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Interview with Mars Design Consultants |
Home > Designer Interviews > Mars Design Consultants |
Editor Frank Scott (FS) from DesignPRWire has interviewed designer Mars Design Consultants (MDC) for A’ Design Award and Competition. You can access the full profile of Mars Design Consultants 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?
MDC: Angela: I graduated in 2007 as a graphic designer and in 2010 gained a master's degree from the Design and Brand Strategy of the University of Brunel London. To be a designer and artist is my life goal since very young, and I have never question about it.
FS: Can you tell us more about your company / design studio?
MDC: Mars Design established in 2014 in Singapore, and I am the co-founder and creative director of Mars Design since 2017. We mainly work for high-end hospitality projects, and we have a wide range of services. Our services include branding, hotel collaterals, amenities, packaging, signage wayfinding and artwork selections.
FS: What is "design" for you?
MDC: Angela: Design is a solution to answer the question of human needs. To make your life easier, better and hopeful.
FS: What kinds of works do you like designing most?
MDC: Angela: I love all kinds of design, product, environmental, fashion, jewellery, graphic design. I don't think we should put a line to differ them; for me, they only have one category. Nico: Layout
FS: What is your most favorite design, could you please tell more about it?
MDC: Angela: The roof bar Morph, at Kempinski Hotel Hangzhou. Although we only entered the design pitching for this project, we enjoyed this type of legend story theme. And thanks A Design Award to give us this opportunity to show our concepts to the public. Nico: Congo Palace, it’s a hotel branding.
FS: What was the first thing you designed for a company?
MDC: Angela: In the internship period. A collection of illustrations for MSN promotion campaigns. Nico: Magazine layout design
FS: When do you feel the most creative?
MDC: Angela: If you are a creative person, that means creative is a part of your body and you can always feel your creativity lives inside you. Even when you walk, sleep, swim or eat, they could come from nowhere.
FS: Which aspects of a design do you focus more during designing?
MDC: Angela: Visual, definitely. Nico: Details.
FS: What kind of emotions do you feel when you design?
MDC: Angela: Exciting. Nico: Depends on different projects.
FS: What kind of emotions do you feel when your designs are realized?
MDC: Angela: You will always feel good to realize your designs in front of your clients or customers. Nico: Feel good.
FS: What makes a design successful?
MDC: Angela: When you feel it is successful and when you heard good feedback among others not only from the person who paid for it. Nico: Idea
FS: When judging a design as good or bad, which aspects do you consider first?
MDC: Angela: A good design should make you feel good. It should bring to something new, not just repeat what others doing or trying to be trendy.
FS: From your point of view, what are the responsibilities of a designer for society and environment?
MDC: Angela: To improve people's living style and aesthetic in a long term goal. Nico: To help people and improve their life.
FS: How do you think the "design field" is evolving? What is the future of design?
MDC: We will found ourselves in awe of how digital changed so many aspects of our life. The way we work and socialize are all different than before, as well as the design platform. For instance, graphics is turning its way to animated graphics instead.
FS: When was your last exhibition and where was it? And when do you want to hold your next exhibition?
MDC: Angela: Looking forward to having a design and art exhibition in the coming years, wish to exhibit in both Europe and Asia.
FS: Where does the design inspiration for your works come from? How do you feed your creativity? What are your sources of inspirations?
MDC: Collecting inspiration from travels. As a designer you should not lock yourself in the room, you should always keep exploring new things.
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?
MDC: They are edgy and exquisite. Design in an artistic style and every piece of design need to approach a certain aesthetic standard in Mars.
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?
MDC: We lived in Singapore and our hometown is in Shanghai. You won’t feel much difference between clients in Shanghai to European or South East Asia, they could accept a variety artistic style. But if you are facing a Beijing client, you will definitely feel how important to know Chinese culture and bring it to every detail of your design.
FS: What are your suggestions to companies for working with a designer? How can companies select a good designer?
MDC: Angela: Look at potentials and if he’s got a good personality not only the design ability. Nico: Look at his design talents.
FS: Can you talk a little about your design process?
MDC: Design should always start from sketches, not from your screen.
FS: What are 5 of your favorite design items at home?
MDC: Angela. Vase, plates, sofa, armchair and carpet
FS: Could you please share some pearls of wisdom for young designers? What are your suggestions to young, up and coming designers?
MDC: Be yourself not others.
FS: From your perspective, what would you say are some positives and negatives of being a designer?
MDC: There’re so many good things as being a designer, your creativity is valuable, you have the change to make a positive difference to the world, you get to see people interact with your work.
FS: What is your "golden rule" in design?
MDC: Angela: Be yourself not others.
FS: What skills are most important for a designer?
MDC: To visualise or produce your idea.
FS: Designing can sometimes be a really time consuming task, how do you manage your time?
MDC: Setting a schedule for your deadlines.
FS: How long does it take to design an object from beginning to end?
MDC: It really depends on what you are working with. If you are working on a product, it may take months for prototyping. It may just take you a day to design the logo if you already had a solution in your mind.
FS: What is the most frequently asked question to you, as a designer?
MDC: Most of the clients will ask you for more design options, even you already put the best in front of him.
FS: What was your most important job experience?
MDC: Angela: Working as a product designer for three years when I was a fresh graduate. It let me realized that I love all kinds of designs. Nico: Working as the co-founder and director of MARS.
FS: Who are some of your clients?
MDC: Real estate
FS: What type of design work do you enjoy the most and why?
MDC: Angela: It depends on what kind of design work you are comparing. If you compare product and graphics, I will say to be a product designer you can probably get more feedback, you will see people buying and using your designs.
FS: What are your future plans? What is next for you?
MDC: We will put more time to expanding our business.
FS: Do you work as a team, or do you develop your designs yourself?
MDC: Yes, at the moment we have five people working in the Singapore office and 8 in Shanghai.
FS: Do you have any works-in-progress being designed that you would like to talk about?
MDC: Currently, we are working on a few new hotel branding projects in Beijing.
FS: How can people contact you?
MDC: You can find my email address here, angela.lu@marsdesignsg.com nico.xu@marsdesignsg.com
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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