Interview with Jin Zhang

Seeing the beautiful product visual performance can make me feel very comfortable, which also attracted me to join the design industry. The image of everyday consumer goods in every place also reflects the aesthetic level of local people. I hope that the works I design can bring people a better experience while improving people's aesthetic level, so that we can live in a better environment.

I entered the design industry with a very longing heart, full of beautiful visions for the future, and it turned out that my choice was very correct, because I have been doing design for more than ten years, and I can still get a great sense of accomplishment and happiness from design.

My main work content is: brand case design and packaging design. The industries that I dabble in are very extensive, including food, wine, tea, coffee, coffee, dairy products, catering, education and training, clothing, automobiles, etc. They are all industries that people eat and wear on a daily basis. I also really like these daily consumer products that are integrated into people's lives. Because design is to serve people, it is only meaningful when the products we design actually reach every consumer.

I think that the most valuable thing for designers is to have the ability of "empathy," to truly experience the emotions of consumers, and to integrate this emotion into the design, so that consumers can imagine and be moved after seeing this design, and to maintain curiosity about the world, and constantly discover many beautiful details that are not easy to be discovered. These are very helpful to the design.

Excellent designers may pursue the height of the design itself, such as how the use of materials can make products more gorgeous, and how design techniques can be used to make designs more cool. And great designers will pay more attention to the inner emotional needs of consumers, so that consumers have the feeling of touching the heart.

Good design should be memorable, touching the heart, touching the emotions, imaginative, and positively guiding the society. If I were to evaluate the quality of a design, I would probably care more about whether it is different and memorable.

A good design must be a bonus for the brand, which can make the brand have a higher premium, and at the same time can bring a better experience to consumers, both in terms of visual experience and the feeling of the use process, and even make people inexplicably moved. In today's consumption upgrade, consumers have higher and higher requirements for goods, which is not only reflected in the better quality of the product itself, but also requires a better sense of experience and value. This needs to be achieved through design, so more brands have begun to attach great importance to good design.

I spend most of my time designing for my clients, and if I have time, I will also design for my own interests. For example, in 2018, I used the characters from Chinese myths and legends to create a series of designs of IP images and related items. I was also liked by many friends, and I was very happy. From mobile phone cases, stickers, fans, cloth bags, mouse pads and many other daily necessities, they were all designed and made for some friends to use. Everyone liked it very much and was very happy.

I hope to bring a lot of very good products from China, but because there is no brand and no packaging, they are slowly forgotten. I hope to bring a lot of good and old products through design, so that they can be rejuvenated and more people can know and own them. And I hope that one day I can have my own brand products, which are daily consumer goods and products that can be integrated into everyone's life. I hope it continues to spread.

The success of a design is actually accompanied by a very large number of factors, and as far as the design itself is concerned, I think that in addition to being beautiful and unexpected, a design needs to be able to impress people, to be able to experience the emotions of consumers, and to design with emotions.

Compared to observing the design masters, I prefer to go to the streets, supermarkets to see pedestrians and shops, and feel from life.

I like to look at some older designs, such as things from the 1980s, maybe I am more nostalgic and like more quaint things.

I like most of my design works very much. If I have to say which design I think is the greatest, I may choose the works with local characteristics or national characteristics in my own works, such as Jinlongquan beer, Ying Hua Qing Su gift box, etc., because these designs not only show the products, but more importantly, let people know and like a city. I think that such designs have accomplished a greater mission.

Design to improve oneself from two aspects, the first is to constantly learn technology, so that what you can imagine can be made; the second is to maintain your curiosity, often go to the supermarket and walk in the crowd, to observe life, experience life, integrate into life, and maintain the breath of life, in order to make an emotional design.

If I wasn't a designer, I would probably want to be a racing driver or a mechanic because I have a soft spot for cars.

For me, design is a very interesting thing. It is both traceable and ever-changing, with infinite possibilities. It can be high-end fashion or daily nostalgia. In short, design is a game that makes me happy.

The most supportive of me is definitely my family, they will always encourage me and praise me, which makes me have more confidence, with confidence to do one thing will naturally do better.

I don't dare to say that I am a great designer. I would probably prefer to say that I am a designer. The driving force that has always helped me move forward is that every piece I design has entered the shelves for sale. Consumers who like my designs can be very happy to buy these goods. This is something I am extremely happy about.

In the design of this road, the difficulties we have encountered are actually very many, including the distrust of customers, the control of production costs limits the landing of many creative ideas, some products cannot be purchased by more people because they do not have good sales channels, and so on. However, with the gradual enrichment of their own experience and the increasing number of design works entering the sales market, including the professional recognition of international events such as the A Design Award, the obstacles are fewer and fewer.

The best presentation of design works should be on the shelves, not in the art gallery, because design should serve human life.

I have recently designed several beer packages, and I can look forward to whether I can break the form of expression of regular beer and have more interesting and rich content display. Please wait.

I hope that I can always maintain my love for design, always get joy from design seeds, until I can have new design works when my hair is gray, and can act as a teacher to pass on my experience to the next generation of young designers.

I think people's expectations of designers should be able to continuously bring excellent design works. The greatest value of a designer is a good work.

Good design can not only bring people a pleasant experience, but also contribute to the cause of environmental protection. Through the use of new materials, through the ingenious design to reduce the use of glue and nails, and help to continuously optimize the global environment, people's mood is good, and the society is naturally more harmonious and beautiful.

I'm never more excited than when I'm turning a project from an idea into a physical object, and I've always designed with that in mind; certainly when I knew I'd won the A' Design Award.

I like most of the projects, and I must choose one that is most satisfying. I prefer Ying Hua Qing Su gift box, which may be a recent work. I prefer Ying Hua Qing Su gift box, because this gift box is not only beautiful, but also represents the characteristics of the city of Wuhan. Moreover, the design of the inner small box is very ingenious. In addition to environmental protection without glue, the inner box and the outer box form a kind of artistic beauty of "mirror lake floating cherry blossoms," which is a special healing work.

Many design works are now beginning to pay more attention to the expressiveness of the picture, while ignoring the product attributes and emotional expression, which is very dangerous, because this will make many design works have no individuality and will gradually be the same. Then our living environment will be extremely monotonous and boring, and there will be no emotional concern. Therefore, I hope that the design industry will not blindly pursue the trend, but should study the emotional connection between its own products and consumers, make unique designs with personality, and let the design works blossom.

Design will become more and more important in the business environment, because the technical barriers of many products are getting weaker and weaker, and the quality is getting better and better. Consumers will choose a product from the previous focus on product quality and price, and the upgrade will also depend on whether the design is their favorite. Design will play a very big role in consumers' purchase decisions.

The length of time required for different projects is different, for example, we design a package that takes about 1 month to 2 months, and a complete brand design may take 2 to 3 months.

For new design projects, we will try the products in the first step, and then have a deep chat with the brand founder, and then go to the supermarket for a walk to see the appearance of the same type of products on the shelves. We have to be different from them, so that we can stand out from the shelves of the same type of products.

Making designs that convey feelings

I think it has to be design that leads the way, and if it were the other way around, it would be a disaster.

The technology I use when I design is very few, of course, in post-production, if more advanced printing technology can be used, it is still very useful from the perspective of environmental protection, uniqueness and quality.

I usually use Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop, and Cinema 4D.

The purity of color can make the design more unified and colorful, of course, there are also characteristic colors such as luminous ink printing, which can make the design more interesting; advanced materials can make the design more diverse.

I'd rather people ask me about such a clever design, how did you come up with it, and make a joke. I would rather hope that people have their own imagination, because the goods are more often seen by consumers themselves, rather than listening to your explanation. If the design requires excessive explanation, it will lose the meaning of design. It is better to write an article.

I thought, if I were to design this product, how would I do it? Of course, it will also be necessary to learn from the success of others.

Many of my design projects are done in collaboration. I like to work with illustrators very much, because to get high-quality illustrations, you need to work with illustrators with corresponding styles. I believe in them very much, because the main ideas are done by me, and the partners are more about execution.

In fact, it was the students I went to the university with that had the biggest impact on me, because they did not have much experience in commercial design. When they think, they will have no scruples. There are some very wonderful ideas. This is very helpful to me. It can break my ideological confinement and make my thinking more divergent.

In fact, I rarely read, I prefer to experience life, I think life itself is a most colorful book.

When it comes to design techniques, the techniques I use are very few. Of course, design techniques are important, but I don't think we should rely too much on techniques. We should rely more on thoughts and emotions.

I would like to stay on campus and mingle with the students, because that will keep me alive.

Of course, I am very happy to receive the award, but the award can only represent the past. I need to constantly create good works. These awards can also help me improve my own requirements to a certain extent. It is still very difficult to win the award.

I prefer red and black. They love their food and their home. I like autumn the most, the harvest is golden yellow everywhere, and it is very warm. I don't chase the brand too much, and pay more attention to the experience brought by the product.

There are too many interesting things. Let's tell an interactive story about my daughter. I often take the works I design to show my daughter. My daughter is 4 years old. She still doesn't know words and can only read pictures. However, she always looks at a work from her own perspective and can accurately say which design she likes. Sometimes I let my daughter help me choose the design draft. It is also very interesting.

I enjoy the design process, enjoy the process of creating something from nothing, and I hope that every piece I design can be easily found on the shelves, which will be a great sense of accomplishment.

When I was a child, I actually wanted to work in a car-related job, and as I grew up, I slowly came into contact with design and fell in love with design.

A thousand years is a long way away, I didn't think that far ahead. How I want to be curious about my future, how to keep the freshness of design, how to keep finding fulfillment and happiness from design, this is the basis for me to stick to design.

Please remember my idea and spread it：making designs that convey feelings

My studio name is: Wuhan SANBU Brand Design, we are in China, is an extremely small studio, I am the founder and chief designer, all the design works are completed by myself as the main designer. The studio mainly does brand design and packaging design, involving many industries, such as food, wine, tea, coffee, dairy products, catering, education and training, clothing, automobile and so on.

I think design is a very broad term, not just using design software to design graphics or fonts, but from the meaning of the product, how to enhance the experience of the product, how to create an emotional connection with consumers, how to express the personality of the brand and other multi-dimensional to solve some business problems, design is a systematic project. Of course, the final need to impress consumers is a successful design.

I prefer the most common products in people's daily life, whether it is eating, drinking or playing. Only the products that most ordinary people can buy, through our design to enhance the visual performance and experience, so that people can live in the environment of high-quality goods, the design is truly meaningful.

I like to think and create alone in a very quiet environment. The time is not fixed, but most of the time tends to be in the morning and late at night.

The current design is very rich and colorful, but compared to the expression, I pay more attention to the emotion conveyed by the design, because I firmly believe that a good design must be able to impress consumers for a long time and have an intersection with consumer emotions.

At the beginning of the design, it is relatively cumbersome at the beginning of the design. I need to understand the product-related information as much as possible. The design process will become more and more clear and exciting. When our creativity is satisfied by Party A, we will only smile and face the relative calm. During the design process, it is most exciting to turn ideas into reality.

When my design goes from the design draft on the computer to the production of the actual product, I will be very proud, and I will share it with my friends in a timely manner. I also hope that more people can enjoy this product. In short, I am excited.

It is difficult to use a unified standard to measure whether the design is successful or not. Of course, sales volume will be one of the measurement standards, but sales volume will be affected by many factors such as price, sales channels, and the brand's own popularity. And I think that the key to the success of a design is whether the user is attracted and whether they will take the initiative to share with friends around them. Only if more people spontaneously share because they like the design, then the design will be successful.

The difference between good design and bad design will be very large due to people's own artistic accomplishment, so there will be no uniform standard. When I look at the design, the first thing I have to do is to see if it can attract me to take a few more glances. Whether it is because of color, or graphics, the first thing is to attract the eye; the second is to see what the design wants to express, and whether it is clearly expressed; and the last is whether it is practical and whether there is excessive waste.

I think that people's living standards have been continuously improving, and people's requirements for all aspects of goods are also increasing. As designers, we have the responsibility to take a lot of products that are not good enough, and let them bring a better experience to people through design, and reduce waste and pollution through design, so that our resources can be used more rationally.

Design will change with the development of the times, because design is to serve people. From the need for functionality from the very beginning, the design slowly needs to reflect the brand value, and now we need more to reflect the connection between the consumer's self-worth and the brand, so that every group can be respected. Design will always be people-oriented and increasingly personalized to develop.

Before each design, I will go to the supermarket for a walk. Sometimes I will take the bus to see the people and shops on the street. This will allow me to feel in the living environment. When I am a consumer myself, I will buy what kind of designed goods. This can restore the consumer psychology to the greatest extent. It can also break the original design ideas of the product and achieve breakthrough changes.

I don't have a fixed design style. If I have to say what style, I may personally prefer the Chinese style, because I like Chinese traditional culture. Although I know very little, when I do design, I will learn more interesting Chinese culture and world culture through different projects. It is very interesting to transform and integrate through design.

I am from Wuhan, China. Chinese culture is profound and profound, and its influence on my design is very great. I like Chinese culture very much. There will be many interesting cultures in different regions. It may take hundreds of years to fully understand, so it will always have a fresh feeling.

We have several principles for cooperation with Party A: 1. Do not participate in any form of comparison; 2. We need to pay before we start designing; 3. You must meet the brand manager or founder for in-depth communication.

making designs that convey feelings

I think the most important thing for designers is "empathy," and we need to think about ourselves as consumers, not as brands, because ultimately it is the consumer who pays the bill. And we need to tap the potential needs of consumers, and surpass the products that consumers expect, in order to survive longer. Software skills are also important, but those can be developed with practice.

In order to make better works, our studio only accepts about 10 cases each year, and controls the number of projects as much as possible to ensure the quality of design. Although this will lose a lot of economic benefits, we still do it, because only good works can make us decide to be worthy of our own hearts.

The time required for different projects is also different, such as a product packaging, generally we need one month to two months to complete.

The most important and most difficult work experience is that I founded my own studio, and everything needs to be done by myself, including connecting contracts, finance and so on. However, it also made me grow a lot, especially in the ability outside of design. It also made me know that it is very difficult to be a brand. It also made me have better tenacity.

My customers are basically concentrated in Hubei Province, China. For example, Wuhan's most famous scenic spots: the Yellow Crane Tower; Hubei's largest brewery: Jinlongquan Beer; China's number one beer: Tsingtao; Hubei's largest decoration company: Aohua Decoration; Hubei liquor brand: Jiang Jun Hong; Hubei children's milk brand: Cool My Dairy; Hainan Shan Lan Wine Brand: Lijiang

Continue the current steps, and only do about 10 projects every year to ensure the quality of design, speak with solid works, and let more brands see us and choose us. We only do brand design and packaging design.

If you want to contact us, you can email a59345@qq.com. You can also call 13207121305 in China. Or follow our wechat official number: SANBU-BrandDesign