Today we’d like to introduce you to Zhiliang Zhang.
Hi Zhiliang, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
In my childhood, like most artists and designers, I was keen on drawing and making various handicrafts. To successfully enter an art university, I was admitted to a local art high school. During those three years, we learned sketching and color every day. But for a high school student, the future career plan is not very clear, so I am hesitating on the choice of major in the university. Since I have good handcraft skills, I finally chose the arts and crafts major. Since then, I have studied various ceramics and glass art production methods.
I enjoy being involved in making art, it’s a process of self-talk and self-expression. But one day when I looked at my work under the spotlight in the exhibition hall, I felt that it was like a ship stranded on an isolated island. I began to crave connection with people, and I began to give function to my artwork, even if it was just a teapot. That’s why I chose SCAD’s industrial design major, which is a vast field. The transformation from an artist to a designer also brought me many new perspectives, which gave me a deeper understanding of the world.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Of course, I have experienced a lot during the transformation of this identity. In addition to external skills and working environment, it is more of a change in thinking mode. Artists are people in society and are bound to be restricted by the social environment. Any spiritual production must be based on material production. Therefore, the environment in which the artist lives will inevitably affect the artist’s creation, and any artist who is divorced from society will eventually become isolated. The duty of an artist is to create spiritual products to meet the specific needs of a certain aspect or class of society. At the same time, this is also a means of emotional communication between the artist and society. When I was a student, it was difficult for me to receive feedback from the outside world in a timely manner. Being emotional, I sometimes even felt that the subject of creation was not me but my emotions, and the end of emotions for me was nothingness. When I started to give the work a function, its value became to solve the problem, which is a very efficient way to get feedback, which is the original intention of my design for many years.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
In recent years, I have been exposed to many different fields in the process of freelance. Although many projects are just daily necessities with simple structures, because of the need to connect with factories, I have seen many details in the commercial design process. The diverse working partners I met in teamwork also made me realize that only people who are harmonious but different can collide with different sparks at the intersection. In the rational industrial design process, I will also release the inner emotional artist. Even if the product itself is piled up by data and production capacity, it still needs a soul that can resonate with users, and the emotional artist is responsible for carving the soul.
Do you have recommendations for books, apps, blogs, etc?
The most recommended book for designer friends is <101 Design Methods: A Structured Approach for Driving Innovation in Your Organization> by Vijay Kumar
This book approaches the practice of creating new products, services, and customer experiences as a science. As a reference book, he helps designers explore the most difficult part of the innovative design process.
Contact Info:
- Website: zhangzl409.wixsite.com/zhiliangzhang
- Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/Zhiliang-Zhang-Xavier
