Brand CenterCreative Director WANG, Hsin-Hui (Xinhui)
Everyone inside and outside of Gamania has given high marks to the designs produced by the Brand Center. The creativity that produced these designs was however the result of solid preparation and research. So what techniques and concepts are involved? Xinhui, the Creative Director of the Brand Center, will now reveal them to you!
G!VOICE: What does creativity mean to you?
Xinhui： I think creativity is about doing something that people find interesting. Not only must you find it to be interesting, other people must feel the same way as well. If you are really lucky, you might even enjoy the process of putting creativity into action and find it really fun. That’s what being “creative” is all about.
G!VOICE: Where does your creativity come from? How does it take shape?
Xinhui： I generally cultivate my creativity in everyday life and the key is “research”. If I see a good idea or design during the day I record it (in any format such as photos or a note on the computer). When I have time, I sort these into different categories so I can go through the index and find these useful ideas when I need them. How did I develop this habit? My work demands a lot of creativity but doesn’t leave a lot of time for inspiration to strike. I must therefore prepare in advance so I can meet the deadlines.
G!VOICE： What is the hardest part about generating creative ideas?
Xinhui： In my case, it can be divided into two parts: before the idea takes shape and after the idea takes shape. Before an idea takes shape, if I don’t have a feel or opinion for the case I tend to reach a bottleneck. The most likely clauses are: I had never done something like this before so I have no clues to work from; or I have done this so many times that the springs have lost their bounce. Once an idea takes shape, the biggest challenge is making the idea resonate with other people, persuading them to foot the bill and making sure that the idea accurately conveys the ingenuity involved in my design.
G!VOICE： How do you encourage creativity in your team? Is there a particular process?
Xinhui： A lot of my department’s work is about design and sometimes team members end up “hitting the wall”. When this happens, I try and tell them: “Don’t worry about the execution aspect for now. We should concentrate on the design concept. Try and think outside of the current box and wait until it’s all clear in your head before you follow through. This will allow the case to proceed more efficiently.” As for the process, don’t we often talk about “brainstorming for ideas”? I think the creative process is about throwing ideas around and sounding each other out. You might come up with something that is totally unrelated but I use the association to come up with a great idea.
G!VOICE： How do you identify good ideas?
Xinhui：I think you should start by defining your goal. Doing it well comes later. If you don’t get your goal right then no matter how creative you get, your strategy will be all wrong.
G!VOICE： Please provide an example of your creativity.
Xinhui： My favorite case recently was the “Christmas Wall Sticker” for the Lunar New Year gifts. This is simply because the gift could be turned into a design unique to every person. All I did was design a few simple geometric shapes and left it up to people to do what they like.
▲The Brand Center subscribes to monthly lifestyle design magazines so team members can recharge their creative energies at any time.
▲You can always find a few reference books or magazine about design on Xinhui’s desk.
▲Even the bookshelf is lined with these types of books.