Special Feature
#mdxpd 60 seconds An interview with Yamaha Tsung, MDXPD Alumnus & Creative Director of Wise Box Alliance LTD, Hong Kong; a start-up specialising in crowdfunding models; and of course not following instructions. Product Design to me is not a job, it is a hobby. I am doing the same things I did in my childhood. The difference being that I am able to play with much more expensive toys and be creative in teams. It is great to see things you design workout the way it was intended to, solve problems, overcome You are? obstacles and create My name is Yamaha Tsung. products that solve real I graduated from Middlesex needs and problems. Seeing University, BA Product Design, people using the product is in 2016. I'm currently a most rewarding! Creative Director at Wise Box Alliance Ltd - A start-up in What’s a standard day like for Hong Kong specialising in you as a designer? crowdfunding. Our services I don't think the word include proof of concept, 'standard' can describe my working prototypes, cost line of work. Most crowdestimations, pre-campaign funding projects depend on marketing, campaign launch the nature of the project. on platforms like Kickstarter, Proof of concept to end of Indiegogo and others, campaign can take around manufacturing, distributor 6 -10 months. Then from referrals, sales channel manufacturing to establishment and much completing shipment would more. We have launched take around 4-5 months. My over 10 crowdfunding job includes designing campaigns in the last year products suitable for the with all projects successfully crowdfunding market, funded. coordinating with engineers, advising production crew Why Product Design? when filming the campaign From as long as I can video, monitoring the remember, I was always campaign, overseeing taking things apart, reviewing manufacturing and quality the internals and seeing how control. When switching things work, building LEGO between projects, you have
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PRODUCT DESIGN Middlesex University School of Science and Technology
to become an expert in that field in a short amount of time. Most of my day involves contacting engineers in the mainland, following up designs, graphics, marketing material such as rendering and animation, and video production work. I would visit our partner factories to meet with clients and engineers to check prototypes, and sometime I would stay overnight to monitor quality control. Once every three months, we showcase our brands and products at events such as the HK Global Source Fair. What’s your favourite design tool? I personally think the most important stage of design is prototyping. It is when we decide whether we will pursue the design, estimate the cost for production and most importantly, if it is possible to produce. So, my favorite design tool is the 3D printer. When the design has passed the proof of concept stage, I will use the existing CAD model to generate a 3D model - a version where we include threaded nuts and magnets. The 3D printed model not only tests the form and size but also serves as a functional rig. Assembling the 3D prints is the most rewarding stage of the
