The last time we saw our friend and frequent collaborator, the prolific industrial designer Michael Young, he was sporting a neutral cardigan (shirtless underneath) with blue piping, a look he paired with rose-colored jeans. A telling reflection, perhaps, of his personality—highly creative, bon vivant, occasionally goofy, and a total original. So, when it came to interviewing Michael, we thought perhaps someone who works closely with him might reveal insights that questions from us would not. Enter our first-ever guest interviewer—Ben McCarthy, one of Michael’s top lieutenants and a very talented designer in his own right.
Ben McCarthy: What is a typical day for Michael Young?
Michael Young: There is no such thing, really, but if I am at home in Hong Kong, it’s breakfast on the balcony with my girlfriend and dog, office by 10 a.m., chat about the projects. I normally work through lunch and if I don’t have meetings, I leave around 2 or 3 p.m. to walk my dog and daydream—that’s when I do my design thinking. A day does not go by without an international guest passing through so I’m generally always at dinner. But otherwise I cook outside at home.
BM: Where do you work best on your designs?
MY: I don’t really work in the studio. I normally design projects in my head, minutes after a meeting, as it only takes a few minutes to rationalize a client’s intentions. Normally after meetings I vanish and walk around the block a few times, at least till I get a sketch out of it. I have never designed much in the studio. That’s a place of creative process and discovery but not conception.
BM: Can you explain the singular and collective parts of your design process?
MY: I always like to create the concept for the project and the direction and market placement, but we work as a team from very early stages. Without the team it would never be the same process.
BM: How would you describe your design style?
MY: I don’t really know. I guess the structure is a mix of questioning typologies combined with industrial innovation. I like to turn things on their heads, with the knowledge that only those who know, really know what’s going on, will notice.
BM: What is the best moment of the day?
MY: Waking up in bed, cosy and warm.
BM: What do you do to keep yourself motivated and inspired?
MY: Finding passion for what you do is tricky to do all the time. I balance it out by taking plenty of vacation… a week in the Swiss mountains, a week in Phuket or Tokyo. I need to travel and stay in amazing places. I like to contemplate and ultimately search for balance in my design work. That keeps me wondering about what will happen next. I love to sketch in relaxed places. Thankfully I am paid for being philosophical for companies and that’s a solo job, so I walk a lot and think. I can walk for hours and hours.
BM: A mandatory cocktail and beach. Sounds rough!
MY: Yes, it’s a hard job but somebody has to do it. Mind you, I deserve it. The early days consisted of rats squatting in my squat, and starvation, so I do not feel guilty.
BM: You spend a lot of time in Japan. Were you ever tempted to move there?
MY: Yeah, I love Japan but living there would be too intense. You need to escape it. At the end of the day it’s pretty stiff. I love Tokyo—so much, in fact, I intend to do a show there again. I first showed there in 1995 and the Japanese really went crazy for me. So, for nostalgic reasons, I’m always happy to visit.
BM: Hong Kong is home for you now. What does it offer to you that other cities can’t?
MY: Speed and efficiency. It is a serious city. There is no talk, just action. Industry is just around the corner. Serious factories. I can do things here that other cities cannot offer. Want to get a prototype made over night in London or New York? Forget it. I think fast and I need things to move fast around me to help my design process. I have some great technical research going on around me too.
BM: Do you visit China much?
MY: Not if I can help it. It’s smelly and dirty. There is no glory in industrial parks. I did my travel when I first arrived, and paid respect, but frankly, I prefer people to visit me. I will go if it is important but one factory is very much like another. Communication is in some respects more important.
BM: Given the current economic climate, will you make any big changes to how you work?
MY: Not really. I can’t change for anything. I am committed to my understanding of the planet and what I can do here. The only change is that I need to give clients confidence to believe in the years to come.
BM: How do you see the economic climate affecting China over the next year or two?
MY: It will makes factories creative. Crisis creates good ideas. It’s an exciting time as far as I’m concerned. We will lose the weak and strengthen the strong. That’s the way nature is.
BM: How much of your business is to do with branding? Hong Kong is a fairly brand-knowledgeable city. Does this have any effect on you?
MY: A lot, I guess. I work for some of the largest brands around. Chivas, for example. We focus on design but the ideas are strong and speak for themselves. Brands need communication and that is what my design does. It’s working well here. The brands appreciate the volume of p.r. I get locally in China now so it’s good for design. At one time it was only luxury brands that got noticed. Now the public is even more aware. Great times…
BM: Historically, you’ve moved a lot, from UK, Iceland, Belgium, Taiwan, now Hong Kong. Is Hong Kong the final destination?
MY: I like Australia now because I am marrying one [an Australian]. Australia is a gem…so much nature, and amazing sites. So I will spend my life between Austraila, Hong Kong, and Belgium. I’m not a big fan of New York , London, or Paris. They don’t do it for me, with their obviousness and their patterns. I love nature more than cities. I guess I’m a bit of an old hippie really.
BM: You travel a lot. What percentage of your time would you say is spent in Hong Kong?
MY: Last year I spent 60% of my time in Hong Kong. In ’09 it will be 80%. I’ve got so much to do this year and I think it distresses my dog too much. She does not like me leaving, and as all dog owners know, you don’t mess with your doggie’s head.
Read part 2 of this interview.
For more information on Michael Young, click here.
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