By Qin Li qin@fuseproject.com Qin Li is the director of industrial design at fuseproject. Originally from China, she received her BS in industrial design from Guangzhou Academy of Fine Art and MFA in industrial design from Academy of Art University. At fuseproject, she has worked on a variety of design projects. This diverse experience has given her unique points of view to apply across different areas and categories.
SEEING THROUGH DESIGN
I
am from China. When I chose to study industrial design in the late ’90s, industrial design was still not fully established in China. People thought design was just about making products look prettier—nice to have, but not necessary. Industrial designers were called “art workers.” Most industrial design stu-
dents ended up doing graphic design or interior design, if they were lucky. People, and industry, did not fully recognize the value of design yet. I did, though. I believed design and art were very different. This was the ’90s. There was no Dezeen or Pinterest for immediately sharing design and ideas like we have today. So I learned from mostly American design magazines—like ID and INNOVATION—how design does have value. Design takes objects we know and makes them better. A spoon even. We just accept the function of a spoon. But design could take a spoon and turn it into something much more marvelous, functional, and easier and delightful to use. And the value of that spoon, that design, is for everyone. This is why I wanted to take my art background and apply it to industrial design. I saw art as something more subjective, internal, personal. Design though—design is about emotion, about connecting people with the objects around them. Industrial design could help make things better. It could help see the ways people use things. And could use that understanding, and vision, to make lives better. This was my dream, to be in this kind of innovative design process thinking and working as an industrial designer. This was a tough dream in China back then where the emphasis seemed more on imitation than innovation. Imitations of foreign designs were everywhere—the idea being that imitation makes the process of design and business easier, and faster, for people. This was not the environment to cultivate creative minds or to learn the process of innovation. So I decided to come to the US—to San Francisco, Silicon Valley—to follow my dream. After receiving my master’s degree in industrial design from Academy of Art University, I began working at fuseproject with Yves Béhar, IDSA. The team back then was very small—but, the same as now, very talented. This is where
52
W W W. I D S A . O R G
I discovered the joy of the innovation process in real life. Working at fuseproject (office shown at the right) was the first time I realized how much fun the creative process can be, and how important it is in driving innovation. Yves pushes us to think out of the box; to create solutions that are smart and simple, but not conventional; to find unique approaches that tighten the connection between humans and technology. Our designs might look effortless, but it takes a great amount of creativity, effort and work to achieve this. Design Takes Perseverance Designing through the lens of innovation could mean taking a multidisciplinary approach, looking at new materials or new ways of experiencing an existing paradigm, or simply seeing beyond the rules of the world. It means starting from scratch, pulling inspiration from the world and the people around you, and looking closely at every aspect of the design. And in my career, I have realized that innovation must be paired with perseverance. A creative idea is essential, but it’s just the beginning. Pushing design through the engineering and production process is key for successful innovation. Our design process can never stop at the final design render—it does not stop until the product is in the market and in consumers’ hands. Our team drives the innovation process to make sure the product on the shelf looks as amazing as the original design. We go through countless iterations to ensure that the function, look and feel, and user experience will not be compromised by manufacturing constraints. This design-driven process leads to a highly controlled execution for all of our projects.