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Interview with Tong Xu |
Home > Designer Interviews > Tong Xu |
Editor Frank Scott (FS) from DesignPRWire has interviewed designer Tong Xu (TX) for A’ Design Award and Competition. You can access the full profile of Tong Xu 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?
TX: I am an architect by profession and have been engaged in architectural and interior/exterior environmental design for thirty years. My career has spanned across real estate development companies, construction groups, architectural design institutes, design firms, and decoration companies. The rich professional experience and role transitions have allowed me to naturally adopt a client-oriented approach and consider problems from the client's perspective. This has enabled me not only to delve deeply into designs that align with the clients' operational thinking but also to stay one step ahead, earning the trust of numerous clients. Many of these clients have become my close friends. One of my most well-known works from my younger days was designing thirty-five Starbucks coffee shops when they entered China. Even today, the headquarters in Seattle considers these stores as some of their best-designed outlets during that period.
FS: When judging a design as good or bad, which aspects do you consider first?
TX: My understanding of design is that, in essence, design serves operations and is a packaging tool for operations. Good design creates things that belong to customers, including operators and consumers. Many designers are simply expressing their own self-awareness, with a constant logic no matter what project they are working on. This approach to design has strong limitations. I pursue the diversification of design logic, lower my ego, and prioritize means over ends.
FS: Where does the design inspiration for your works come from? How do you feed your creativity? What are your sources of inspirations?
TX: The design industry is a blend of rationality and romance, requiring both idealistic sentiments and rigorous engineering technical means. The arrival of inspiration requires overcoming huge starting resistance, and when your practical experience is insufficient, inspiration and creativity are mostly reduced to mere daydreams; but when you have accumulated rich experience through numerous battles and have reached a point of bursting forth with wisdom, inspiration flows like a spring, unceasingly.
FS: Could you please share some pearls of wisdom for young designers? What are your suggestions to young, up and coming designers?
TX: a. It is essential to follow through the implementation process of your design work, as it can lead to significant improvement in terms of technical craftsmanship, understanding, and confidence. Remember that you cannot evade design responsibility for any unsuccessful implementation. b. The design process is a struggle within yourself; any excessive description or forced association that deviates from the leading design concept should be firmly discarded, no matter how brilliant the creativity may be. c. Designers should allocate time to observe the world and engage in cultural exchanges; traveling and reading are equally important. New media forms cannot replace your firsthand experiences because those belong to others. Only by experiencing things personally can they become your own, allowing you to speak in your own language rather than someone else's - something your clients will notice.
FS: How can people contact you?
TX: Email：xxuutong@qq.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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