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Interview with David Chang Design Associates Intl |
Home > Designer Interviews > David Chang Design Associates Intl |
Editor Frank Scott (FS) from DesignPRWire has interviewed designer David Chang Design Associates Intl (DCDAI) for A’ Design Award and Competition. You can access the full profile of David Chang Design Associates Intl by clicking here.
FS: Could you please tell us more about your art and design background? What made you become an artist/designer? Have you always wanted to be a designer?
DCDAI: I was born in Taipei, Taiwan and studied Inteior Architecture in the U.S. and Canada obtaining degrees in Fine Art at El Camino College in Los Angeles, a honor degree at Kwantlen Polytech University in Vancouver Canada and studied Interior Architecture at the California State University in Long Beach, California. I have been a Registered Interior Designer in North America with NCIDQ (National Council for Interior Design Qualification) certified since1999. I started working with Traditional Interior Architectural practices on various projects from large bespoked private residential developments to hospitality and restaurant projects. In that period I discovered my passion for private residential projects and have made this my focus since early 1995. I was very fortunate to advance my career by working on many luxury homes in Vancouver, Canada which enhanced my reputation as one of the top residential interior architects in this city and then beyond. In 2003, I went to Guangzhou, China to design 2 display villas for a residential developer which lead to setting up a design firm in Guangzhou in 2004. In 2007, I expand my design practice to Beijing, China, and expanded our projects to include large scale residential, display apartments, villas and clubhouses.
FS: Can you tell us more about your company / design studio?
DCDAI: The firm was originated as a small design studio in Vancouver, Canada in 1998, later incorporated in 2004, and established offices in Guangzhou in 2006 and Beijing in 2009 to provide space planning, interior design and soft furnishings services for major real estate developers in China. Completed real estate projects in Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin, Chongqing, Guangzhou, Hangzhou, Shenyang, Kunshan, Dalian, etc. are well received by the industry and has been setting as the design standards for development and design collection. DCDA has a design team of more than 90 professional designers and an experienced project management team. Type of projects encompasses villa, apartments, sales centers, clubhouses, and hotels for developers as well as private client projects, etc. Locations of projects are spread out throughout North America and Asia. Innovative designs have won numerous honorary awards from Canadian design associations and other perspective areas. DCDA’ s team of passionate and inspired professional design team consistently adheres to a system of quality, consistently discovering the significance of the practicality of space and revelation of details, and with the same enthusiasm for arts creating the ideal living space.
FS: What is "design" for you?
DCDAI: I believe that you could liken the role of an Interior Designer to that of a movie director. With our Clients as the producers, we take their personal vision, be it classical, modern, contemporary, art deco or neoclassic, and synthesize this with all the other actors, from artisans, suppliers and trades, to create a bespoke design that narrates their personal story. Designers should be like water, easily flowing and versatile enough to fit within any container. Bespoke designs cannot be mass produced if they are to be informed by the Clients’ individual tastes, needs and influences. This continuous dexterity of inspirations is the flame that keeps the passion for design burning.
FS: What kinds of works do you like designing most?
DCDAI: Restaurant, Show Flat, Show Villa, or Clubhouse
FS: What is your most favorite design, could you please tell more about it?
DCDAI: Hard to tell which is my favorite since I love any style that is beautiful from ultra modern to traditional classical. But for my own personal living, North European style will be my choice since its functional as well as super clean and mostly beautiful.
FS: What was the first thing you designed for a company?
DCDAI: A 650 square meters private residence.
FS: What is your favorite material / platform / technology?
DCDAI: Bronze
FS: When do you feel the most creative?
DCDAI: In the middle of the night
FS: Which aspects of a design do you focus more during designing?
DCDAI: Focusing more on space planning, detailing, and artistic concept development.
FS: What kind of emotions do you feel when you design?
DCDAI: sense of focusing.
FS: What kind of emotions do you feel when your designs are realized?
DCDAI: sense of accomplishment.
FS: What makes a design successful?
DCDAI: function, usability, environmental, artistic and with historical cultural detailing in the space.
FS: When judging a design as good or bad, which aspects do you consider first?
DCDAI: Function always comes first.
FS: From your point of view, what are the responsibilities of a designer for society and environment?
DCDAI: Good design is part of human civilization. Designers should create better design for mankind as well as for the environment and every living species on mother nature.
FS: How do you think the "design field" is evolving? What is the future of design?
DCDAI: Design is moving towards an environmental conscious approach through the use of recycled materials, renewable products and a concerned populace. The second true motivator and influencer is technology both in how we interact with our “smart homes” and the products being evolved and invented. Classical design from all eras, as well as eclectic style, will continue to be valid as they allow us to express our love for different cultural objects, our passion to explore our world beyond our personal spaces and the touchstones that ground us to our histories.
FS: When was your last exhibition and where was it? And when do you want to hold your next exhibition?
DCDAI: N/A
FS: Where does the design inspiration for your works come from? How do you feed your creativity? What are your sources of inspirations?
DCDAI: All design for me is inspired by the 5 senses and effectuated with 3 tools. Our living environments provide a cornucopia of stimulations that influence my designs. Smell, our first and strongest memory, can be aroused by a simple flower or a particular fruit. Vision is imprinted with the sand patterns on the dunes of the Sahara Desert, the dense forests of South America to oil settling in a rain puddle. The touch of a rock or metal sculpture can foster inpressions. Sounds such as hearing a particular classical musical score or a pop hit, can pique a feeling that can inspire a concept. And finally, taste, this influencer of cusines, can strike a cultural reference that can radiate through a design. The effectuating tools of design for me are Colour, Texture and Form, used in harmony to stimulate all our 5 senses.
FS: How would you describe your design style? What made you explore more this style and what are the main characteristics of your style? What's your approach to design?
DCDAI: I believe that you could liken the role of an Interior Designer to that of a movie director. With our Clients as the producers, we take their personal vision, be it classical, modern, contemporary, art deco or neoclassic, and synthesize this with all the other actors, from artisans, suppliers and trades, to create a bespoke design that narrates their personal story. Designers should be like water, easily flowing and versatile enough to fit within any container. Bespoke designs cannot be mass produced if they are to be informed by the Clients’ individual tastes, needs and influences. This continuous dexterity of inspirations is the flame that keeps the passion for design burning.
FS: Where do you live? Do you feel the cultural heritage of your country affects your designs? What are the pros and cons during designing as a result of living in your country?
DCDAI: I live in Taiwan, Canada, and Mainland China almost similar amount of time in my life.
FS: How do you work with companies?
DCDAI: on Contract
FS: What are your suggestions to companies for working with a designer? How can companies select a good designer?
DCDAI: Respect and value designer's service. Due diligence such as previous projects visits and client interviews are essential.
FS: Can you talk a little about your design process?
DCDAI: Function, Concept Development, Design Development, Contract Documentation, Site Follow Up.
FS: What are 5 of your favorite design items at home?
DCDAI: Watch, Car, Faucet, Lighting Fixture and Kitchen.
FS: Can you describe a day in your life?
DCDAI: N/A
FS: Could you please share some pearls of wisdom for young designers? What are your suggestions to young, up and coming designers?
DCDAI: Do not ever complains about the overtime and you have to love the design and living in different time zone from normal career. Mostly importantly you got to love what you do or else it will not last long for taste sweetness of endeavor. You need to have certain degree of insanity to pursuit perfection in every design.
FS: From your perspective, what would you say are some positives and negatives of being a designer?
DCDAI: Positive of being a good designer is fortune and fame. Negative of being a good designers is irregular hours of sleep.
FS: What is your "golden rule" in design?
DCDAI: Good designer satisfy people's needs or requests whereas a great one not only satisfy people's needs or requests but also lead people to another horizon and exceed people's expectation.
FS: What skills are most important for a designer?
DCDAI: Sensitivity towards experiencing life.
FS: Which tools do you use during design? What is inside your toolbox? Such as software, application, hardware, books, sources of inspiration etc.?
DCDAI: Auto Cad, 3D Max, Photoshop, Sketch up, Vectorworks
FS: Designing can sometimes be a really time consuming task, how do you manage your time?
DCDAI: Try hard to turn off the phone during weekend.
FS: How long does it take to design an object from beginning to end?
DCDAI: It depends on the size and complexity of the project. Usually between 2 months to 2 years.
FS: What is the most frequently asked question to you, as a designer?
DCDAI: Can a designer make lots of money?
FS: What was your most important job experience?
DCDAI: working in a design firm which is only targeted to rich and famous private residence.
FS: Who are some of your clients?
DCDAI: Classified.
FS: What type of design work do you enjoy the most and why?
DCDAI: Restaurant and Bar. Quick turnover rate but also playful.
FS: What are your future plans? What is next for you?
DCDAI: To do more projects internationally.
FS: Do you work as a team, or do you develop your designs yourself?
DCDAI: I always work as a team. Interior Design shares many aspects and needs different expertise from all talents. Interior Design is not just a one single sculpture or a painting. It involves different materials, wide range of color pallet, various techniques, and multiple level of coordination.
FS: Do you have any works-in-progress being designed that you would like to talk about?
DCDAI: Two nearly 2000 square meters show villas in Chinoiserie style. One is simple and modern whereas the other is magnificent and classical.
FS: How can people contact you?
DCDAI: People can either email me @ david.chang@dcida.com or contact me @ our company address or phone numbers listed on our company web site @ www.dcida.com
FS: Any other things you would like to cover that have not been covered in these questions?
DCDAI: I am open to any questions. Please email me @ david.chang@dcida.com. I would make may best effort to reply.
FS: Thank you for providing us with this opportunity to interview you.
A’ Design Award and Competitions grants rights to press members and bloggers to use parts of this interview. This interview is provided as it is; DesignPRWire and A' Design Award and Competitions cannot be held responsible for the answers given by participating designers.
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