Into The Creative Mind

22 March 2011,

We had announced the winner of 2010’s junior designer award (jda) gold winner ong su ping, an award competition by in publishers collaboration with eric leong & sponsored by alfo lighting. Today we sat down for a casual tête-à-tête to find discover what nurtures her creativity and her future plans.

How did you find out about the Junior Designer Award (JDA) 2010?
I got to know about JDA by pure coincidence. My college was hosting a designer week and Mr. Alfo Chong of Alfo lighting was invited to give a speech. The goody bags that we received before heading in to listen to the talks had a JDA leaflet inside, so after speaking to Mr. Chong and hearing his words of encouragement, I thought to myself, “Why don’t I give it a try?” and so I did!

Tell us about your design concept?
I used references from a dancer’s hands – with our arms and hands alone, we are able to convey so many things, from shapes, directions to emotions and so much more.

How would you say your design is unique?
I think the most distinctive quality of my design is its dynamic shape and energetic colour, it looks as if it’s always in motion. There’s also something about the swirling form that exudes an air of elegance, just like a dancer. Besides that, it’s also multi-functional. It can be a task light, a mood light, or simply just an ornament when not in use.

Where did you get your inspiration from?
Earlier this year, I had an assignment where I had to draw inspiration from an architect or a building. I chose Santiago Calatrava, an architect known for the zoomorphic (taking the form of an animal or living thing) nature of his designs. From there, I studied hand gestures and the shapes of the human arms and hands.

How long did it take you to complete the whole project?
It took me about one to two weeks to complete the whole project.

Now that you’ve emerged the Gold Award Winner, how has this affected you?
I’m really happy that there was a cash prize, so I’m slightly richer now than I was before I won (laughs) It has definitely boosted my confidence, and with the money I am able to complete my portfolio which will help me tremendously in the future – career wise. And when that fine sweet day comes when my friends see my design in shops, I can proudly say that “Hey, that’s my design!”