Interview with ZhiTao 唐

Our design studio was found in 2015. At very beginning, the project required from clients are most of small apartment with around 40-60 square meter. After that, we began to attach some commercial clients like catering services, office and so on. Ruetraa is the project we finished recently and in the whole process from the concept to the construction all followed our main idea. Our concept of logo is a paper folded flyer, which means the flyer made by paper can also fly once it get the power of idea from designers. The direction of flying way is East. In Chinese 'Fengshui', East is the symbol of 'Life' and 'Hope'.

The idea comes from a blank paper, then we begin to communicat with our clients from the early concept to a final product. I think the whole process from begin to the end is 'design'.

I prefer to design something with local culture background. We pursue the culture under the design but not the simple beautiful shape. I think the culture material is the most precious issue for a designer.

The restaurant Mercato in Italy is my favorite design, because the design connects with historical background. 'The Bund No.3' is the first building with bar construction, the way to take the building 'back to the past' presenting the designers' respect the old history of Shanghai. The designer not only describe the history of the Bund, but also reflects a picture of changes of Shanghai city in 100 years.

A private apartment with 70 square meters. I tried to use the shape fo 'tree' to build my idea, and I made a tree relivo on the every wall which connect two rooms. Fortunately, my client like my idea very much.

Texture paint, wood, terrazzo are my favorite material. I can use different software to structure my plan and idea.

The moment or the process that I communicate with my clients, and I get abundant ideas from my clients, that is my source of my inspiration.

The function. Every project has to be operated well, otherwise, it is no meaningful to our society.

When a new idea comes out I feel very excited, then share my idea to our colleagues, even most of time my ideas are objected.

Excited, obviously. There is a happy moment when your 'baby' grow up.

The design can meet my client's requirement.

The function.

Design can motivate the develpment of commercial industry goes well.

3d technology motivates design industry developing very fast.

I have no any plan of exhibition for our studio.

It's depends, some come from accumulation from observation and some come from my research and analysis of material searched from internat.

I have no specific style, the style is decided from different projects.

I live in Guangdong, China. The architecture with Cantonese culture impacts me a lot. The dragon boat, water village are all the culture symbols of Cantonese culture. We try to repack those traditional culture into a new culture, and let more young people to accept this culture.

I was the founder and operater of this studio, so what I consider is how to find more projects for my company.

We try to cooperate with independent designer when our projects is not too many, in order to reduce the daily cost of our studio. When our projects are too many, we can consider to trainning young designers. I think the responsibility and patience are the points we select a good designer.

For a new project, I always to go to the location and communicate with the client and collect their ideas, making different cases with new concepts.

ANTIFONI light from IKEA, POÄNG chair from IKEA, Dyson Supersonic, Harman Kardon Sounder, iMac

I like to drawing up my idea plan in the midnight, in the day I communicate with clients with my ideas face to face.

Try to experience the life. Of cause the knowlage is the most important element.

You have to change something beacuse some rediculous demands when my project has already confirmed.

Control the scale, colour, light. I think those three points are my golden rule.

The attitude of life and spatial thinking.

Software I often use: 3DMAX、AUTO CAD、PS. The books I often read are Design360°、Communication Arts、Designers-Digest、Interior Design、FRAME and so on.

There is very important to make an effective working schedule.

Depends the category of project. For commercial project, the period is often 1 month, while for the private resident, you have enough time to build your design idea.

the balance between design cost and construction cost.

The studio I work for after I graduate from the collage. The projects came from that studio taught me how to use different way to make a design. In that company, I met my great teacher Yang Mingbin, Li Xinglin.

Different types, but most of them are come from catering and commercial industry.

Catering project is my favorite project, because I like food. Actually, in my design for catering clients, some of crazing idea can come into real.

I still build it, I hope the plan can break something compare my previous one.

Team work, of course. It can not solve problems easily just depend a person. You know design can cover different knowledge in different filds, so we have to combine together and use team power to develope more projects.

Yes. We have a new project in Shenzhen city is in process, we meet a lot of difficult during the period of construction. Now what we need to do is communicate with the team of construction and try to solve those problems in the best ways.

Most of time the clients know us from our friends or from our perious project. It is worth to mention that we always make return visit to our clients and our projects, to realize what we need to improve or what we need to change.