What was your main aim when starting
Daylab? DOCEE DONG: I wouldn’t say we
had a specific aim. We simply wanted to share
our design philosophy with the world – or at
least with China, for a start.
How would you describe that philosophy?
YONGPENG LIU: We try to understand the
logic of commercial spaces and the activities
occurring within them. Based on what we
believe is missing, we propose a solution –
hopefully a creative one. It’s our opinion that
the value of creativity in commercial projects
is often overlooked because economic factors
trump the consideration of how such envi-
ronments actually affect people: the users.
Where do you start when trying to under-
stand a space’s users? DD: Since we focus on
commercial projects, we research the largest
consumer demographics in China: millennials
and Gen Z. How do they behave and think?
What do they like and dislike? Our designs
follow our findings.
How do you conduct your research, practi-
cally speaking? YL: We have a number of
methods. Firstly, we’re millennials ourselves
- we know how our demographic behaves.
We visit existing shops, assessing what could
be improved. We also receive information
from clients, some of whom ask us to join
their project meetings from an early stage.
Knowing the main aims in advance and
contributing our ideas from the outset often
leads to a better project. Once we’ve pooled
our research, we decide how to proceed.What have you discovered so far? DD: China
has developed so quickly in the past two or
three decades. The younger generation is
completely different from its predecessors.
Millennials are always online and appreciate
a modern kind of beauty: on-trend aesthet-
ics. They go out for coffee and want to share
their experience on Instagram. In the past,
Chinese designers rarely examined a space’s
users. Architecture and interiors were about
ornate decoration – about expert execution
of details and use of materials. While those
factors are important, they don’t complete
the picture. That’s what we’re trying to do. It’s
not easy in China’s commercial world, with
its rigid rules. Plus we need to ensure that
our designs help our clients to make a profit.
Thankfully that’s been the case to date.How did studying people’s behaviour influ-
ence the design of Elefoto Studio?
YL: This type of photo studio has a compli-
cated format, and we examined how people
behave from start to finish. Before they »‘We want retail customers to
forge a strong mental link
between online and offline’
Xi
aoYunThe fitting rooms play a central role at Heyshop.
Two are large enough for a group of friends to
book or for brands to host a product launch.
58 PORTRAITS