1 Please give us a brief bio of yourself and your creative background.

YiFei Hu, founder of DesignOut Lab. , creative director and graphic designer. His design and research fields are typography and brand image design. He's works had been selected into design annuals "JTA" "Brand Creation Realization" and "Asia-Pacific Design"for several consecutive years. And also, he's works were awarded in STA 100, KTK Design Award, Asia Design Prize, TIGDA Award, GDC Award, Hiiibrand Award and Platinum Originality, etc.

2 What made you become/why did you choose to become a creative?

Creative design is a thing to add something beautiful to the world and to turn my own experiences and observations on life into beautiful and creative works, if they can be liked by many people, it will also be a thing of high happiness.

3 Tell us more about your business/company, job profile, and what you do.

DesignOut Lab. is a young but experienced design studio. We are good at creative strategies and diversity vision to provide our clients with a variety of design services, and continue to explore innovative, valuable visual presentation solutions for our clients.Our design service scope covers: logo, font, typography, brand design, event atmosphere, packaging, commercial illustration, etc.

4 What does “creativity” mean to you?

Creativity is one of the most important abilities I can communicate with the world.

5 To you, what makes a “creative” idea and/or design?

Better visual presentation, more logical creation concept, more perfect design details and more interesting creative expression.

6 Tell us about your creative and/or design process.

1.Customer demand analysis 2.Research and analysis 3.Creative brainstorming 4.First draft design 5.Evaluation and modification 6.Production and implementation 7.Review and refine 8.Completion and submission

7 What's your favorite part of the creative process and why?

Creative brainstorming. Because brainstorming allows us to brainstorm ideas from different angles and directions and we can get a lot of creative ideas. When all ideas are dueled together, one of the most creative ideas always wins. So this process is the most enjoyable one for me.

8 Describe your creative style and its main characteristics.

I don't think I have a particularly fixed creative style, and if I do, it's variable.Due to the different requirements of each design project, the visual effects I present on each project are different. But if I have to describe a style, I think a lot of my works are happy, which is based on my personal optimism. Because happy designers produce happy products.

9 Do you think your country and its cultural heritage has an impact on your creativity process?

Of course, China has a very splendid and rich history and culture, as a Chinese designer in the process of creation will inevitably be affected by it. At the same time, when I encounter a bottleneck in my creative process, I often look to our history and culture for answers.

10 Congratulations! As the winner of the 2023 MUSE Creative Awards, what does it mean to you and your company and team to receive this award distinction?

This means that my work has received recognition from the professional field, which also means that more people will see my works. This is the first international design award we have won since the establishment of our studio, which means it is a good start. I hope the studio will produce more and more good works in the future.

11 Can you explain a bit about the winning work you entered into the 2023 MUSE Creative Awards, and why you chose to enter this project?

Three of my works have won awards. These three works are the best confirmation of my concept of uniqueness in the past year.

12 What was the biggest challenge with this project?

ow to make the vision of this work stand out among similar competitive goods on the basis of balancing artistic aesthetics and commercial expression.

13 How has winning an Award developed your practice/career?

This strengthened my determination to create better works in the future, and for me, this award is a great encouragement.

14 What are your top three (3) favorite things about our industry?

Design exhibitions, art lectures and design salons.

15 What makes your country specifically, unique in the creative industry?

China is the only country among the four ancient civilizations with a history and culture without fault lines, so our extremely long and splendid history and culture give us inexhaustible inspirations and materials in the process of creation. In recent years, the development of China's economy and technology has also helped our designers to create more in the creative industry.

16 Where do you see the evolution of creative industry going over the next 5-10 years?

There is no doubt that the intervention of artificial intelligence will impact the creative industry, and many entry-level designers may be replaced by it in the future. Of course, for senior designers, AI will greatly help improve their work efficiency.

17 If you were a student entering this industry or an aspiring MUSE Creative Awards submitter, what advice would you give them?

Love what you do and work with your creativity consistently.

18 What resources would you recommend to someone who wants to improve their skills in the creative industry?

Keep an eye on the industry and learn more about what's going on in the design industry, especially international competitions like the Muse Awards.

19 Tell us something you have never told anyone else.

I've been putting on a lot of weight recently and I'm planning to lose weight, ha ha ha

20 Who has inspired you in your life and why?

My mother, because she always encourages me to do what I like to do. Of course, there is another teacher in my student days, Miss Zhang. Although she only guided me to do one project, she taught me how to look at design problems in that project.

21 What is your key to success? Any parting words of wisdom?

PASSION. Passion to life and passion to design.

WINNING ENTRY

Typography
2023
MUSE Winner - Gracemoon Scented Tea Series
Muchuan Gracemoon Tea Industry Co., Ltd

Entrant Company

DesignOut Lab.

Category

Typography - Packaging / Product

Typography
2023
MUSE Winner - Happy Birthday
YiFei Hu

Entrant Company

DesignOut Lab.

Category

Typography - Personal Work / Unpublished

Corporate Identity
2023
MUSE Winner - Fame.Inc
Fame.Inc

Entrant Company

DesignOut Lab.

Category

Corporate Identity - Brand Identity