Bryan Wong

Specialized in Design.

Bryan Wong

About Bryan Wong

Bryan Wong is a Brooklyn-based industrial designer who believes that design should be created with a twist of respect and dash of playfulness. Bryan observes the world around him constantly and is always inspired by them. Bryan's vision is to design simple products that can trigger a deeper connection between users and materials — making the ordinary extraordinary. Bryan observes the world around him constantly and is always inspired by them. This passion and curiosity lead Bryan to great discoveries, allowing him to create innovative, beautiful and compelling products that solve real needs. Bryan likes to explore how different materials and manufacturing method can accentuate designs of an object. This micro consideration shows the level of detail are taken into account of people's lifestyles, and how it enables the user to do better, complex work and eliminates frustration. A 2015 graduate of Pratt Institute's acclaimed ID program, Bryan has developed products on his own and in collaboration with others. Bryan grew up in Hong Kong, Canada and the USA. As a Third Culture Individual, he is heavily influenced by many cultures. This global experience gives him unique insight and experience upon which to draw from in his design work.

  • Winner of the A' Design Award.
  • Specialized in Design.
  • Original Design.
  • Creative, Diligent and Innovative.
  • All Designs

Good Design Deserves Great Recognition

Nominate Your Work for the A' Design Award.

Sign-Up

Interview with Bryan Wong

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?
I'm an industrial designer graduated from Pratt Institue. I've always loved doing art when I was growing up, but I didn't know what industrial design is until I was in high school. During high school, I worked extensively with ceramics and building sets for theater production.
What is "design" for you?
To me, "design" is a transformation of objects into a preferred state. There really isn't a "correct" or "only" answer, but rather it's about whichever makes the right choices for the right thing.
What kinds of works do you like designing most?
I enjoy designing normal, mundane objects. We take a lot of things for granted, and it's the simple things that are easily overlooked or ignored. With my design works, I redesign ordinary products and made them extraordinary.
What is your most favorite design, could you please tell more about it?
My favorite design is an iPhone, or any smartphone in general. Smartphone allows me to perform multiple tasks, such as; contacting people via phone or email, browse the internet, taking pictures etc. As technology advances, the smartphone gains more features and are supported by different apps. It makes everyone more connected and performs tasks better.
What was the first thing you designed for a company?
One of the first things I've designed was homeware products for a homeware, lifestyle company in London. I've designed cups, vases, sculptures etc.
What is your favorite material / platform / technology?
My favorite material is aluminum. It's highly recyclable, easy to work with and possess great material properties. Depending on your needs, you can easily manipulate the properties with different alloys and finishes. To me, aluminum is simply amazing.
When do you feel the most creative?
At night when I'm so excited about the project that I would stay up and work late to push all my ideas out on paper or research on it. It's either that or filling myself with lots of coffee.
Which aspects of a design do you focus more during designing?
It depends on projects on a case-by-case scenario, but in general, I would spend more time on research to validate my concept, hypothesis, as well as creating a controlled environment to run tests. If you have sufficient amount of data to support your claim, it creates a stronger image for your deign.
What kind of emotions do you feel when you design?
Joy, I love the design process involved. When everything comes together like fitting a jigsaw puzzle, that's one of the most satisfying feeling that I get from it.
What kind of emotions do you feel when your designs are realized?
Fear. I don't fear the failures on my designs, but rather I fear that people think my designs are perfect. "Perfect" implies that the design is absolute and can't be improved upon. As a designer, I think that we should always strive for innovation and improvement, as well as discuss with people to receive feedback. If a product can't be improved upon, then that's the end of a designer.
What makes a design successful?
To me, a design is "successful" when people can use it without thought and is accessible to everyone. If the design is useful and innovative, it should be used everywhere and by everyone.
When judging a design as good or bad, which aspects do you consider first?
The first aspect I would consider first is the attention to detail. If the details are not considered, it shows the carelessness of the designer.
From your point of view, what are the responsibilities of a designer for society and environment?
As designers, we have the ability, and thus the responsibility, to change and shape our society and environment. We're on the front lines pushing innovation, driving change in multiple levels, no matter how big or small.
How do you think the "design field" is evolving? What is the future of design?
I think designers are slowly forgetting their roots and discarding one of the most important design practice — design products that age with grace. Currently, designers are designing products that are only meant for mint condition and it either requires case protection or limits the interaction from the user. The products are designed only to be used for the first few months, and once it got scratched, its value immediately reduced. Pocketwatch is a great example of aging with grace. The back of the watch receive scratches from coins and keys in your pocket, and those marks add characters to it and accentuate it to an heirloom piece.
Where does the design inspiration for your works come from? How do you feed your creativity? What are your sources of inspirations?
As a Third Culture Individual who grew up in countries across the globe, I gather inspiration from traveling the world, immersed in nature's profound beauty and various cultures. This global experience gives me unique insight and experience upon which to draw from in my design work.
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?
My design "style" is to design simple products that can trigger a deeper connection between users and materials — making the ordinary extraordinary. I find pleasure in exploring how different materials and manufacturing methods can accentuate designs of an object. This micro-consideration shows the level of detail taken into account of people's lifestyles and how it enables the user to do better, complex work as well as eliminate frustration.
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?
I'm currently living in Brooklyn, NY. As a Third Culture Individual who grew up in countries across the globe, it allows me to see the world differently and respecting different cultures.
What is your "golden rule" in design?
Currently, my "golden rule" in design is to design products that are useful, innovative and can be mass produced by a factory. As an industrial designer, we have the ability to conceptualize, design, and manufacture products for people to use; however, if we only design conceptual projects that can't be manufactured, there's a lot of missed opportunity and gives people false hope.
What skills are most important for a designer?
The most valuable skill for a designer is the ability to think objectively and logically. Sketching, CAD and renderings are tools, a means to an end. Being able to draw the best doesn't mean your concept can be manufactured or is useful in real life scenarios. Being able to create concepts without bias and supporting your claim with data is far more important and it creates true, tangible values that can be related to the consumer.
Which tools do you use during design? What is inside your toolbox? Such as software, application, hardware, books, sources of inspiration etc.?
I use a lot of different tools to get the result I wanted, but the most heavily used tools are sketching, google scholar, SolidWorks, Keyshot, and 3D printing.
Designing can sometimes be a really time consuming task, how do you manage your time?
It all comes down to self-discipline. I try to set goals for each week to make sure that the project is always moving forward, or doesn't get delayed. Since I value more about quality than quantity, I try not to force myself to spend a certain amount of time each day on specifics as they should flow to me like water in a river.
How long does it take to design an object from beginning to end?
In general, it takes me a few months to design from scratch to finish.
What is the most frequently asked question to you, as a designer?
The most frequent question asked is what do I design and which industry am I in. It's an intriguing question as I believe that as a designer, I should be able to use my design practice, experience and approach to solving any challenges. A shoe designer should be able to design clothing lines, just as
What was your most important job experience?
One of the most important experiences I had was competing as a contestant on Intel's tech reality tv show, America's Greatest Makers. It was a competition compose of 24 teams developing innovative products using Intel's Curie Module. My team designed a smart wearable baby monitor, and throughout the entire competition, I've gained a lot of valuable knowledge and worked with people with different disciplines to create the product from concept to production.
What are your future plans? What is next for you?
I plan on continue designing different projects, and I don't know exactly what's next for me. There's a lot that I'm interested in designing, and I'm looking forward to what the future holds for me.
Do you have any works-in-progress being designed that you would like to talk about?
Currently, I'm working on 2 projects; a food container and a musical instrument.
How can people contact you?
People can view my website www.bryanwongdesign.com or email me directly to bryanwongdesign@gmail.com

Extended Interview with Bryan Wong

Could you please tell us about your experience as a designer, artist, architect or creator?
I'm an industrial designer graduated from Pratt Institute with a minor in graphic design.
How did you become a designer?
I'm motivated by problem-solving. I love looking at products and ponder how I can make it better, what aspect can be improved upon, and how it's made.
What are your priorities, technique and style when designing?
I subconsciously chose to become a designer without knowing the occupation exist when I was growing up. I've always loved tinkering with things and studying how components are assembled.
Which emotions do you feel when designing?
I design everything, may it be packaging, furniture, consumer electronics or shoes. I wish I can design more consumer electronics as it allows the design process to involve a big team to discuss and share ideas, while each person utilizes their own expertise.
What particular aspects of your background shaped you as a designer?
Young designers should play with materials and don't be afraid to get their hands dirty. Nowadays, a lot of designers are carried away with CAD, renderings and 3D printing that they forget the basic skills of being a designer.
What is your growth path? What are your future plans? What is your dream design project?
A good designer creates products for consumers, while a great designer creates products that even the consumers didn't know they wanted it or takes the extra step and challenge us.
What are your advices to designers who are at the beginning of their career?
A good design is when people can use it without thought and is accessible for everyone to use.
You are truly successful as a designer, what do you suggest to fellow designers, artists and architects?
I think the value of good design is intangible and can't be easily quantified. It's something that looks good, feels good, functions perfectly and you feel great using it. To non-designers, it's an object that gives them value without question or doubt.
What is your day to day look like?
I would like to design furniture or products for G-Star Raw. They are one of my favorite brands and I love their aesthetic and approach in their clothing line that I would love to do a collaboration with them.
How do you keep up with latest design trends? To what extent do design trends matter?
My dream project would be designing a chair and table that I can sit in and work on daily.
How do you know if a product or project is well designed? How do you define good design?
My secret recipe is in designing normal, mundane objects. We take a lot of things for granted, and it's the simple things that are easily overlooked or ignored. With my design works, I redesign ordinary products and made them extraordinary.
How do you decide if your design is ready?
To name a few; Ron Arad, Marc Newson, John Ive, Naoto Fukasawa, Jasper Morrison, and Che-Wei from CW&T.
Who is your favourite designer?
My greatest design so far is the Zirconia Sharpener. It's a reinterpretation of an analog pencil sharpener that we’re already familiar with, a product that we trust and use everyday. By utilizing zirconia's material property, the blade doesn't need to be changed and offers a smooth sharpening experience.
Would you tell us a bit about your lifestyle and culture?
I've spent a month analyzing my skills and looking at what is it that I wanted to achieve. It wasn't an easy process as I had to think critically without bias. After that, I've started building on skills that I wanted to improve and completely changed my design style and philosophy.
Would you tell us more about your work culture and business philosophy?
If I hadn't become a designer and can calculate complex math questions, I would've become a mechanical or robotics engineer.
What are your philanthropic contributions to society as a designer, artist and architect?
To me, design is a transformation of objects into a preferred state.
What positive experiences you had when you attend the A’ Design Award?
My biggest supporter is a friend and design partner of mine, Chengtao Yi. We've done multiple collaboration projects and we compliment each other's skillset, while challenges each other to reach higher.

Stay Updated with Latest Design News

By clicking Sign-Up, you are opting to receive promotional emails from A' Design Awards, World Design Rankings, World Design Consortium and Designers.Org You can update your preferences or unsubscribe any time.

You are now at the right step

Join Designers.org & Start Promoting Your Design Worldwide.

Create an Account