Yun Meng Chang
1. Congratulations on winning the London Design Awards! Can you introduce yourself and share about what inspired you to pursue design as a career?
I am a designer who focuses on spatial storytelling. I chose design because I believe space can change moods and lifestyles, and I wanted to become the creator of such transformations.
2. What does being recognised in the London Design Awards mean to you?
Receiving recognition from the London Design Awards feels like having my philosophy seen by the world. It’s not only an honour but also a reminder to stay sharp and true to my original intentions.
3. How has this achievement impacted your career, team, or agency, and what opportunities has it brought so far?
The award strengthened our team’s confidence and attracted more challenging projects. It also opened doors to cross-disciplinary collaborations and larger international opportunities.
4. What role does experimentation play in your creative process? Can you share an example?
Experimentation helps me break patterns. In this project, I explored using material transitions to express a sense of time. It unexpectedly enriched the spatial language and added maturity to the design.
5. What's the most unusual source of inspiration you've ever drawn from for a project?
I once drew inspiration from early-morning city fog. Its softness and layers later became the basis for the gentle light and shadow expressions in my work.
6. What’s one thing you wish more people understood about the design process?
I hope more people understand that design isn’t decoration. It’s a careful study of movement, light, behaviour, and emotion—ultimately creating better possibilities for daily living.
7. How do you navigate the balance between meeting client expectations and staying true to your ideas?
I interpret the client’s core needs and translate them through professional insight. It’s not compromise, but finding the brightest balance within a shared vision.
8. What were the challenges you faced while working on your award-winning design, and how did you overcome them?
The greatest challenge was aligning craftsmanship with aesthetics. Through repeated discussions and mock-ups with artisans, we refined every detail until the design intent was precisely realised.
9. How do you recharge your creativity when you hit a creative block?
When stuck creatively, I step away to observe nature, cities, or art. Inspiration often returns in unintentional moments.
10. What personal values or experiences do you infuse into your designs?
I infuse my values of order, restraint, and beauty into my designs. These come from life experiences that shape how I perceive the world.
11. What is an advice that you would you give to aspiring designers aiming for success?
My advice to newcomers: observe more, experiment more, and stay sensitive to human experience. Skills can be trained, but empathy and perception are what endure.
12. If you could collaborate with any designer, past or present, who would it be and why?
I would choose to collaborate with Tadao Ando. His mastery of light, material, and spiritual space is powerful, and I hope to learn the depth behind his minimalism.
13. What's one question you wish people would ask you about your work, and what's your answer?
I wish people would ask, “What change does this space aim to create?”
My answer would be: “To help people feel the warmth and rhythm of life more clearly when they return to their everyday moments.”
