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Interviews with Mars Design Consultants
Designer profileDesign Interview
1 May 2020 · Morph Branding per ristorazione e beverage
The whole theme of the bar is telling the story of an ancient Chinese legend love story, LiangZhu. The design is intrigued by the dazzling iridescent wings of the Morph butterfly. Bringing together the unique features of the female and male counterparts on each side of the wings, the design yields a gynandromorphy. The kaleidoscope-like butterfly pattern is the main planar elements, showing the unpredictable and mysterious of the blue butterfly under the light and shadow.
The goal is to create a strong bar and restaurant branding through an extraordinary dining experience to customers. Not only on the food itself, but the interaction should also go through from the sensation of each customer, like sounds, smell, visuals, lightings and the touches. The design also considers holistically, like the wall art sculpture, digital motion board, the special printing effects menu and etc, will bring you a different feel while you are in Morph.
We are planning to expand Morph into our studio artwork collection theme. We found there are a lot of other forms we could turn into it.
Initial, we spent a month time for preparing the concepts, logo and application designs. And we continued work on this in this year.
Morph is one of our design pitching projects for a top hotel brand, but we were not signed as the design consultant. As the design theme was created by Mars, we decide to explore the concept further in our upcoming artwork collection.
We will consider producing a series of artwork for our Mars Artwork Collection or selling it to an appropriate client.
Liangzhu is a well-known legend story to Chinese, and as well as the butterfly symbols. But what makes it unique is the design and how we transform a traditional theme to edgy and modern elements.
The name Morph was given by the hotel operator side. It represents a particular kind of morpho butterflies. If you look at Wikipedia, you will find the name morpho, meaning “changed” or “modified”.
The made a kaleidoscope liked animation, which you could find from our company website.
A few visits to modern and traditional Chinese restaurants and bars in Asia, to get inspired by the different dining experience. Immersing the soul into the Chinese culture, cuisine and studied the dining habits. The research does not only stop capturing the way of how they layout the menu but to really understand the whole dining ritual and new generational dining style.
Competition or awards could probably let more people know Mars Design from the crowds. It is important for the start-up and we should not give up anyway to show our works. But we will never make designs for awards.
Design Legend Interview
1 May 2020
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.
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.
Travelling, reading, observing and listening.
The difference is whether your design inspired or help others to get better.
A good design is a solution to answer the question of human needs. To make your life easier, better and hopeful.
We are looking forward to work with more top hotel operators, like Four Seasons and Aman Resorts.
To make it pretty.
Zaha Hadid, Vivienne Westwood and Marcel Wanders
The signage design for our Six Senses Barwara project in Rajasthan. The unique cultural associates the royal spirits and local craftsmanship.
Collecting inspiration from travels. As a designer you should not lock yourself in the room, you should always keep exploring new things.
To be a designer and artist is my life goal since very young, and I have never question about it.
Design is a solution to answer the question of human needs. To make your life easier, better and hopeful.
Your experience, talents and interest.
To let others find your work.
Currently, we are working on a few new hotel branding projects in Beijing.
Be yourself not others.
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.
Nico: Congo Palace, it’s a hotel branding.
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.
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.
The design should always start from sketches, not from your screen.
Both. The design needs to meet human needs and at the same time, good design will leading you to gain something new.
Your experience and mistakes.
Awards could probably let more people know Mars Design from the crowds. It is important for the start-up and we should not give up any chance to show our works. But we will never make designs for awards.
Designer Interview
1 May 2020
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.
To be a designer and artist is my life goal since very young, and I have never question about it.
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.
Angela: Design is a solution to answer the question of human needs. To make your life easier, better and hopeful.
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
Nico: Layout
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.
Nico: Congo Palace, it’s a hotel branding.
Angela: In the internship period. A collection of illustrations for MSN promotion campaigns.
Nico: Magazine layout design
Nico: Magazine layout design
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.
Angela: Visual, definitely.
Nico: Details.
Nico: Details.
Angela: Exciting.
Nico: Depends on different projects.
Nico: Depends on different projects.
Angela: You will always feel good to realize your designs in front of your clients or customers.
Nico: Feel good.
Nico: Feel good.
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
Nico: Idea
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.
Angela: To improve people's living style and aesthetic in a long term goal.
Nico: To help people and improve their life.
Nico: To help people and improve their life.
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.
Angela: Looking forward to having a design and art exhibition in the coming years, wish to exhibit in both Europe and Asia.
Collecting inspiration from travels. As a designer you should not lock yourself in the room, you should always keep exploring new things.
They are edgy and exquisite. Design in an artistic style and every piece of design need to approach a certain aesthetic standard in Mars.
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.
Angela: Look at potentials and if he’s got a good personality not only the design ability.
Nico: Look at his design talents.
Nico: Look at his design talents.
Design should always start from sketches, not from your screen.
Angela.
Vase, plates, sofa, armchair and carpet
Vase, plates, sofa, armchair and carpet
Be yourself not others.
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.
Angela: Be yourself not others.
To visualise or produce your idea.
Setting a schedule for your deadlines.
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.
Most of the clients will ask you for more design options, even you already put the best in front of him.
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.
Nico: Working as the co-founder and director of MARS.
Real estate
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.
We will put more time to expanding our business.
Yes, at the moment we have five people working in the Singapore office and 8 in Shanghai.
Currently, we are working on a few new hotel branding projects in Beijing.
You can find my email address here,
angela.lu@marsdesignsg.com
nico.xu@marsdesignsg.com
angela.lu@marsdesignsg.com
nico.xu@marsdesignsg.com
