Tim Kwok

Interview with Tim Kwok

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 am a product designer graduated in RMIT University, Australia. When I was small, I already feel passionate about Art. After the study of high school, I found out the practical use of art, design. Design not only can easily assimilate into our daily life, besides, it also innovative and decorative, to simplify my word, design can easily make changes because it is closely related to our lives. I am especially interested in how design can make changes and benefit all life. This is the reason why I become a designer.

What is "design" for you?

Design can mean a lot of different things to me. For example, design can be a way of problem solving, and it is also can be a development process. Different ways of design can lead to different interesting results, so I am opening to the answer.

What kinds of works do you like designing most?

I think furniture design interested me the most because I am a homebody.

What was the first thing you designed for a company?

The first thing I designed for a company is a hard back shell for a back protector. This is made to protect Skiers when they are skiing, and it is designed for a sports company.

What is your favorite material / platform / technology?

I am interested in how to control a soft line to become a particular line form by using a frame structure. This is also part of the study of my winning design, Cocoon Lounge Chair.

When do you feel the most creative?

I feel the most creative when I am closing my eye and lying down on my bed.

Which aspects of a design do you focus more during designing?

During designing, I focus on how can my design make changes to people and to the entire market.

What kind of emotions do you feel when you design?

I feel excited when I am designing, it is like welcoming a new life to join my life, full of expectation.

What kind of emotions do you feel when your designs are realized?

I feel excited when my designs are realized, it is like welcoming a newborn baby to my home.

What makes a design successful?

My basic rule of good design is "form following function", this is my bottom line of design. And the innovation, improvement, ability to solve a problem and the perfect combination of function and art of a designed product are what make a design successful.

When judging a design as good or bad, which aspects do you consider first?

When I am judging a design as good or bad, I will first consider the relationship between form and function, how the form and shape affect the function and use of an object.

From your point of view, what are the responsibilities of a designer for society and environment?

In my point of view, I think designers have responsibilities to create sustainable and safe designs with less waste for society and the environment. For example, designers can consider using the more ECO-friendly material on their design, or reduce the material used on the produce.

How do you think the "design field" is evolving? What is the future of design?

I think the "design field" is evolving. In the past, designers were talking about aesthetics, art and function... but now, design is not only about beauty but also about innovation, improvement, problem-solving and sustainability... Therefore I believe design will keep evolving and wait for the new generation to open a new chapter.

Where does the design inspiration for your works come from? How do you feed your creativity? What are your sources of inspirations?

My design inspiration usually comes from nature. I believe nature is the source of design. I often inspire by how evolutionary processes give rise to all species and finally become what we see today. I think evolution just like design processes, all species have to keep on developing themselves to fit in nature. This is why I often inspired by nature.

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?

I think my designs are mostly in streamlined organic form, this is related to my inspirations are usually come from nature. My approach to design is to develop aesthetic nature form that follows the basic function of the object and bring minimum material to maximum use.

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?

Now I am living in Hong Kong. Hong Kong is a very small international city with a lot of peoples, cars and buildings, it's unique history brings multicultural in our daily life. In the good aspect, this small city always full of inspiration and opportunity, it makes our vision broader and design become important to our life. As a designer, I will consider the limited living space is not a bad aspect, because it pushes designer to consider more problem-solving options, to simplify my words, designers have more design opportunity in this small city.

How do you work with companies?

I was an employee of a sport company, but now working as a freelance designer.

What are your suggestions to companies for working with a designer? How can companies select a good designer?

I think if good design is limited in business and money, that will be a sad thing. Companies can focus on the long-term benefit of a good design rather the short term benefit. I think the good designer needs to be passionate in design, willing to accept the challenge and have the ability to solve problems independently.

Can you talk a little about your design process?

My design always starts with research. Then I will make some concept drawing, and I will select some potential concepts to build some scaled mod ups. According to the selected mod up, I will improve my design and start to build a 1 to 1 scale model in the computer (3D). After the 3D model, it will be prototype building. At last, the improved prototype will become the final product.

Could you please share some pearls of wisdom for young designers? What are your suggestions to young, up and coming designers?

I think they have to be curious and be passionate about design all the time, willing to accept the challenge and have the ability to solve problems independently.

What is your "golden rule" in design?

My golden rule in design is form following function. This is my bottom line of design.

What skills are most important for a designer?

I think the most important skill for a designer is communication skill, how you can communicate your design with other people in a clear and easy way.

Which tools do you use during design? What is inside your toolbox? Such as software, application, hardware, books, sources of inspiration etc.?

I mostly use pencil and pen to sketch out my concept on paper, besides, computer graphic (Illustrator and Photoshop) and 3D software (Rhino and Solidworks) also a great help on my design.

Designing can sometimes be a really time consuming task, how do you manage your time?

I think manage my time is the most important thing when I start the project. I have to clear about how much time I have on the project so I can make my personal time schedule according to the project. It is also important to estimate the time required for the project. This is the basic time management.

How long does it take to design an object from beginning to end?

I think different design projects require different durations, it depends on what kind of project. Normally, if the project is simple, it can take less than a month to be done, but if the project is complicated and involved with a lot of probems, it can take up to half year.

What was your most important job experience?

I think the most important job experience is in my previous job as a product designer for a sports company. I received a project to design a mermaid monofin. This was a big challenge for me because this was my first fin product design project, I put a lot of effort to study everything, from the function of different fish's tail to the hydrodynamics. And during the project, there were a lot of problems appear. Finally, when the monofin come out to the market, it becomes very popular. The monofin not only receive a lot of good comment, it also becomes the top 10 best mono fin between 2016-2017 selected by wiki.ezvid.com. I receive a good return on what I had pay for.

Who are some of your clients?

Body Glove, Speedo, Mermaid Linden, Yamaha, Fluid, Snowslider, Rydr, Wham O

What type of design work do you enjoy the most and why?

I enjoy working on all type of design work, but I especially like working on some completely new concept, because I like to explore new things. I enjoy the time when my concept idea become real. It is just like the joy of becoming a new mother.

What are your future plans? What is next for you?

Now my plan is to bring my winning design Cocoon Lounge Chair to market. I am looking for co-operation with some companies and manufactories to find an opportunity for the Cocoon Lounge Chair.

Do you work as a team, or do you develop your designs yourself?

Most of the time, I work on myself, but I can work as a team as well.

Designer of the Day Interview with Tim Kwok

Could you please tell us about your experience as a designer, artist, architect or creator?

I graduated from Industrial Design at RMIT University, Australia. After I graduated, I went back to Hong Kong and work for a sport company, my client is included Body Glove, BG Mermaid, Fluid, Rydr, Speedo and Wham O. During this time, I gain a lot of experience on design different type of products, from toy to profession snorkel equipment, I also experience working with different material. With the experience and knowledge, I start to develop a personal project, Cocoon, and it is then turn out to be a lounge chair called "Cocoon Lounge Chair". It then won the Gold award in A Furniture Homeware and Decor Items Design Award category at A Design Award in 2018. This award encourages me to develop my other personal projects. Now I am working as a professional product designer in Hong Kong.

How did you become a designer?

I believe design not only easily assimilate into our daily life, besides, it also innovative and decorative, to simplify my word, design can easily make changes because it is closely related to our lives. I am especially interested in how design can make changes and benefit all life. This is the reason I become a designer.

What are your priorities, technique and style when designing?

My priority when designing is "form following function", this is my bottom line of design, therefore I will sketch out different ideas and build a lot of mockups to find out the best solution according to the purpose of the project. Then the 3D model (CAD) and the prototype will build to study the feasibility and availability. The final design should tell people what it is by its shape, for me, this will be a successful and complete design.

Which emotions do you feel when designing?

I feel excited when I am designing, it is like welcoming a new life to join my life, full of expectation.

What particular aspects of your background shaped you as a designer?

When I was small, I already feel passionate about Art. After the study of high school, I found out the practical use of art, which is "design". Design not only can easily assimilate into our daily life, besides, it also innovative and decorative, to simplify my word, design can easily make changes because it is closely related to our lives. I am especially interested in how design can make changes and benefit all life. This is the reason I become a designer.

What is your growth path? What are your future plans? What is your dream design project?

The past working experiences bring me the knowledge of different kind of product and various materials, this then becomes the cornerstone of Cocoon Lounge Chair's success. The success of the product encourages me to develop more personal innovative products. Now I am working on my personal project, I wish one day I can design a product to make changes and benefit mankind.

What are your advices to designers who are at the beginning of their career?

I think they have to be curious and be passionate about design all the time, willing to accept the challenge and have the ability to solve problems independently.

You are truly successful as a designer, what do you suggest to fellow designers, artists and architects?

Do not lose the passion for design. Be open to what you see, and be patient to listen.

What is your day to day look like?

My day usually looks like a normal office worker. In the morning, I start with breakfast and e-mail. Then I will continue the development on the design project, I will also spend some time researching and study about some new materials. This is how I spend my normal day.

How do you keep up with latest design trends? To what extent do design trends matter?

I believe innovative design create design trend naturally, so I will try to keep up with the latest technology and invention and study how can I adopt them to improve my design. I think design trend just industry indicators on what the latest good design in the coming year, so there are possibilities for every designer, including myself, to create their design trend.

How do you know if a product or project is well designed? How do you define good design?

How do you decide if your design is ready?

When a design is ready, it needs to come up with a 1 to 1 working prototype to prove it's availability, stability and safety. Besides, "Does it fulfil the project's aim?" "How people think about the project?" "What is the user experience?" are also important to criticize the success of the product. I will consider a design is ready when all the points I mentioned are fulfiled.

What is your biggest design work?

My biggest design work is Cocoon Lounge Chair. It successfully reflects my goal and expectation with the design. It is a perfect combination of art and design, and it also successfully bring minimum material to present natural comfort. The outcome is a minimal structure that represents a natural comfort form and it serves as a functional piece of furniture.

Who is your favourite designer?

Marcel Wanders is my favourite designer. I often inspired from him, his design is iconic, unique, inspiring and innovative. He can bring ordinary materials and old technologies to the new use, therefore his design often inspire me a new way of thinking.

Would you tell us a bit about your lifestyle and culture?

I live in Hong Kong since I was small. Hong Kong is a very small international city with a lot of peoples, cars and buildings, it's unique history brings multicultural in our daily life. The age of my birth made me experience the rule of two generations of government, so I am fully experiencing two different cultures and life-changing. This experience helps me to broaden my horizons to accept different things. And the inclusiveness of Hong Kong, just like my design, therefore I can design in different styles on different product according to the orientation of the project.

Would you tell us more about your work culture and business philosophy?

I will only make a decision that I won't feel regret. During my work, I would not stifle any possibility of different project, I believe even a small project has various possibilities: possibility to make the change; possibility to learn, or possibility to grow better... therefore I always try my best so I don’t feel regret for losing the possibility for each single project.

What are your philanthropic contributions to society as a designer, artist and architect?

Global warming becomes a serious global problem. As a designer, I also aware of this huge problem. Although my personal ability is limited, I still wish I can make a contribution for the solution, therefore, I decided to set a basic rule on all my design, which is, "bring minimum material to maximum use". On the other hand, I will consider recyclable materials as the first priority for the design. Lastly, I will try to use the same material on one design, so a user can easily recycle the product. If the design use multi-materials, I will design an easy disintegrated system to separate different materials for recycling. I hope in these ways, I can reduce the material and waste from the design and finally decrease the damage to the natural environment.

What positive experiences you had when you attend the A’ Design Award?

I meet a lot of different talented designers around the world when I attend the A’ Design Award, this gives me an opportunity to build up my personal network for my future career. Besides, it also gives me an opportunity to share my winning design to other people. I believe this is one of my unforgettable memories in my life.

Extended Interview with Tim Kwok

Could you please tell us about your experience as a designer, artist, architect or creator?

I graduated from Industrial Design at RMIT University, Australia. Now I am working as a professional product designer in Hong Kong.

How did you become a designer?

I believe design not only can easily assimilate into our daily life, besides, it also innovative and decorative, to simplify my word, design can easily make changes because it is closely related to our lives. I am especially interested in how design can make changes and benefit all life. This is the reason why I become a designer.

What are your priorities, technique and style when designing?

I choose to become a designer myself because I like art and design.

Which emotions do you feel when designing?

I have the ability to design different products, but I would like to get involved in the furniture design field.

What particular aspects of your background shaped you as a designer?

I think they have to be curious and be passionate about design all the time, willing to accept the challenge and have the ability to solve problems independently.

What is your growth path? What are your future plans? What is your dream design project?

Good designer cares about the appearance of the product, they can design a good looking design. But great designer not only cares about the appearance of the product, they also consider the function, the entire user experience of the product and the environmental issues, moreover, they also care about recycling part after the end of the product.

What are your advices to designers who are at the beginning of their career?

You are truly successful as a designer, what do you suggest to fellow designers, artists and architects?

The value of good design should not only about money and appearances, it is about how to improve our life and make changes. Good design can make a long-term benefit, it does not only benefit the company but also benefit the user.

What is your day to day look like?

I would like to design a multi-function furniture for household use if I have spare time.

How do you know if a product or project is well designed? How do you define good design?

My secret recipe of success in design is curiosity and passionate with design. Curiosity lead me to learning and passionate help me to create better design.

How do you decide if your design is ready?

I often inspired from Marcel Wanders, his design is iconic, unique, inspiring and innovative. He can bring ordinary materials and old technologies to the new use, therefore his design often inspire me a new way of thinking.

What is your biggest design work?

One of my favourite design is Marcel Wanders' Knotted Chair. I like the way how the soft yarn material and old knotting technique come together to become a strong, practical and beautiful new chair by impregnated with epoxy resin. This design opens a new way of object making.

Who is your favourite designer?

My greatest design is Cocoon chair. Cocoon chair not only is a perfect combination of art and design, it is also developed by a long process that aims to bring out maximum comfort and natural experience to the user by using the minimum material. The outcome is a minimal structure that represents a natural comfort form and it serves as a functional piece of furniture which called Cocoon.

Would you tell us a bit about your lifestyle and culture?

I think they have to be curious and be passionate about design all the time, willing to accept the challenge and have the ability to solve problems independently.

Would you tell us more about your work culture and business philosophy?

I think I will be an artist if I hadn’t become a designer, because I like art since I was small.

What are your philanthropic contributions to society as a designer, artist and architect?

What positive experiences you had when you attend the A’ Design Award?

Of course, my biggest supporter is my family, but my University lecturer also play a significant role in my life, they inspire me to develop my own design path.

Tim Kwok

About Tim Kwok

Good Design Deserves Great Recognition

Interview with Tim Kwok

Designer of the Day Interview with Tim Kwok

Extended Interview with Tim Kwok

Join Designers.org & Start Promoting Your Design Worldwide.

Tim Kwok

About Tim Kwok

Good Design Deserves Great Recognition

Interview with Tim Kwok

Designer of the Day Interview with Tim Kwok

Extended Interview with Tim Kwok

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