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Interview with Wei Ting Lin |
Home > Designer Interviews > Wei Ting Lin |
Editor Frank Scott (FS) from DesignPRWire has interviewed designer Wei Ting Lin (WTL) for A’ Design Award and Competition. You can access the full profile of Wei Ting Lin 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?
WTL: I studied industrial design when I was in college, but I’ve been working in different places and varies job type, and after all those experiences, I came back to design industry, I love my job, and I always wanted to create spatial that make people feel relax and chill.
FS: Can you tell us more about your company / design studio?
WTL: We are a small but solid group, we aren’t a large scale suturing but colleagues work as a team and are always in tune, so I often say that we are a volleyball team, every of us perform our own duties but complement each other, which forms a highly efficient team.
FS: What is "design" for you?
WTL: As a matter of fact, design includes all things that we need in daily life, frame buildings to spaces, products we use, food packages…etc. So design for me is anything, but the aim is to improve people’s living quality and to blend their emotions and life experiences into spaces or objects.
FS: What kinds of works do you like designing most?
WTL: I like to design villas, resorts, and all kinds of leisure residence.
FS: What is your most favorite design, could you please tell more about it?
WTL: My favourite design is the PRADO sofa from Ligne Roset designed by Christian Werner, I love how it can be combined and adjusted as desired and onto which back cushions may be placed as will, so that one can sit or lie down as they wish.
FS: What was the first thing you designed for a company?
WTL: Apart from my school work, my first serious and complete project is a small yacht, for leisure purpose, and after I start working I really got a yacht design case, which is really special to me.
FS: What is your favorite material / platform / technology?
WTL: One of my favourite material is walnut, it is subtle and textured, when it goes with other material with the right proportion, it’s gonna look fabulous.
FS: When do you feel the most creative?
WTL: I feel creative when I was on the plane and in my own villa. When I’m restricted on the plane, I will be highly focusing on my work, so I continuously come up with new ideas, and I normally finish my work when I landed.
FS: Which aspects of a design do you focus more during designing?
WTL: The thing I pay the most of my attention is how my design make my client feel, did they feel relaxed? Or did my design brings warmth or recalls their unforgettable memories and experiences, and will they feel comfortable staying in the space I designed. Also the most important thing, aesthetic.
FS: What kind of emotions do you feel when you design?
WTL: As a matter of fact, design can be seen as a conversation between myself and the environment. These feeling are real and strong. Sometimes these feeling makes me feel energetic but also tired and anxious, but these are very normal. I will also discuss how designers can be a intermediary between human and the environment, which makes me feel excited and energetic.
FS: What kind of emotions do you feel when your designs are realized?
WTL: I feel blessed, really appreciate, and also touched. From a scrap piece of paper to a actual building or space, it needs a lot of work and workers to realised. I also feel a sense of achievement which urge me to move forward.
FS: What makes a design successful?
WTL: Practice, working experiences, and aesthetic. Practice makes perfect is never a cliché, from all living and working experience, when you feel it and sense it, and blend it to your design, it will make your design full of your own identity.
FS: When judging a design as good or bad, which aspects do you consider first?
WTL: Are the details being well-considered will be the aspect, detailing will make design very different.
FS: From your point of view, what are the responsibilities of a designer for society and environment?
WTL: People nowadays are paying more attention on environmental and sustainability issues, and so do I. So the choosing of materials and luminaries, we often use those which are more sustainable, or even make the most advantage of the space or natural light it self. I thought that spatial is the closest thing to human beings, so I want to try my best to make the best use of materials and be environmental friendly.
FS: How do you think the "design field" is evolving? What is the future of design?
WTL: People are paying more attention on aesthetics nowadays, so there are more designers out there and clients start to pursue home aesthetic and relaxation. In my option, the future of design will be even more customised, plus, sustainable.
FS: When was your last exhibition and where was it? And when do you want to hold your next exhibition?
WTL: Nope
FS: Where does the design inspiration for your works come from? How do you feed your creativity? What are your sources of inspirations?
WTL: My muse will be all the creatures and plants from the nature, I like to discover possibilities of connecting our lives in the city with nature, to feel and to relax. Observe and experiments will be the key to be creative, don’t be afraid of trying, all ideas are worth trying even though it might not work.
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?
WTL: My style will be more relaxing and chilling, modern blended with a taste of holiday style. This was developed due to my stay in Bali, I love how people there live, the enjoys the present, the only take what they need, they embrace the nature, they don’t have much thing to worry about, this experience changed me a lot when it comes to design, so I want to bring this kin of feeling to my client. The special points of my style will probable be the mixture of materials. Such as wood and metal and also mirror, mirror can double the space visually and blend the environment visually and can also extend the view.
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?
WTL: I’m living in Taipei City, it’s a modern and historical blended city, there will be historical buildings in between busy urban jungle, so that’s one of the reason that I love blending different materials and styles in my projects. I also like to blur the edges and borders between spaces and environments. Taiwan is a place that’s wet and humid, especially during typhoon periods, so, material choosing, and construction process might be affected, but there’s always solutions to different problems.
FS: How do you work with companies?
WTL: The way I cooperate with my team like a volleyball team, everyone got their work to do and they are all good at different fields, such as furniture and decorations, construction presses, and so on, so normally when I finish my design, I pass it to my team to discuss and try to come up with more possibilities.
FS: What are your suggestions to companies for working with a designer? How can companies select a good designer?
WTL: I would say if you are in-tuned with your design team, then you will nailed it for 80%, apart from viewing portfolios, talk to them and listen to their experiences and stories to know the person will really help. Exchange ideas with each other will be useful as well.
FS: Can you talk a little about your design process?
WTL: I will first have a meeting with my client, about what are they seeking for, styles..etc, and I start designing, I will have meetings with clients weekly to do adjustments, then we start picking materials and furniture after the floor plans are finalised. Then we start the construction process till done.
FS: What are 5 of your favorite design items at home?
WTL: My one of my favourite five items at home will be the fireplace in my villa designed and made by my artist friend, staying around the fireplace with my family will be the best part in winter times. Next will be my sofa designed by myself, and a throw blanket my wife knitted, and our Tom Dixon pendant lamp, and my favourite spot, my Poliform le club armchair.
FS: Can you describe a day in your life?
WTL: My day is actually very busy, there are a lot of meetings with different clients, and I will be in the studios sometimes, or in my villa designing clients cases. So I quite enjoy my time when I’m driving from place to place that I can have a short period of my private time alone.
FS: Could you please share some pearls of wisdom for young designers? What are your suggestions to young, up and coming designers?
WTL: Try, observe, and never be afraid of failure.
FS: From your perspective, what would you say are some positives and negatives of being a designer?
WTL: The advantages will be I see the world differently from others somehow, the disadvantage part might be the stuff I like are sometimes too expensive to afford haha.
FS: What is your "golden rule" in design?
WTL: Proportion. How to handle the right proportion of the usage of materials and colours is a very important technique when it comes to a good design.
FS: What skills are most important for a designer?
WTL: The ability to spot the insight and aesthetic. Also, communicate with clients and team is a very key point as well.
FS: Which tools do you use during design? What is inside your toolbox? Such as software, application, hardware, books, sources of inspiration etc.?
WTL: My pen and my “miracles happens here” notebook. my iPad, autocad, SketchUp, and all sort of magazines.
FS: Designing can sometimes be a really time consuming task, how do you manage your time?
WTL: As I mentioned I design during flights and I even design in my dream when I sleep! But honestly I set strict plans for myself, and I try really a]hard to achieve it, that’s my way to deal with my heavy workload.
FS: How long does it take to design an object from beginning to end?
WTL: Duration may vary according to different cases, it may take up to monthsor even years, but we’ve finish a case in a week before.
FS: What is the most frequently asked question to you, as a designer?
WTL: “Why?” No matter asking myself or my client, you can always know more about each other or yourself by asking why.
FS: What was your most important job experience?
WTL: My most important job experience is the days I’m in Bali, it changed my perspective in design and my attitude towards life. I was designing resorts and hotel lobbies. the way people living and the whole atmosphere there really changes my attitude. what are the meanings of life? people there live in the present and they’re optimistic and it seems like nothing can worry them and I think that’s what people nowadays need and I want to share the experience and thought through my design.
FS: Who are some of your clients?
WTL: Some of my friend for years and friend of theirs. But if it comes to different case type, I got clients like construction companies (reception centre) and merchants(stores, or commercial spaces and offices) as well.
FS: What type of design work do you enjoy the most and why?
WTL: I like designing resorts and villas, because it can realise my bold thoughts and possibilities.
FS: What are your future plans? What is next for you?
WTL: I was planning to purchase a yacht and have a long stay in Spain and sell Taiwanese sausages there. I also plan to purchase a villa in Okinawa.
FS: Do you work as a team, or do you develop your designs yourself?
WTL: I work as a team with my colleagues, sometimes we did brainstorm which really help us to discover more possibilities.
FS: Do you have any works-in-progress being designed that you would like to talk about?
WTL: I’m recently running a reception centre case, although it is really small, but I want to design the smallest but the most powerful reception centre.
FS: How can people contact you?
WTL: You can contact me via email thewall.rp@gmail.com or by phone “+886-2-2708-3004”, Vincent Lin.
FS: Any other things you would like to cover that have not been covered in these questions?
WTL: None
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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