Hello everyone, my name is Gong Yunji, and I am a native Shanghai product designer. Engaged in design for 4 years. The current founder and chief designer of Fuxi Design. I am proficient in digital home, jewelry and other product design. It has unique design creativity and international vision, and has rich experience in work projects. His works have been included in the ranks of excellent works by world-renowned design website Behance, Yankodesign and Lemanoosh for many times.

Q: Do you have any public accounts and websites that pay attention to Puxiang? Can you give us some feedback?

Yes, I have been paying attention to it. Puxiang is the best of the same type of public number, and the quality of the content pushed is excellent, which can give industrial designers a lot of inspiration. As for the website, I think it is also very careful and has been making progress. Before and your operation feedback website layout and functional suggestions have been adopted. I usually have works on many design platforms, and Puxiang is the only website that specializes in industrial design in China, which is worthy of recognition and encouragement. At present, I think Puxiang will continue to encourage original designers to publish original works, so that more people know that domestic industrial designers are also very competitive.

Q: Why did you start your career in industrial design and how did you start?

By interest. Since I was a child, I like to play with interesting gadgets around me. I have always suffered from not having a workshop of my own to knock on something with my own hands. Senior internship went to an advertising company and came into contact with some design software. I suddenly found that when you master the software to a level of proficiency, you have your own set of virtual tools, with the ability to show all the ideas in your mind. Since then, it has been out of control!

Q: I have also seen the animal earphones you designed. They are especially cute. Are earphones on the market now?

Animal headphones are my work last year, but unfortunately they are not on the market. It is a conceptual product in itself, and the design process does not consider too many landing elements, cost, technology, etc. At that time, I just wanted to present the thoughts in my mind as much as possible. Like a Pixar animator, art is completely interlinked. I would like to give you a suggestion, especially the new designer. As a designer, especially in the initial creative stage, you must not put too many shackles on yourself. Don't think too much about feasibility and landing, otherwise you It is impossible to come up with the most perfect idea.

Q: I also study and design. Personally, I prefer emotional design for practical design and emotional design. In fact, what I am more curious about is, what kind of state are you in your daily life? Is he also a person with a budding heart?

I am a more easygoing person. Some people may like to design cars, metal-style things, or some Nordic-style things. However, I prefer the Japanese style, which is mainly black, white and gray, and feels softer. Therefore, when you design, you will more or less project your own character, and you will always have your own style. Some people like to be hale and hearty. The edges of the designed things are all right angles, and then the surface must be brushed with metal. Some people like glass things and seldom touch these materials in my design. I like the design of MUJI very much. The simple style, clean and simple white makes people yearn for it. However, simplicity does not mean simplicity. The chamfer difference of 0.2 degrees or 0.5 degrees will make the final product feel very different.

Q: After hearing what you said, I began to wonder which university in Shanghai did you graduate from? Aren't you a major in industrial design?

I graduated from Shanghai Normal University and majored in geography before. So I was confused until I started my career in industrial design. I have come into contact with some design software, such as PS and AI, but I have only learned some fur. In my opinion, what you learn in school is not very important to design. Because design is not a qualitative and quantitative thing that requires a lot of theoretical data to support, it depends more on your beauty and talent. Looking at the ancient and modern design masters at home and abroad, how many of them are really majoring in design? So finding your own points of interest is still the most important! Even if you encounter some theoretical knowledge problems and deficiencies in the process of work, you can buy your own books to learn. When you want to learn instead of being forced by others, the efficiency will be surprisingly high. You may gain more in one year than many professional students have accumulated in four years.

Q: I have seen the ocean style jewelry you designed on the Internet, and I think you should like painting since childhood.

Ocean Wind Jewelry is the first self-operated product after starting a business. Jewelry is chosen because compared with other products, jewelry is more convenient to build and does not require mold opening, which is more suitable for small-scale cost investment. As for painting, hand painting has always been my weakness, which is also what I envy the graduates of professional design schools. However, in the past year, I have spent time practicing to catch up with everyone's standard.

Q: I saw an introduction about you on the Internet before. You said that you are a native of Shanghai. Can you tell us what the design environment of Shanghai is like in your eyes?

Yes, I have been working in Shanghai, and sometimes I go to Guangzhou and Shenzhen on business. How do you say, purely on industrial design density, Guangdong Shenzhen area is naturally the strongest in China. Thanks to some of the country's strategic development plans, the industrial chain of Guangdong and Shenzhen is relatively complete, and naturally there are many industrial designers. Shanghai is characterized by all kinds of people. The advantage of staying in Shanghai is that you can get in touch with top talents from all walks of life, not just in design. You can learn a lot by working with them. A wide range of knowledge and cognitive level is one of the basic qualities that I think designers must lack and rely on for survival.

Q: Will you still keep studying every day? Can you share your learning methods?

I now basically take some time every day to watch excellent design works at home and abroad online. In my spare time, I will also read many design books to supplement my professional knowledge. The advantage of freelancing is that you spend all your time at your own disposal and don't have to do things that are unnecessary to formalism. You can devote all your energy to the career you love.

Q: My current situation is the same as yours two years ago. I still want to study industrial design, but I am not from industrial design. Now I am a layman, so I especially want to be promoted to this field quickly, whether it is looking at products. From the perspective, or some visual feeling.

This is very simple, read more and learn more. There are many excellent industrial design websites at home and abroad. There are countless great gods sharing their works on it every day. And if you are willing, you can leave a message under their works to ask questions or send EMALL to them, and most people will reply to you. In addition, don't pay too much attention to your starting point, after all, the design industry is always a work.

Q: So you learned software first, then you learned to make products?

Yes, I learned the software before industrial design. Software is a changeable tool. After mastering it, you can do many things with it. Maybe animation, maybe three-dimensional effects, or interior design. And I chose to follow my own interests, industrial design.

Q: You have shared with me before that you had a very painful experience. In the early days of your business, can you tell us about what happened during that time? Is this an important accumulation in your life?

Well, it is a relatively important time. It was 3-5 months after the start of the business. If there is no stable income and customers, I will study the design day and night. Don't set yourself any subject matter, rely entirely on imagination, overhead subject matter. Today I design a vase and tomorrow I will design a pair of headphones, which is not only an exercise but also an accumulation of works. At that time, I thought that even if I didn't make money during this period of time, I should leave some works and accumulation of experience for myself, so as not to waste this period of time.

That's still love.

That must be. Because I have a lot of works, basically since last year, some headhunters or HR have found me on the Internet. The big ones, such as Alibaba, Little Red Riding Book, Disney and other well-known domestic companies, have contacted me and asked me to be their industrial designer directly, but I have temporarily declined them. From my inner feelings, my experience still needs to be improved. Now going directly to a higher position may be a little powerless. Therefore, we should continue to accumulate and learn and make progress with everyone on weekdays.

It is still necessary to calm down and learn more and accumulate more in the company or at home. How do you say, is to have to find that balance. You can't say that when one or two of your works failed at the beginning, you gave up. This is not right, nor can it be said that your works have been successful. You are smug and feel that you are already great and arrogant. Both states are undesirable.

The biggest advantage of young people is that they have more time. They must grasp the golden six-year period of 24-30 years. In the past 6 years, you may not be married and have children. You have plenty of time to try to study what you want to do regardless of the consequences. Even if you fail, you can start all over again. To make a good accumulation after the age of 30. When it comes to 30, there should be a very clear direction for my efforts. You can't say that I am still confused as I was when I was 20.

I like your general elephant very much. There are really few websites specializing in ID design in China. I think it is very valuable that you can gather these people who like industrial design. It happens that this industry is slowly rising in recent years! Come on!

collection of gong yunji's works