strategies. I wish to engage more with public-facing designs that integrate social infrastructure and cultural narratives.

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

YLH : Design is a long game, and those who continuously ask “why” tend to create meaningful work. Learn to listen deeply to materials, to people, to places.

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

YLH : A good designer solves problems; a great designer uncovers unseen potential. The difference is often empathy and courage.

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

YLH : It resonates beyond function. A good design reveals layers the more you interact with it.

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

YLH : Good design shapes how we experience the world. It brings dignity, efficiency, beauty, and inclusivity into our everyday lives.

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

YLH : For people who don't have the power and money.

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

YLH : A decentralized public infrastructure system across multiple cities that blends urban design, clean energy, and community rituals.

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

YLH : Calm observation. I listen to what the site, client, and context are saying.

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

YLH : Herzog & de meuron, for how they design with materials. Richard Rogers, for how he treat people and the world with empathy.

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

YLH : I have too much in mind.

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

YLH : JLs' home. I like the interaction and trust in the process.

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

YLH : Travel and expose yourself to different scales and fields. I went from interiors to infrastructure, which made me more holistic in thinking and flexible in execution.

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

YLH : maybe doctor.

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

YLH : Design is a way of caring. It’s how we organize form to reflect meaning, experience, and possibility.

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

YLH : My family and friends.

DL: What helped you to become a great designer?

YLH : Empathy, consistency, and the willingness to see through ambiguity.

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

YLH : The reality.

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

YLH : With clarity and conviction.

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

YLH : I have multiple things going on, and some of the recent works are residential interior design, but I'd love to try something bigger scale.

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

YLH : To shape systems and spaces that empower people.

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

YLH : To lead with clarity, uplift others, and bring beauty and intelligence into built form.

DL: How does design help create a better society?

YLH : Design gives structure to values. It can amplify care, justice, and resilience in how we live together.

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

YLH : I was working on a mobility justice project in Niterói, Brazil, which reimagines transit infrastructure to better serve caregivers and marginalized communities. It’s a chance to blend urban design with equity and climate awareness.

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

YLH : The project with clients' full trust.

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

YLH : I hope design is no longer seen as the “aesthetic finish,” but as an integrated strategic tool from the start.

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

YLH : Toward systemic design where spatial design intersects with social equity, sustainability, and urban resilience.

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

YLH : It depends on the scale, but I believe in designing through every phase from concept to construction. For interiors, 3 to 6 months; for architecture, up to 2 years; and for urban design, even longer. Good design takes time to listen, test, and refine.

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

YLH : I always start with the people and the place. Who will use this space? What stories does the site already hold? These two layers shape the design far more than just program and form.

DL: What is your life motto as a designer?

YLH : Stay curious, grounded, and humble.

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

YLH : Designers who deeply observe culture often set trends. True innovation comes not from reacting to fashion, but from responding to deeper shifts in how we live and think.

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

YLH : It helps me visualize ideas faster, coordinate across disciplines, and test spatial decisions.

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

YLH : Revit and Enscape the most.

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

YLH : They are the emotional voice of the design. Materials speak to memory and tactility, color sets tone and mood, and ambient light breathes life into space.

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

YLH : I wish they would ask, “What did this space hope to achieve?” Because design isn’t just about aesthetics, it’s about shifting perception, comfort, and use.

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

YLH : I think about what was left out. Great design often involves restraint - what not to say, not just what to show.

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

YLH : My ideal partner is someone who brings a different lens, questions deeply, and enjoys the process as much as the outcome.

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

YLH : My mentors in both Taiwan and the U.S., who taught me how to balance practicality with imagination. Also, project managers I worked with in the public sector for they shaped my understanding of responsibility and execution.

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

YLH : A Place for All People: Life, Architecture and the Fair Society - Richard Rogers

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

YLH : By staying in motion between scales, between disciplines. From running my own practice to managing public works, and studying urban design at Columbia, each layer challenged and sharpened me.

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

YLH : Herzog & de meuron.

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

YLH : Recognition is an honor but it’s not the goal. I take it as encouragement that the values I believe in.

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

YLH : Food: anything warm and brothy.

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

YLH : When I see an idea become tangible—when a sketch becomes a form, or a space receives someone’s joy, that keeps me going. I motivate myself by reminding myself that design can make someone’s life even slightly better.

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

YLH : Maybe not “obvious,” but I think I’ve always been drawn to form, rhythm, and space.

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

YLH : Design is how we leave traces of care in the world. Whether big or small, every act of design is a chance to shape experience, so be careful.

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

YLH : I’m calm, curious, and determined. I believe beauty can be strategic and that good design, at its best, is both poetic and practical.