Tzuhsiang Lin

I have a passion for design. Design is a personal understanding gained through keen observation of life and the surroundings, and a rigorous process of considering oneself, the objects around us, and social responsibility. I enjoy and am enthusiastic about seeing the joy and emotion on people's faces when they see a design creation that took hundreds or thousands of hours to create.

My name is Tzuhsiang Lin, and I am an industrial designer from Taiwan currently based in New York. I am currently pursuing a Master's degree in Industrial Design at Pratt Institute.

Design is a purposeful undertaking that arises from one's own observations of life and the surrounding environment.

I have a wide range of design genres that I enjoy. Personally, I find that most of the designs I appreciate have a similarity to my life experiences or resonate with me in their design process and creative journey.

I believe that good design not only combines practicality and feasibility but also showcases the designer or brand's unique style. To me, a good design is one that can evoke emotions, even if it's only for a small group of people. Many individuals may find a design to be fantastic, as it solves their problem or they simply must have it! This is because the design and the designer have shared similar life experiences and journeys as you, which truly moves people.

My designs revolve around my life experiences and the things I care about. I hope that my designs can first move myself before moving others. As I mentioned earlier, I believe that good design must be able to touch people emotionally. As for the style or main characteristics of my designs, many friends have told me that they can recognize my work when they see it. However, I am still exploring and developing my personal style.

As I mentioned earlier, my designs are derived from my observations of life around me. I start by discovering inspiration from my own life experiences and then proceed with the design development process, which involves conducting research, sketching, creating prototypes, and ultimately finalizing the design. This process follows the fundamental steps of design, including research, sketching, prototyping, and finalizing the product.

Certainly. As a foreigner studying in the United States, I have had a profound experience of understanding and constantly reflecting on how my own culture influences design in different ways. Besides language, there are subtle differences in design preferences, or more precisely, in the attention given to specific details. I believe that my cultural background and diverse upbringing enable me to bring forth a different perspective in the design process, focusing on how design impacts people's emotions and points of engagement.

I am truly grateful for this design competition, as it has awarded me a prize and provided me with the opportunity to share my design with a wider audience.

This is wonderful news for me, as it acknowledges and recognizes the time and effort I have invested in my work. I chose to participate in this competition primarily because I greatly admire the previous award-winning designs, and coincidentally, being in New York, I felt it was imperative for me to take part in this prestigious event.

I believe that this project doesn't have any particularly challenging aspects. Any difficulties that arise along the way can be resolved successfully. If I were to point out relatively challenging parts, it would be the initial data collection phase and the final product testing. Finding suitable interview subjects and conducting thorough product testing can be somewhat challenging.

The greatest assistance would likely be increasing exposure opportunities! It allows more people to see my design.

First and foremost is a diverse and inclusive space. A healthy design environment should embrace diverse expressions and different perspectives. Additionally, respecting one another is crucial. I believe people should respect each other's varying viewpoints and interpretations of design, as it allows for the development of design products with greater possibilities. Lastly, there is mutual learning. It is a joyous experience to be able to see products designed by different designers and learn from one another.

As a designer from Taiwan studying in the United States, I believe the most distinctive aspect lies in the background and character shaped by my own culture. I find that many Taiwanese designers are known for their efficiency and ability to quickly identify key points, which results in products that are highly competitive in terms of pricing and innovative capabilities.

There is a greater emphasis on the development of green design. Particularly, there is a higher reliance on electronic product design, especially in terms of portability or wearable electronic products.

Believe in oneself's ability to accomplish tasks and to stand firm in one's design perspective.

Take the time to look at the award-winning works from design competitions and explore various rendering or computer modeling techniques available on Google.

Design is a lengthy process that involves constantly pushing oneself forward and exploring the possibilities of each design along the way.

Thank you to the NEW YORK PRODUCT DESIGN AWARDS and to everyone reading this interview. I hope you will enjoy my work, and if you have any comments, please feel free to reach out to me!