By: Journalist of Arts Criticism, Alina Hordiienko

Female designers are often labeled as elegant with excellent aesthetic taste, but these are just parts of their attributes. Just as design art can’t be defined, female designers shouldn’t be defined in the design industry characterized by creativity. The writer Adeline Virginia Woolf once said: “There is no need for an ideal woman to hurry, to sparkle and to be anybody but herself.” This is perhaps the most perfect interpretation of an elegant woman.

Through the interview, we aim to show the power of women in our daily lives. Different from men’s thinking in design, women show greater creativity, imagination and determination in the field of design art.

In this issue, we invite Ms. Ling Ying, an outstanding and famous female designer, to talk about “identity”. A woman can be anyone, just like Ling, who is a designer, a mother, and herself.

Journalist: What characters or qualities do you think are the most important for contemporary women?

Ling: Independence, self-confidence, resilience, enthusiasm and health. Nowadays, women play a more and more important role in society. They set plans for their career and life, and they can establish themselves independently and confidently in society without relying on others. In the family, women, such as daughters, wives, and mothers, should be resilient enough to fulfill their responsibilities. Also, they should take care of themselves so that they can face society and their families in good condition. What’s more, they should live with passion through constant study, exploration and pursuit.

Journalist: Does the change in life status or style influence your creations or works? Does it affect your original aspiration for design?

Ling: Any creation is a reflection of our inner self, but the external lifestyle certainly has an impact on creation. People are always growing and changing. My design has also changed to be more diverse, personalized, and sentimental with time. However, to dedicate one’s entire life to design and pursue it to its utmost requires a spiritual state that is not swayed by worldly concerns or temptations. It demands an unwavering passion from beginning to end, persevering without giving up or becoming weary along the way–a serene commitment to excellence. This is my original aspiration, and I will never change it.

Journalist: In the design field, we all know that you are an all-round designer. Your design is related to architecture, landscape, etc., but you focus more on the outdoor curtain wall design, that’s why you are called the “fashion designer of skyscraper” in the industry. Can you talk about your experiences and feelings in this area?

Ling: Professionally speaking, a curtain wall is like the coat of a building. It is designed not only to present the style of the building but also to meet its basic functions in energy saving, environmental protection, sound insulation, and thermal insulation. Thus, curtain wall design is demanding as comprehensive factors need to be considered. Traditional curtain wall design focuses on function, but more decoration requirements are raised in curtain wall design with the increase of special-shaped building projects. How do we balance the design and the construction? This cannot be achieved without the innovation of traditional concepts and technical means. However, it is the emergence of new problems that brings more possibilities in design. What a curtain wall designer should consider is how to make and wear a coat for the building, whether the coat is good or bad, and how to make it more attractive to achieve the integration of its function and decoration.

Photo Courtesy: Ling Ying

Journalist: I’ve noticed that no matter what type of design you do, you always emphasize minimalism. How do you reflect and maintain this style in your work all the time?

Ling: The formation and maintenance of this design style have something to do with my personality. What I pursue is the aspiration for design rather than fame and fortune. I design as I wish. If a client asks me to present a European or Mediterranean style, I won’t do it if I think it’s inappropriate. What I pursue is the work that I like, which brings me a sense of fulfillment. I can show it to my client, share it with my colleagues, and present it in competitions. My clients come to me for design because they like my style. In the past few years, I have developed a friendly relationship with my clients. I can design as I like, and they also appreciate it, so we get along well with each other. For me, it is important to enjoy the design process as the essence of design comes from the passion of life.

Journalist: You have won numerous international awards over the past two decades; what advice would you give to your team or to the younger designers?

Ling: When I initially considered participating in the competition, my primary goal wasn’t to win awards; instead, it was about self-affirmation. I aimed to garner recognition for a universal aesthetic, validation from the prevailing aesthetics of the industry. Sometimes we are not sure whether our work is good or not and whether it is mainstream or not. Actually, there are no standard rules for it, but if the work is recognized by the general public, it will not be undesirable. In fact, the honors I have won these years have brought me greater calmness because honors are not the ultimate goal of a designer. Through competitions, I want to know whether or not my work can be recognized, and I also hope to use the opportunity to spread my work so that clients with similar aesthetic tastes can cooperate with me. It is also the honors that have changed me from a “follower” to a “leader” and enabled me and my team to grow from non-mainstream to mainstream in the design field.

For young people in this field, they can make an achievement if they follow these points: be active in communication, consider the overall situation; pay attention to details, be skilled in design, and emphasize innovation.

Journalist: Finally, what do you think is the significance of women exploring their multiple possibilities and developing themselves?

Ling: Nowadays, women should embrace the value of pleasing themselves, place greater emphasis on inner satisfaction and express their thoughts to the world both in their careers and in their lives. I think it’s not so much about exploring your own possibilities and developing yourself as it is about improving yourself and discovering more ways to please yourself through constant learning and innovation.

In the design field, Ling Ying, as an excellent female designer, stands out as a remarkable figure. She is confident and decisive, enjoys life and design, and seeks a balance as a designer, wife, mother, daughter and other identities, thus showing the power of women through her life experiences. Women display their power in numerous aspects. Let us look forward to more innovative, personalized and emotionally resonant works of Ling Ying in the future.

Published by: Martin De Juan