Shaped through contests
By Kayleen & Enid

Chen Hong 1998: graduated from the Fine Arts Department of Xiamen University 2001: got master's degree of fine arts at Xiamen University 2002: founded Yihong Design Co., Ltd.

Some of his awards:
Posters selected for the 6th "Golden Bee" Design Exhibition which is held every other year
Won the top prize in the 3rd Heineken Pad Design Competition
Posters selected for the 4th IDN 1999-2000 Competition
Posters selected for the "Five Leaves" Anti-cigarettes Design Competition
Won bronze prize in the 2nd "Package and Design" New Star Competition
Won prize in the "RMB 300,000 to collect the cover design of ‘Family'" Competition
Won the first prize in the logo collecting competition of Fujian Media Group
Won the first prize in the logo collecting competition of Sino-France supermarket Franprjx (i.e. Beatrice Community Store)
Won prize in the 1st "Taihe" CI Design of Fujian Province

陈泓,厦门大学美术系硕士,青年平面设计师.近年来,代表作品入选第六届"金蜜蜂"莫斯科国际平面设计双年展,福建省广播影视集团标志征集一等奖,第三届全球喜力啤酒杯垫设计大赛最优秀奖(最高奖)等国内外大小几十个奖项,是我市近年来在设计界引人注目的新星.他迅速成功的奥秘何在,如何在商业社会中坚持艺术的追求,并不断创新超越自我,本报记者为您揭示艺术新星成长背后的故事.

Q: I learned that your design will be on show at the 6th "Golden Bee" Exhibition of Moscow which is held every other year, and that you have just won the first prize in the logo collecting competition of Fujian Media Group. Here I want to congratulate you on these great achievements.
A: Thank you. Well, I've won four awards in these three months. I think I've been really lucky recently.



Q: You have taken part in so many competitions and achieved a lot. What's your opinion and attitude toward this?
A: I'm enthusiastic about participating in various competitions, and even a bit "crazy" to some extent. I started to take part in all kinds of design competitions since the second year of my university life, and by now I've received dozens of awards in the national and international competitions. I think a designer who is still in his developing period should pay great effort to shape himself, and to promote his quality through contests.
Compared with some big cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen, Xiamen's economic and cultural conditions are comparatively poor, but the more "disadvantages" we have, the more effort we should pay. Different competitions will help us to exploit our vision, to obtain new knowledge, to develop unfamiliar skills, and to break district limitations. Failures are unavoidable in contests, and they always call for a consciousness of self-reflection, so that we can make a quick improvement between failure and success.
With regard to rewards, I want to quote a statement of Chen Youjian, a famous Hong Kong designer, to express my attitude, "let me know how good I am, let me know my status in the most effective way." Of course, we still have a certain distance from the great designers as Chen Youjian, but it is the distance that drives us to seek progress, as well as encourages us to fulfill ourselves.



Q: I found that most of the awards you have received are for posters, could you tell me why? Are posters easier to win prizes, or any other reasons?
A: Good question. I majored in decorative design in college, which offered me a basis in design. And fortunately, I was able to study under the noted sculptor Li Weisi for the next three years. Mr. Li guided me to catch the bonding point of design, art, and sculpture, so I could create and construct my own art language in the later years. I think those three years greatly enriched my artistic sense and played an important role in my career.
To me, posters are an ideal expression of art, and only they could arouse my creative emotion, giving free rein to my imagination and skills. When creating a poster, only the sense of beauty is my guide, so that I can show my features and character to the public through posters. In one word, my achievements in poster design are greatly attributed to the seven years' study of art and design. On the other hand, my success in artistic design has also enhanced the artistry of commercial designs, and I've also won several prizes in commercial design competitions. So we can say, the two form a union.



Q: It seems you are very interested in design contests for commonwealth?
A: Yes. First of all, I think a designer should have a sense of social responsibility besides a good artistic consciousness. A true designer ought to pay more attention to issues about public life, hot social problems and environment protection. A true designer should use the form of art to express his reflection about society. A true designer should exercise the power of art to arouse the public's concern for society.
Second, I will choose to participate in competitions of high levels, but at the same time, I will continue to devote myself to public design contests as before.



Q: There is always a conflict between art and the demands of the customers in design. Do you think this will limit your creativity? And how do you deal with this contradiction?
A: I choose customers. The most important point is to see if they will be able to communicate with the designer on the same level, or if he respects the designer. Of course, this respect includes the price he is willing to offer.
Now there is a phenomenon in society: I pay, so I decide. Some of the customers come to the designer with their own ideas, interfering with every part of the design for their own tastes. They are not coming to seek a good designer but a craftsman. They buy their own designs. I am always hoping that the commercial designs can be appreciated at all levels. A designer is not an artist, so he should not indulge in self-admiration, and he cannot design only for his own interest. A designer should always know the purpose of his works, so he needs to combine a certain cultural background with the majorities' tastes. He also needs to find a proper point to blend Chinese traditional culture and the modern sense of beauty.



Q: Thank you for your time, and wish you great success in the future competitions.
A: Thanks. I posted some designs for two important international competitions the other day, and I hope for another harvest.