Xubai Li

LEGENDARY INTERVIEW

Design Legends ("DL") had the distinct honour to interview legendary designer Xubai Li ("XL") for their original perspective and innovative approach to design as well as their creative lifestyle, we are very pleased to share our interview with our distinguished readers.

DL: Could you please tell us a bit about your design background and education?

XL : I studied graphic design in undergrad, specializing in branding, but my grad degree focused on object-making and spatial design, aiming to create objects with a conceptual presence.

DL: What motivates you to design in general, why did you become a designer?

XL : The intersection of art and design. Seeing a Henry Moore sculpture as a child showed me the tenderness, spatial serenity, and editorial intuition that art and object-making can hold.

DL: Did you choose to become a designer, or you were forced to become one?

XL : It was a natural choice stemming from that early childhood realization.

DL: What do you design, what type of designs do you wish to design more of?

XL : I design objects that occupy space with a conceptual presence, balancing visual minimalism with complex concepts.

DL: What should young designers do to become a design legend like you?

XL : I design objects that occupy space with a conceptual presence, balancing visual minimalism with complex concepts.

DL: What distinguishes between a good designer and a great designer?

XL : A great designer has the ability to draw abstract, conceptual, and creational links between and among random disciplines, rather than just mastering an isolated physical skill.

DL: What makes a good design a really good design, how do you evaluate good design?

XL : A sense of unity—the union between form and function, and/or expression and execution. It must be something to ruminate over.

DL: What is your secret recipe of success in design, what is your secret ingredient?

XL : Resting and choosing not to create. Keeping the mind and body's elasticity by not treating it like a constantly pulled bow.

DL: Who are some other design masters and legends you get inspired from?

XL : Henry Moore and Maison Margiela.

DL: What are your favorite designs by other designers, why do you like them?

XL : Shao Fan's chair in the MET. It carries out the idea of unity perfectly.

DL: What is your greatest design, which aspects of that design makes you think it is great?

XL : A switch light called "Turn on Light." It is a straightforward answer to deconstructing a design trope and carries a distinct formal similarity to Margiela's work.

DL: How could people improve themselves to be better designers, what did you do?

XL : Learn from the art of reality. Embrace the realization that there is always a discrepancy between imagination and physical creation, and use that as a learning moment.

DL: If you hadn’t become a designer, what would you have done?

XL : Probably a lawyer or some profession related to the law or PR.

DL: How do you define design, what is design for you?

XL : It is a discipline where art and design must be treated together, requiring an ideological and multidisciplinary approach.

DL: Who helped you to reach these heights, who was your biggest supporter?

XL : I would thank my parents and my long time friends.

DL: What helped you to become a great designer?

XL : Reserving time to just "wonder." Those wandering moments accumulate and lead to richer outcomes.

DL: What’s your ultimate goal as a designer?

XL : To leave behind an authentic, original legacy.

DL: How does design help create a better society?

XL : Yes. Even the smallest things people see on the road have been designed by someone at a certain place in time.

DL: What would you like to see changed in design industry in the coming years?

XL : A shift away from isolated professions and one-trick ponies, moving toward multidisciplinary abstraction.

DL: Where do you think the design field is headed next?

XL : With AI harvesting data to perfect mechanical and physical tasks, isolated professions will fall into the hands of industrial powers. Human design will survive through multidisciplinary, abstract synthesis.

DL: How long does it take you to finalize a design project?

XL : It heavily depends on the testing phase (which I control) and manufacturing lead times (which I do not).

DL: When you have a new design project, where do you start?

XL : I begin with digital fabrication, specifically 3D modeling.

DL: What is the role of technology when you design?

XL : I begin with digital fabrication, specifically 3D modeling.

DL: How did you develop your skills as a master designer?

XL : By rigorously fabricating testing samples in smaller scales to study visual elegance and ratio before full production.

DL: When you were a little child, was it obvious that you would become a great designer?

XL : The seeds were planted early when I was deeply moved by the spatial serenity of Henry Moore's sculptures.