Speaking the language of design
Yunhan Wang is now based in Zhuhai and Shenzhen as an independent designer and a guest lecturer at the Beijing Institute of Technology.
Who is she?
Yunhan Wang is now based in Zhuhai and Shenzhen as an independent designer and a guest lecturer at the Beijing Institute of Technology.
She graduated from the Central Academy of Fine Arts as an undergraduate and continued her postgraduate studies in Milan. In 2019, she founded her own design studio Dorisofia Studio, which covers furniture design, product design, and interior design.
Tell us some of your works, and name the one you are most proud of.
When I worked at J&A from 2015-2019, I was mainly responsible for the development of new products for the Italian brand Turri. I now focus on the design and upgrading of products of some domestic furniture brands.
In my spare time, I often design some small pieces that I like and do some material research, which I enjoy the most. These small products may not be very commercialized, but I will impart my personal emotions and stories to them.
For example, I am currently working on a collection called Childhood Memories, which is to reshape some old objects from my childhood memories into new products. One of my favorite designs is the ice lantern side-table. I'm from a city in northern China where people make ice lanterns to celebrate the coming of winter, placing colorful lights in large blocks of ice, with the light being refracted through the ice in dreamy colors, all of which are wonderful memories of my childhood. The shape of the table mimics the way ice lanterns are made – a block of ice is cut into different shapes, using resin to imitate the texture of the ice, adding color into the resin so that the shades of colors of the resin will automatically change based on the thickness of the shape.
Ice lantern side-table from Childhood Memories collection
What project are you involved in now?
I am currently developing new products for two Chinese furniture brands, which are expected to debut at the CIFF (China International Furniture Fair) in September, and I am also involved in a very interesting project called "discovered", which is jointly created by the AHEC and Wallpaper magazine. Twenty designers from 16 countries will be invited to each design a product for life under the pandemic, that will be produced by four factories in Europe, the US and Malaysia and then exhibited at the Design Museum, London, in September. I'm really looking forward to this project!
Describe your design style.
I am keen on integrating interesting stories into my language of design so that people can feel the history or emotion behind the shape and function of the product as they use it.
Where are you most creative?
My inspiration usually comes to me after 10pm, and if I'm too dedicated, it sometimes continues until I fall asleep, during which time a million shapes and ideas fleet in front of my eyes in the darkness. It seems that many designers suffer from the same conditions as I do.
What does your home mean to you?
My home is a consultant to me, and I like to bring each day's designs home and have my family offer me some different perspectives as an outsider.
What do you collect?
My dad is very keen on collecting old cameras, so he has a lot of strange and interesting collections. When I was a kid, I would spend the weekend afternoons with him blowing dust off all of the old cameras. It is really fun, so I've joined him to expand the collection together with him.
What will be the next big design trend?
Resonating Designs. I think the following trend is to capture the emotions of some people. Living in today's materialistic world, people are not looking for designs that only function well. They also need designs to form an emotional connection with them, so that they can experience a sense of happiness when they use it.
