DESIGNER YANG MINGJIE: CREATING THE PERFECT USER EXPERIENCE
From Munich to Shanghai
In 2001, Yang graduated from Zhejinag University and was awarded a full scholarship from the WK Foundation to study abroad in Germany. After achieving a Masters, Yang started to work in Munich's Siemens Design Headquarters.
In 2002, Yang's "Mobile RV Base" helped him to achieve the Red Dot Design RV Conceptual Design Competition Gold Medal. More than 10 years later, this young designer has already hone numerous awards including Red Dot, the iF Award, Japan's G-mark award, and Asia's most infiuential design silver award as well as dozens of other awards. Yang also served as a judge for iF's China Design Awards Competition. Currently, Yang's pieces can now be scene in the world's premier design exhibitions and museums.
In 2005, Yang returned to China and established Yang Design. Under Yang's leadership, this team has won the Red Dot, iF, G-Mark, as well as over 50 other international awards. The teams has also worked with leading international brands such as Schneider, Boeing, Audi, Bosch, Radar, Absolut Vodka, and others. In terms of returning home to start his venture, Yang reffiects on the enormous growth of product design within China, "China's industry environment is increasingly advantageous for product design. Design has already changed into a type of necessity, a type of engine that spurs China's economic growth."
Design and User Experience
One right after the other, Yang succeeded in winning Asia's Most Influential Design Silver Award in 2008 and Germany's Red Spot Design Award for his Absolute Vodka "dual bottle" in 2009. The "dual bottle" reflects the "combination of design and user experience", a model used by Yang in his work.
"The Absolute Vodka dual bottle has a half cut in the center that can be extend from each side to create a dual package made with a translucent frosted material. The packaging reveals a bottle of original favor and a bottle of apple pear favored vodka. The contour, color, and bottle façade create a sort of stacking effect."
This is Absolut Vodka brand's first time working with a Chinese designer for its packaging. During the initial phase, designers considered various possibilities in terms of packaging and materials. Within the final phases, the design mentioned above was chosen. With its alternative handle design, the problem of carrying more than one bottle of Absolut Vodka at the same time was solved. Environmental concerns were also raised during the design process. After consuming the package's contents, the bottle can be used as a storage container, fruit bowl, or as a decorative piece.
Design and Brand
In his autobiographical record "From Siemens to YTown", Yang mentions a "Design as central brand strategy" that places design as the key position to brand creation. In reality, after having already experienced 30 years of emphasizing development of the industry's work itself, several Chinese industries have begun to realize the importance of branding. However, after beginning their own paths of brand development, even more enterprises are spending a great deal of money to develop their brands. Yet, these improvements only go as far to change the external image or advertising of the brand name.
"In terms of the product, the brand is an even bigger system. This includes branding concepts, imaging, marketing services, the product itself, etc. Within this system, customers will only come into true contact with the actual product.
Yang believes, "The product undeniably is a brand's central value. As the customer matures, they care more about the product itself, not the garish packaging. The DaVinci Incident is an example; industry has progressed from the era of marketing to the era of the product. Merely relying on slick packaging will not build a great brand."
