In a moment of revealing insight, Henry Ford is said to have remarked, “If I’d asked my customers what they wanted, they’d have said a faster horse.”
This quote goes some way in explaining the relationship between originality and industry, and apparently had a big influence on former Apple CEO Steve Jobs. When it comes to China’s originality trailblazers, Bai Minghui and Zhao Yu are two names that definitely spring to mind. Sticking to the Original
Born in the 1980s, Bai Minghui is making a name for himself in China’s design community as the founder and head designer at Oneday Studio. His wallets made of Tyvek (a papery but tear-resistant, waterproof and recyclable synthetic material) are enjoying wide popularity. “Tyvek was invented by DuPont in 1964 and has been widely used in industry. The material is completely recyclable; at present more than 90 countries do so,” explains Bai. Working from a simple blueprint and introducing artistic elements to add value to his final product, Bai’s inspired designs are selling like hot cakes.
The Tyvek wallet is by no means Bai’s first success. He tells of one episode in which, after graduating from university, he uploaded some of his simpler hand-drawn designs onto his blog. They proved popular but readers thought he was joking when he said the designs were for sale. Bai realized he needed a “carrier,” i.e. a vessel for his artwork, and hit on the idea of T-shirts. A total of 300 such T-shirts printed with his designs were subsequently sold out in a matter of days. Bai says this was the first time he experienced the joy of product design. “The only difference between design and art is practicability,” he notes.
The success of his Tyvek wallet has inspired Bai to go on to design a range of other products, such as retro cassette-like businesscard holders, film roll flowerpots and lampshades, and magazine cover-resembling pillowslips and hanging mirrors. Sold in stores as well as on-line, his whole range sells well.
Nowadays, Beijing is home to a burgeoning number of shops selling creativity-heavy products. “Designers approach their products in different ways: some do it for the money, others to fulfill a childhood dream and still others as a form of social commentary. Whatever the reasons, these thinkers are the driving force of the movement towards greater originality in Chinese product design. And of course, such products expand purchasing possibilities for the modern Chinese consumer,” says Yang Yun, the Beijing manager of Xindingyi Culture Media Co., Ltd.
Over the past three decades, the material wellbeing of Chinese people has developed dramatically. Consumption patterns have shifted from bare essentials to increasingly higher-end products. “People now demand products of a more personalized nature,” Bai notes, offering an explanation of current demand trends.
With no specific training to speak of, Bai relies on gut instinct when in design mode. His guiding principle is that every product should be the answer to a particular question faced in everyday life.
Print
Save