Li Jiuzhou
1. Please give us a brief bio of yourself and your design background.
My name is Li Jiuzhou, I am a designer from China. I majored in visual communication and advertising design when I was a student. Since I started my work, I have been exploring the design and carrying out cross-border design. I not only require myself to specialize in graphic design composed of traditional font / layout / graphics, but also consider the development trend of the times. In my opinion, designers must stand on the front line with customers and provide more professional and high-quality services to produce more valuable content that can move consumers.
2. What made you become/why did you choose to become a designer/artist?
My father made me have a great interest in art. My dream since childhood is to be engaged in art work like my father. I studied oil painting, sculpture, sketch and printmaking. After I really grow up, I like to combine art with design. I think design should serve the people?so that people can be happier in the process of using products through vision, touch and usage method.
3. Tell us more about your agency/company, job profile, and what you do.
I have been the design director for more than ten years, with more than 200 project experience. At present, I set up my own design studio, dedicated to creating cultural design. My creative field includes VI / kV / information design / Web Design / photo album design / movie poster design / product design / clothing design / brand design, etc.
4. What does “design” mean to you?
Design for me means a life instinct?
5. What’s your favorite kind of design and why?
I like original designs with native culture and emotion, because only such designs are truly plump.
6. To you, what makes a “good” design?
Design is to serve mankind after all. People-oriented design is a good design.
7. How did you come up with the idea for your award-winning design?
Thousands of years ago, it was said that there was a rabbit in the moon, which was as white as jade, so it was called "Jade Rabbit". Over time, the jade rabbit has become synonymous with the moon. In ancient times, literati wrote poems and lyrics, often symbolizing the moon with a jade rabbit.
2023 is the Year of the Rabbit in China. Giving gifts in the Mid-Autumn Festival, the rabbit and the moon are most closely related, and giving tea as gifts in the Mid-Autumn Festival is also a tradition in China. The moon, rabbits and tea also represent the Mid-Autumn Festival.
8. What was your main source of inspiration for this design?
2023 is the Year of the Rabbit in China. Giving gifts in the Mid-Autumn Festival, the rabbit and the moon are most closely related, and giving tea as gifts in the Mid-Autumn Festival is also a tradition in China. The moon, rabbits and tea also represent the Mid-Autumn Festival.
9. Do you think your country and its cultural heritage has an impact on your design process?
Yes, it has a great influence. I am deeply attracted by the magnificent and heavy cultural history of my country.
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?
It's a great honor to receive the London Design Platinum Award, which has confirmed my cultural design concept.
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?
Tea is one of the most representative drinks in China.
Mid-Autumn Festival is a festival for missing relatives in China.
I put the thoughts of my loved ones into the design.
12. What were the main challenges you faced during the design process, and how did you overcome them?
How to make tea packaging continue to be used in life after drinking it, instead of throwing it away. I did it.
13. How do you think winning this award will impact your future as a designer?
The recognition of awards makes me more motivated.
14. What are your top three (3) favorite things about the design industry?
1. Fair and just competition principle
2. Respect the culture of different countries
3. Leading design fashion
15. What sets your design apart from others in the same category?
Strong cultural and historical precipitation and sensitivity to fashion.
16. Where do you see the evolution of design industry going over the next 5-10 years?
In the future, the design will move towards the design trend of combination of exquisite, cultural and practical. People pay more and more attention to the connotation and function of products.
17. What advice do you have for aspiring designers who want to create award-winning designs?
Respect the culture of their country, try to study it thoroughly and integrate it into their own design. The most important point is to combine the aesthetic of the times.
18. What resources would you recommend to someone who wants to improve their skills in the design industry?
Read more books about aesthetics, history and psychology, and pay attention to all kinds of excellent works, so as to open your eyes.
19. Tell us something you have never told anyone else.
Some friends were surprised that I won the gold medal in product design, because I majored in graphic design and advertising during my college and postgraduate studies, and product design was just my hobby. I love the charm of product design. Design serves people's lives, and product design has penetrated into people's lives. When people use products, they will get happiness from the use of products bit by bit according to the established design given by designers.
20. Who has inspired you in your life and why?
I was inspired by four elders. My father is a very talented stage art designer and film art master. He can think of many advanced ideas that others can't think of. My father guided me to the road of art design. My university tutor Professor Tan Ping is a famous Chinese artist and educator. He built a bridge between design and art. I learned how to create from Professor Tan. My graduate tutor Professor Wu Xuefu taught me how to cross boundary boldly, and he made me more confident to move from graphic design to product design.
21. What is your key to success? Any parting words of wisdom?
Accept new knowledge and culture, have rich knowledge reserves of history and culture, and design with your heart. People-oriented design.
