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Interview with PH Alpha Design Limited |
Home > Designer Interviews > PH Alpha Design Limited |
Editor Frank Scott (FS) from DesignPRWire has interviewed designer PH Alpha Design Limited (PADL) for A’ Design Award and Competition. You can access the full profile of PH Alpha Design Limited 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?
PADL: Since I was a youngster, I always love all kind of arts. I was motivated by amazing architecture building and surrounding when I was working in Beijing. I’ve enrolled in one of the four best national architecture university in China. Those schools are very difficult to enrol especially in the 90s. I always like to create a masterpiece that could last more than 10 years and also improve the city landscape.
FS: Can you tell us more about your company / design studio?
PADL: PH Alpha Design Ltd is founded for 6 years, 60 people with headquarter in Hong Kong. Branches located in London, Shenzhen and Shanghai.
FS: What is "design" for you?
PADL: Express the desire and inspiration through a product that is responsible to the public and the owner.
FS: What kinds of works do you like designing most?
PADL: Architecture and Sculpture
FS: What is your most favorite design, could you please tell more about it?
PADL: Jewish Museum (Berlin, Germany) and National Vietnam War Museum (Texas, USA). Both design it’s about war and humanity, by looking at those two architecture, it reflects the humanity issue all over the world. These two architecture shows the compassionate and strong feeling of emotional towards human history.
FS: What was the first thing you designed for a company?
PADL: An addition to a mixed-use development in Chongqing.
FS: What is your favorite material / platform / technology?
PADL: Material – concrete and cement
FS: When do you feel the most creative?
PADL: Morning after a good breakfast
FS: Which aspects of a design do you focus more during designing?
PADL: Aesthetic and practicality
FS: What kind of emotions do you feel when you design?
PADL: I feel excited when I am doing all my design works.
FS: What kind of emotions do you feel when your designs are realized?
PADL: Emotional and energized
FS: What makes a design successful?
PADL: Well perform on the product’s function and express the designers’ inspiration
FS: When judging a design as good or bad, which aspects do you consider first?
PADL: Expressive/responsive to the original idea
FS: From your point of view, what are the responsibilities of a designer for society and environment?
PADL: Improve quality of living through what people see and how they use it
FS: How do you think the "design field" is evolving? What is the future of design?
PADL: Clearly computer and construction technology helps to stretch the design, but need to remember the end-user is always human-beings. The product must be user-friendly.
FS: When was your last exhibition and where was it? And when do you want to hold your next exhibition?
PADL: Co-exhibit in Shenzhen, China in last November. Wait to be here this year!
FS: Where does the design inspiration for your works come from? How do you feed your creativity? What are your sources of inspirations?
PADL: From everything of the surroundings around me whenever and whatever
FS: How would you describe your design style? What made you explore more this style and what are the main characteristics of your style? What's your approach to design?
PADL: My design style has be user-friendly, serving the public in the main aims.I’m a space conscience person, the space I create are very fluid and well connected from place to place.
FS: Where do you live? Do you feel the cultural heritage of your country affects your designs? What are the pros and cons during designing as a result of living in your country?
PADL: Hong KongPros: Get to see variation of design; international design are everywhereCons: Limitation of regulations and land, not as creative for architecture
FS: How do you work with companies?
PADL: Respect their inputs and co-operate together. To build a good design as a responsible lead-consultant
FS: What are your suggestions to companies for working with a designer? How can companies select a good designer?
PADL: Listen – always something to absorb from them, design might not be mature but design concept matters
FS: Can you talk a little about your design process?
PADL: Consider the client needs, analyse what’s best for them and the site, use experience to design.
FS: What are 5 of your favorite design items at home?
PADL: 1.Alvar Aalto Vase2.Art piece3.Japanese Knight figure4.Designer’s shoes
FS: Can you describe a day in your life?
PADL: I’ll do yoga every morning for half an hour. While I’m working, I like to turn on my music on. Love going to the classic orchestral concerts. I tried to squeeze some time to visit small design art gallery and jewellery design shop to get inspiration
FS: Could you please share some pearls of wisdom for young designers? What are your suggestions to young, up and coming designers?
PADL: - Think carefully what they really want to achieve as an architect-Question when needed-Don’t hesitate to express and voice out -See and observe more-Hunger for knowledge-Prepare for solutions-100% devotion
FS: From your perspective, what would you say are some positives and negatives of being a designer?
PADL: Positive:Be able to unleash ideas and to create a long-lasting artpieceNegative:Income unstable, projects criticize by subjective comments.Thus, need to Learn to embrace negative comments
FS: What is your "golden rule" in design?
PADL: Provide practical solution using innovative ideas
FS: What skills are most important for a designer?
PADL: Stay open-minded
FS: Which tools do you use during design? What is inside your toolbox? Such as software, application, hardware, books, sources of inspiration etc.?
PADL: Hand-drawn, get inspirations from magazine and art piece
FS: Designing can sometimes be a really time consuming task, how do you manage your time?
PADL: Stay work-life balance, no matter how busy will still get half hour for yoga
FS: How long does it take to design an object from beginning to end?
PADL: Depends on the scale of project, 1 day to a few months.
FS: What is the most frequently asked question to you, as a designer?
PADL: What is the idea behind your design and how it works
FS: What was your most important job experience?
PADL: By the time when I’m having my PHD degree in year 2000, in one of our graduate architecture tour in Europe. I got to see all amazing masterpiece from ancient time to modern time. And we spent a lot of time to attend those interesting conference, that experience is the most unforgettable job!
FS: Who are some of your clients?
PADL: Renowned developers and listed company in China and Hong Kong. Examples are China Resources Holdings, Hong Kong Land, Henderson, Longfor
FS: What type of design work do you enjoy the most and why?
PADL: Façade and massings, first thing to be seen in perspective
FS: What are your future plans? What is next for you?
PADL: Continue my profession and expand the company going for national and global
FS: Do you work as a team, or do you develop your designs yourself?
PADL: Discuss idea with my two teams and put together a concept myself
FS: Do you have any works-in-progress being designed that you would like to talk about?
PADL: A mixed-use design consist of a botanical garden. It will the biggest mall in China that consist of an amazing botanical garden within the mall. Media has spread around regarding this project. The public are very looking forward to this huge botanical garden. The challenges of this project is how to facilitate a retail through botanical garden.
FS: How can people contact you?
PADL: Through email, website and our social media platform
FS: Any other things you would like to cover that have not been covered in these questions?
PADL: nil
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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