Skip to content
Seethink

ChinaGraphic

Interviews with Seethink

Read the interviews with Seethink: understand their philosophy, creative process and award-winning work.

Designer Profile

Design Interview

Go Training Institution Branding · 8 questions

This is branding design for Eastart which is a training institution of Chinese Go.Designers did visual identity system for it to make promotion of the Chinese traditional culture and establish links between kids who are…

What is the main principle, idea and inspiration behind your design?

This is branding design for Eastart which is a training institution of Chinese Go.Designers did visual identity system for it to make promotion of the Chinese traditional culture and establish links between kids who are interested in Go and this intellectual culture. Besides, the combination of traditional elements and contemporary young elements is also a highlight point.

1.The culture of Chinese Go is similar with Yinyang. That reminds designers of Shigeo Fukuda who is best at positive and negative shapes. 2.The gesture of playing Go is relevant to that of Buddhism which is always showed with Baimiao, a kind of Chinese art with line drawing in traditional ink and brush style. Therefore, the two elements were combined.

What has been your main focus in designing this work? Especially what did you want to achieve?

Both express the beauty of the east and show the modern temperament. This is a children's training institute brand, hope the whole has the sense of relaxation and imagination.

What are your future plans for this award winning design?

Continue to help this brand, maintain Oriental beauty and tong qu.

How long did it take you to design this particular concept?

It took a month to define the concept, a lot of research and a lot of data.

Why did you design this particular concept? Was this design commissioned or did you decide to pursuit an inspiration?

Go is a philosophical game with a long history in China. We hope that this concept can express the philosophy of go without looking rigid. This is our team's idea, and we appreciate the customer's approval.

What is the most unique aspect of your design?

Oriental beauty

How did you decide to submit your design to an international design competition?

I hope more people can understand the beauty of the east and the game of go

Any other things you would like to cover that have not been covered in these questions?

In this design, we use the two design languages of "positive and negative forms" and "contradiction space", which are suitable for expressing the philosophical thinking of weiqi and the "Yin and Yang" in Chinese culture. At the same time, we also used the technique called "white painting" in Chinese painting, which is an important part of Oriental beauty.

Design Legend Interview

29 questions

I was fond of graffiti painting when I was a child, and I began to learn painting at an early age. Instead of majoring in art, I chose to major in advertising (marketing).

Could you please tell us a bit about your design background and education?

I was fond of graffiti painting when I was a child, and I began to learn painting at an early age. Instead of majoring in art, I chose to major in advertising (marketing). However, I have always been interested in design and believe that I can be a good designer.

What motivates you to design in general, why did you become a designer?

The urge to create and the satisfaction of solving a problem.

Did you choose to become a designer, or you were forced to become one?

I realized my talent in design very early on, so I chose to be a designer.

What do you design, what type of designs do you wish to design more of?

I prefer to do business design, design in the business to play the value.

What should young designers do to become a design legend like you?

I am still very young, but I think I have to be a lifestyle first, full of love for life and curiosity to become a legendary designer.

What distinguishes between a good designer and a great designer?

Good designers solve problems and convey beauty. There are two kinds of great designers: those who solve problems and make people happy at the same time, and those who solve problems and you don't feel that they are "designing" at all.

What makes a good design a really good design, how do you evaluate good design?

I think a good design solves a specific problem first, or raises a good problem through the design.

What is the value of good design? Why should everyone invest in good design?

I think good design makes the world a better place. Make people's life more convenient, let people enjoy the beauty, let business more prosperous... These are the values of good design. Only when everyone recognizes good design and invests in good design will there be more good designers to create good design. For the business field, design itself is an investment, design can create brand equity, make the enterprise brand, thus bringing longer term higher returns.

What would you design and who would you design for if you had the time?

If I had the time, I would want to do design for children, and they would. They are naive and imaginative, open to different designs, and working with children should be like playing games.

What is the dream project you haven't yet had time to realize?

The business design experience and business design thinking of my team and I into a book.

What is your secret recipe of success in design, what is your secret ingredient?

If there is one secret, it is "love life" and "seriousness".

Who are some other design masters and legends you get inspired from?

Shigeo Fukuda

Who helped you to reach these heights, who was your biggest supporter?

My parents and my wife, who were the first to recognize my talent in design, were also my biggest supporters.

What were the obstacles you faced before becoming a design master?

I have no professional teachers. Self-study is a difficult thing.

How do you think designers should present their work?

This is a globally connected world, and publishing on the web is necessary. Of course, participating in international competitions is also very valuable.

What people expect from an esteemed designer such as yourself?

People are going to demand more from better designers, and hopefully that will translate into motivation.

What would you like to see changed in design industry in the coming years?

I hope that there will be a growing recognition of the value of design and more investment in the design industry. We hope that the protection of intellectual property rights will be better strengthened. We hope that there will be more cross-regional design projects and more cooperation among designers from different countries.

Where do you think the design field is headed next?

Crossover, diversity

When you have a new design project, where do you start?

Start with research and analysis.

What is your life motto as a designer?

Be curious and interesting.

Do you think design sets the trends or trends set the designs?

The result of mutual influence.

What is the role of technology when you design?

Technology is the tool of design expression, the same design concept with different technology will have different results.

What kind of design software and equipment do you use in your work?

In fact, my favorites are pen and paper.

Who is your ideal design partner? Do you believe in co-design?

I started working with design teams early on, and I believe in collaborative design. I want my design partner to be positive and objective.

Which books you read had the most effect on your design?

In fact, all the books I have read will have an impact on my design, and none of them are the biggest. Sometimes when I come across a project, I may look for certain books to read. Reading is like eating. You can't tell which meal made you fat.

How did you develop your skills as a master designer?

Practice in person, communication with people, reading Chinese ancients said: "reading thousands of books, Travel ten thousand miles"

How do you feel about all the awards and recognition you had, is it hard to be famous?

Awards are a beacon of where you are right now. But the joy is often short-lived. I soon need to get involved in new design projects and face new challenges. These new projects and challenges may receive more recognition.

What is your favorite color, place, food, season, thing and brand?

I like yellow because the brand color of our company is yellow. The yellow color is positive and bright. I like little things that have a little bit of history, a little bit of ethnicity, so I go to flea markets, just book stands and things like that.

What makes your day great as a designer, how do you motivate yourself?

The world is so beautiful, there are so many interesting things I haven't tried yet, the unknown and interesting things inspire me to try to live each and every day.

Designer Interview

26 questions

I was fond of graffiti painting when I was a child, and I began to learn painting at an early age. Instead of majoring in art, I chose to major in advertising (marketing).

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 was fond of graffiti painting when I was a child, and I began to learn painting at an early age. Instead of majoring in art, I chose to major in advertising (marketing). However, I have always been interested in design and believe that I can be a good designer.

Can you tell us more about your company / design studio?

Seethink is a company focuesing on branding design and product packaging design. Its team members have served many fortune 500 companies and created many famous brands and popular products. We have offices in Beijing and Taiyuan.

What kinds of works do you like designing most?

Solve problems and make people happy at the same time.

What is your most favorite design, could you please tell more about it?

In fact, I like too many designs, to choose a "most", it is too difficult for me. I like designs that solve problems cleverly and are beautiful or interesting at the same time.

What was the first thing you designed for a company?

The first commercial design job I did was to design a little icon in a web page.

When do you feel the most creative?

In fact, I think for a professional designer, inspiration must be obtained through methods. Good ideas come after a lot of research and preparation. So often the idea comes at the end of an agreed working day.

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

For commercial design, I pay more attention to whether it helps customers solve one or more problems, and then whether it can create a good experience, or more interesting.

What kind of emotions do you feel when you design?

Starting out with a sense of mission, of course, there are struggles and anxieties, as well as a sense of conviction.

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

When the design is well completed, there will be a sense of happiness as a designer, and when you use or buy your own design, it is even more enjoyable.

What makes a design successful?

Sufficient research and insight, in-depth understanding and exploration of problems. Be creative in your design.

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

The first thing is to know who you are designing for. In commercial design, the first consideration is whether the design solves the problem.

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

Make life easier, make business more prosperous, make people's life more interesting.

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

I think the development of "design field" always follows the development of technology and economy. In my opinion, in a period of time in the future, the requirements for design will be more compound, and a design result is often cross-design field. Designers will be more "crossover" and will need to build expertise in two or three areas at once.

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

I have always felt that if I want to be a good designer, I should love life first. Life gives us creativity and inspiration. Our company has a saying, "be curious and interesting."

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?

In fact, as the leader of a team, I do not emphasize personal style when doing business design projects, and I think more about what style is suitable for this project. Different styles may be our design method.

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?

My team partners and I are both Chinese and from the north. Our offices are now in Beijing and taiyuan. China is a vast country, and its cultural diversity and richness give us rich cultural materials. China's thousands of years of history is also a treasure. In China, where economic growth has been high in recent decades, the need for commercial design is increasingly valued. In China, your design is facing the largest user base in the world, and it is often difficult to reach a consensus. Finding the best design result is always challenging.

Can you talk a little about your design process?

The first is to have adequate communication, clear design requirements and possible problems. Then the research and insight before the design is the foundation, to identify the problem we want to solve, the design of application scenarios, the user's background, and so on. After sorting out the information, I will start the design ideas and creativity, and then I will try to present the design on paper or in the computer. However, there will be a process of proofing test and modification after the design scheme, and only after repeated polishing can I have a good design.

What skills are most important for a designer?

Insight and empathy are the ability to see details that others cannot see, and to think in the other person's shoes.

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

I am used to making time planning for tasks in advance, and each node corresponds to a specific time. Of course, scheduling is a matter of experience, and you must understand how long each task will take. Once you've done your planning, you need to finish it on time and without delay. For me, I have a weekly to-do list, and every morning I make a daily to-do list. A time list is a good choice.

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

Different design content is completed at different times.

What is the most frequently asked question to you, as a designer?

In what situations does the design relate to whom?

What was your most important job experience?

I have been involved in the founding of three companies, and I am glad that they are still operating despite their different sizes. The experience of setting up a company and managing a company is very important to me. Managing a company enables me to better understand the confusion in the management of commercial customers, and to give Suggestions and communicate with each other from the perspective of a company manager.

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

I like the whole process of brand building. From the beginning to participate in the brand image, product image, business space, and finally landing a complete brand. This kind of project tends to have a closer relationship with the client and is easy to learn from. From the design point of view, involves many sections, faces many problems, is full of challenges. And these piece can organic combination rises again, let the thought get adequately show. Once completed, there is no substitute for a sense of accomplishment.

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

The plan for the future is to try more crossover designs, and the next step is to start with space design.

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

I lead a team to work.

How can people contact you?

zm@seethink.vip This is my regular email.

Keep Reading

More Designer Interviews

Read designers.org interviews to discover the philosophy, the creative process and the work of more award-winning designers.

Sponsored

Explore Beyond Designers.org

Discover products, services and opportunities from our advertising partners.

Good Design Deserves Great Recognition

The A' Design Award is an international, juried accolade for good design. Take part in the A' Design Award to get an opportunity to earn meritocratic recognition, gain fame, prestige and publicity for your work. Nominate your work for the A' Design Award and compete for the coveted A' Design Prize.

Nominate

Data Source

The design interview data shown in our design interview page with Seethink regarding Go Training Institution Branding comes from the Design Interviews platform, where leading designers, architects and brands are interviewed regarding their award-winning designs, products and projects.