Jessica Zhengjia Hu
1. Please give us a brief bio of yourself and your design background.
When I was little, my parents often took me to different art events and exhibitions to cultivate my artistic sense and aesthetics. At the age of 7, I met my first art teacher at my elementary school. She trained me for art competitions during my following school years. The gate of art world has opened up for me since then. I have always dreamed to work in the creative industry. However, I chose business and economics as my majors in college, because I needed not only a creative mindset but also skills of critical thinking as well as a good understanding of the customer needs. After graduating from University of Michigan with a bachelor
2. What made you become/why did you choose to become a designer/artist?
I have always dreamed to work in the creative industry ever since I was a kid. For me, art and design are two of the most important components of my life. Art is the way for me to sense, experience and communicate to the world, and design is a method for me to discover potential possibilities in the future. I believe design helps us solve problems. It allows us to improve the living condition, quality, utility and well-being of our life. I have always wanted to choose something that can constantly bring passion and motivation to my life. I am so glad that I have chosen a field I truly love as my career.
3. Tell us more about your agency/company, job profile, and what you do.
Based in Shenzhen China, No. 72 Design Studio is an independent design studio specialized in general graphic design, product design, packaging design, layout design, and some design related consulting services. By experimenting different design methods and keeping up with up-to-date market needs, the studio mission is to provide solutions that can maximize people
4. What does “design” mean to you?
I believe design is a bridge connecting art and our daily life. It improves our living utility and happiness by transforming amazing thoughts and ideas into reality. By taking the advantage of both the experience and knowledge from the past, and the capability and skills from the present, we will be able to discover more of the beauty and infinite possibilities of this world.
5. What’s your favorite kind of design and why?
I like working on product, graphic and apparel design, which are all closely related to our daily life. At the same time, I also keep learning, improving and challenging myself on some other design categories, especially those involving new technologies. I love working on different creative and challenging projects. I believe different design categories are somehow connected with each other. With the constant improvement of technology, we are now able to design things that could be useful and functional for multiple occasions and different scenarios.
6. To you, what makes a “good” design?
I believe a good design should be both functional and practical. As designers, we cannot just focus on the artistic quality of the appearance and forget about the functionality and practicality. We need to pay attention to the balance in between, otherwise the product will become a specious
7. How did you come up with the idea for your award-winning design?
The idea popped up while I was making my coffee one day. When coffee and milk ran into each other, they created wonderful physical and chemical reactions, which then made me thought about the interpersonal relationships between people from different cultural backgrounds.
8. What was your main source of inspiration for this design?
The inspiration came from the coffee I made. The coffee splashes and spinning milky ripples caught my eyes as I poured milk into the coffee. Black coffee tastes strong and bitter, while milk is pure and smooth. When the two opposite liquids ran into each other, they generated interesting reactions. The collision on the surface generated splashes in the shape of crowns. Then the crowns split into smaller drips and melted into ripples eventually. As individuals, we might be very different from each other in terms of our personalities and ideologies. When we open our minds to communicate with other people, especially those who have different thoughts and opinions, we may surprisingly get amazing new inspirations and even a grow in our wisdom.
9. Do you think your country and its cultural heritage has an impact on your design process?
Yes, for sure. I grew up in Shenzhen, a beautiful modern coastal city in China. I love the cultural heritage of my country, and I believe design should not have any cultural limit or boundary. Thoughts and ideas can be more diverse and inclusive. I am always trying to add eastern cultural elements in my designs. With living experiences in both eastern and western countries, my mind is more flexible and opened up. These different experiences allow me to look at things from various angles.
10. Congratulations! As the winner of the London Design Awards, what does it mean to you and your company and team to receive this award distinction?
As a designer, being able to present my works and gain appreciation from people is one of the happiest and most satisfying things in my life. Being recognized by design professionals gave me encouragement, motivation and determination to keep moving. I feel really grateful and honored when people tell me they like my works. It means my hard work gets paid off and I have made a small contribution in making this world a better place.
11. Can you explain a bit about the winning work you entered into the London Design Awards, and why you chose to enter this project?
The inspiration came from the blending process of coffee and milk. The project intends to capture the beauty of fluid by simulating movements of liquid flows. The collision of liquids on the surface creates irregular crown splashes and then melts into ripples. These random abstract shapes add interesting features to the tableware and make the food more attractive. The solid structures allow the saucers to hold more food. Porcelain material provides minimalist aesthetics. Smooth and clean appearance delivers a psychological feeling of hygienic, which might improve appetite as well.
I feel that the inspiration of this project fits in the spirit of the design competition well. I believe competition between designers who have different backgrounds and thoughts may generate new sparks for a brighter future.
12. What were the main challenges you faced during the design process, and how did you overcome them?
The main challenge of this project is defining the product shapes, especially for those irregular splashes, drips and ripples. The goal is to preserve the randomness of liquid states, so that the splashes and drips will look more real and natural. In order to do so, I used 3D dynamic software to simulate and modify the liquid flows. In this way, the product appearance will look less artificial in terms of the liquid states.
13. How do you think winning this award will impact your future as a designer?
Attending the London Design Awards is a very precious experience for me. It gave me chances to see excellent works created by other talented designers from different countries with different interests and cultural backgrounds. It was a great opportunity to learn new ideas, skills and techniques from other designers. By competing with them, I would be able to see my weakness and strength. The competition is a transcript that tells me what I have done well and what can potentially be improved. It is a valuable feedback and positive evaluation for my previous efforts. It will be a big motivation for me to keep improving and forging ahead.
14. What are your top three (3) favorite things about the design industry?
The best thing about design and the creative industry, is that they are always full of passion and energy. People in the design industry share love, beauty and hope to the world. Design gives space and freedom to our minds, and empowers us to make positive changes and impacts to our life and this world.
15. What sets your design apart from others in the same category?
These sets of cups and saucers can be used as multifunctional tableware. The cups can serve drinks, while the saucers can be used as dessert, pastry or fruit plates. The food looks like being soaked in fresh milk when it is placed in the middle of the saucer which has a unique splash shape with a ripple base. The smooth porcelain appearance provides a sense of cleanness. These features help increase people
16. Where do you see the evolution of design industry going over the next 5-10 years?
As we can see, the design industry has become more diverse and inclusive these years. Rapidly developing science and technology have given us more flexibility in terms of the forms, techniques, and platforms. In the future, I think virtual technology may become more popular or even a part of the mainstream. We may expect more art and design works appear in relevant fields. Another trending technology is the Artificial Intelligence. We have seen art works and designs created by AI already. Even though the AI robots are not mature enough yet, we may still be amazed by their creativity and productivity at current stage. In fact, they might become strong competitors of human being in creative industry. The good thing is this pressure of competition can transform into motivation that urges us to keep thinking, improving and moving forward.
17. What advice do you have for aspiring designers who want to create award-winning designs?
The result may be gratifying, but it is not the most important thing of a competition. Whether we are competing in our daily works or in competitions, the process and experience are the most precious gains. The industry is like a big mirror. We can see the reflections of ourselves by looking at works from other designers. In this way, we will learn our weakness and strength. Besides, the pressure we get may also become a motivation for us to keep going and improving in the future.
18. What resources would you recommend to someone who wants to improve their skills in the design industry?
There are many design websites such as Behance, Pinterest, and Pexels. These websites are great sources for inspirations and ideas. We can also learn new techniques and skills by looking at other designers
19. Tell us something you have never told anyone else.
I love talking to myself when I am alone. I will assign a random identity to my
20. Who has inspired you in your life and why?
My favorite artist Vincent Van Gogh said,
21. What is your key to success? Any parting words of wisdom?
As designers, I think we need to step out of our safety zones and become explorers and pioneers. We need to keep thinking, and forging ahead. Keep practicing and improving our capability and skills. Keep exploring the unknown potential of the future. There are infinite possibilities in the universe, and design is a very powerful shovel.
