Interview with Ruiqi Dai

I have wanted to become a designer since I was a child, because I like trying different things and I am always inspired with new ideas, I guess it is the urge to make them come true that pushed me to become a designer.

I particularly like designing small items, like tableware and lights, I suppose that is related to my ceramics background. Also, I find working with easy to carry items more relaxing.

A successful design does not adhere to its “historical situation” or “thought inertia”, it requires approaching a problem differently, and solving it intelligently and easily. It can propose things which were previously beyond the reach of people’s imaginations.

I want to design something for myself and my loved ones, because all this time, I am too busy designing for briefs and clients, if there's time, I want to use design to make people who I love happy.

Oki Sato’s design has influenced me greatly. The way he approaches a project and reimagines a question from the very beginning is genuinely intriguing. I think what he does is not designing one object, but designing a whole new concept and system.

My favourite design is Fountainia, it is a wine divider. When pouring wine from the top of it, the wine flows equally into two wine glasses. People engage in shared consumption, especially with food and drink, because they socialise and spend time with each other to feel a sense of relatedness to each other. However, sometimes communication and interaction during events can be strained or limited. By creating this object, I intended to explore the dynamic experience of drinking through interaction. I think it is innovative and original, and a great learning process for me.

It's hard to imagine my life without design.

To me, design is not purely about function, I intend to use design to connect physical material with the imaginary experience, in order to draw attention to the psychological needs that have been overlooked, and to bring a sensual touch to the world we live in.

My next design project is Moon Light which is wall tile.I pay a great deal of attention to the interaction between the product and users when I am designing. I want to introduce a new experience in use so it is important that the objects I create connect to people psychologically as well as physically.

I think good design can make life easier and propose to others your own understanding of aesthetics.

I remember when I was studying my BA, our team designed a medical tool for Kings College Hospital to help children with sickle cell disease better understand their condition and cooperate with their treatment. The project was quite successful, it is also the first time that a design of mine was used in society and I was glad to see that it was helping those patients.

I think that depends on what I want to achieve, if I want to go deeper and keep improving, one design might take months and even years to finish. But if I want it to be quick and straightforward, then I can finish it in days or weeks. So different needs and purposes determine the time length of a project.

Software: Rhino, AI, PS, ID, PR,Keyshot. Equipment: hot blowing, cold working equipment, plaster equipment,etc.

A successful design does not adhere to its “historical situation” or “thought inertia”, it requires approaching a problem differently, and solving it intelligently and easily. It can propose things which were previously beyond the reach of people’s imaginations.

The Chinese poet Bai Li is the person I want to have a drink with.

No matter how technology progresses, the foundation of design will always be about people and what people need. With new progress, new problem occurs, it is important for designers to think ahead and to be caring towards others.

My design studio focuses on exploring and constructing aesthetic value for a high quality life. We work internationally providing design services which include product design, graphic design and branding. Our products range from lighting to furniture, from tableware to interior accessories, and are easily recognisable for their sculptural form and sensualness.

To me, design is not purely about function, I intend to use design to connect physical material with the imaginary experience, in order to draw attention to the psychological needs that have been overlooked, and to bring a sensual touch to the world we live in.

I particularly like designing small items, like tableware and lights, I suppose that is related to my ceramics background. Also, I find working with easy to carry items more relaxing.

My favourite design is Fountainia, it is a wine divider. When pouring wine from the top of it, the wine flows equally into two wine glasses. People engage in shared consumption, especially with food and drink, because they socialise and spend time with each other to feel a sense of relatedness to each other. However, sometimes communication and interaction during events can be strained or limited. By creating this object, I intended to explore the dynamic experience of drinking through interaction.

When I was studying my BA, our team designed a medical tool for Kings College Hospital to help children with sickle cell disease better understand their condition and cooperate with their treatment. The project was quite successful, it is also the first time that a design of mine was used in society and I was glad to see that it was helping those patients.

My favourite material changes from time to time, it used to be ceramics because I was fascinated by their properties and potential, any change of temperature, touch or position would change the result completely. My recent favourite material is glass, because I quite enjoy the optical effect caused by the transparency of glass and controlling the shape of it under a high temperature is an exciting challenge.

When I am exposed to new project briefs.

I pay a great deal of attention to the interaction between the product and users when I am designing. I want to introduce a new experience in use so it is important that the objects I create connect to people psychologically as well as physically.

My emotion goes through different stages during the design process. At first, it is the excitement of the new ideas and new thoughts that are coming to me. Then it is the frustration of the problems which occur during the development process. After that, it is the satisfaction I achieve when I solve the problems and finally bring my idea to fruition.

For a designer, it is always a pleasure to see a design come to reality. However, I think it is important to stay objective and analyse the product like an outsider, a person who is unfamiliar with the product. This process is important to me because it helps me find design flaws so it can be improved.

A successful design does not adhere to its “historical situation” or “thought inertia”, it requires approaching a problem differently, and solving it intelligently and easily. It can propose things which were previously beyond the reach of people’s imaginations.

It is important that the design makes sense, both in terms of function and form.

For society, I think design should make life easier and propose to others your own understanding of aesthetics. As for the environment, it is important for designers to consider whether the production process or material itself can damage the environment, because when design put into production, the damage it causes can be multiplied thousands or even millions of times. As the creator of products, we must be responsible for the safety of others and the world we live in.

No matter how technology progresses, the foundation of design will always be about people and what people need. With new progress, new problem occurs, it is important for designers to think ahead and to be caring towards others.

My last exhibition was the Work In Progress show at the Royal College of Art, and my next exhibition will be at the 2018 Contemporary Young Artists Award in Newcastle.

I do not find inspiration intentionally, I think the accumulation of knowledge and experience is how ideas come. Therefore, I expose myself to new things constantly, a new book, a new type of food or a new game etc., leaves a thread in my mind, and several threads come together forming my new idea.

I think my design is interactive and sensual. I like making still objects which have a dynamic state.

I have lived in London for four years. The mixture between British identity and Chinese heritage has influenced my work unconsciously.

Each day is different.

I think it is about finding the right solution and the right method. I always simplify things to avoid unnecessary processes.

I think that depends on the designer, if I want to go deeper and keep improving, one design might take months and even years to finish. But if I want it to be quick and straightforward, then I can finish it in days or weeks. So different needs and purposes determine the time length of a project.