YOU may have never heard of Yao Yingjia but you have already been introduced to his work.

This tall and jovial Chinese national holds the enviable distinction of being the chief designer of the 2008 Beijing Olympic torch.

Yao began his career in design when he joined Lenovo in 1996 as its very first industrial design professional. During that time, China’s industrial design field was still in its infancy and Yao was one of its first pioneers.

He built Lenovo’s design team on an organisational structure characterised by multi-disciplinary coordination and established the Innovation Design Centre which today boasts 110 designers.

Thirteen years on and this 36-year-old who advocates design based on local Chinese culture has been credited with laying the platform for China’s industrial designers to demonstrate their abilities and compete better with foreign peers.

His designs have won several awards, including the Red Dot Design Concept Luminary Award (2005), Germany IF Product Design Award (2006) and the Intel Innovative PC Award (2002).

Now vice president of Lenovo’s Innovation Design Centre in Beijing, Yao was in Kuala Lumpur last month for the launch of Lenovo’s All-In-One desktop series and took some time from his busy schedule to sit down exclusively with Malay Mail to talk about his design philosophy, the Beijing Olympics and of course, the torch:

Tell us about Lenovo’s design philosophy

It is all about balance and finding design solutions that are applicable to a wide range of people. There is no such thing as the “best design”, but rather the most suitable one. When thinking about design it is about who the end user is, understanding the human centre and then creating the experience.

When we approach new solutions, it is about ease of use and making life and work simplified. Consumers need not pay a high cost for premium products.

What inspires you?

Many things, from all around me. For example, I’m interested in exploring local cultures, submerging myself and understanding where people come from, and my discoveries inspire me. You can find inspiration and ideas from everything, especially from other industries.

I’m also influenced by fashion; say a particular material used in shoes, I’ll wonder how I can incorporate that feel and material in my designs. [points outside through a window] Even that flower out there, I find it interesting, and its shape could form the base for a product’s accents.

How did Lenovo get involved with designing the Olympic torch?

 

 

We first submitted designs for consideration for the Olympic logo but weren’t successful.

Then I was asked during a casual dinner with some officials from Beijing whether Lenovo’s design team would be interested
in joining the competition to design the official torch and I replied “of course”.

But it wasn’t a small project as we discovered and we had to work on it after hours because it was done on our own initiative without the knowledge of higher management.

There were 388 designs submitted from all around the world and when we got to the Top 9 finalists and after that, the Top 4, we started thinking “maybe we can win this”.

At which point I got an email from Lenovo CEO Yang Yuanqing saying “I didn’t know about this but let’s talk now.” [chuckles]

When your design was chosen, how did you celebrate?

Well it wasn’t a big celebration, we had dinner and drinks at a restaurant. We also went on a cultural trip to soak in more ideas.

We were more focused on the final challenge – now that our design won, how were we going to manufacture it?

What do you have to say about the whole experience?

It was a wonderful time in my life, a wonderful experience. And I can tell my children in 10-15 years time that I was a part of history and worked with a great team.

The entire process had a strong impact on me and the whole team. We all came out of it with a better understanding of teamwork, about respecting each other and “team spirit”.

The torch is like my child, and when I know that people like the design or watch them with the torch, I feel proud, like a father.

What was your favourite moment of the Beijing Olympics?

I know many will say the Opening Ceremony but for me, it had to be the Closing Ceremony held in the Bird’s Nest Stadium.

I was sitting and watching people as they were leaving and thought to myself that this is not the end but the start of a new beginning.

China is now better known as a manufacturing hub rather than a centre of design, what are your thoughts on this?

[laughs] Well China has good DNA for innovative work. Remember that we came up with the “four great inventions” after all, one of which is paper.

But I think that if Chinese companies want more success, they will have to change their business models accordingly and this goes for traditional industries such as fashion and manufacturing.

At Lenovo, we take pride in good design and want to share our ideas with other companies and industries to help establish a culture and system of innovation. It’s still growing and it is up to industry leaders to take the initiative to be part of the next generation trend.

In my opinion, China is on the right track and will emerge as a world leader in this regard.

What advice do you have for aspiring designers?

Design may look like a “cool” job but it’s a hard job filled with many challenges.

I keep telling my students that design is not just a job, it’s a life choice. The biggest challenge is keeping one’s curiosity alive. It’s easy to lose that feeling and start thinking that “I know everything”.

Most importantly, you have to care about people, details and emotions. Designing is like the act of translating, you design not for yourself, but for others – melding technology, material and culture into a product that people
can understand.

About the 2008 Beijing Olympic torch, ‘Cloud of Promise’

 

The torch of the Beijing Olympic Games has a very strong Chinese flavour.

The shape of the paper scroll and the lucky clouds graphic, expresses the idea of harmony. It stands 72 centimetres high, weighs 985 grams and is made of aluminium.

The torch boasts a curved surface form, with etching and anodizing used during its production. It has been produced to withstand winds of up to 65 kilometres per hour and to stay alight in rain up to 50mm an hour.

The flame can be identified and photographed in sunshine and areas of extreme brightness. The fuel is propane which is in accordance with environmental guidelines and the material used is recyclable.

Did you know?

The Olympic torch still sparks a flame in many a collector’s heart. At a recent auction held in China, one of the torches sold for RMB 640,000 (RM326,800).

About Lenovo C300 All-in-One Desktop

“We believe that this is the future of desktop computing and with space becoming an issue we took great pains to ensure that it was suitable for any room” says vice president of Lenovo’s Innovation Design Centre, Yao Yingjia.

“Although this is an entry level model, our choice of materials used in developing this model is aimed at giving our customers the feel of a high quality product at an affordable price,” he added.

Technical Specifications

 

● Display: 20-inch 16:9 aspect ratio (1600mm 900mm)
● Processor: Intel Atom 230
● Chipset: Intel 945GC chipset
● Graphics: Intel integrated
● Memory: 1-2 GB DDR2 667
● Hard Drive: 160-640 GB 1 slot
● Connectivity:   Ether net 100 MB, WiFi 802.11 abg (optional)
● Optical: Tray in RAMBO (1 slot)
● Other: 1.3 megapixel camera, 1394/firewire port, 6 USB, 6-in-1 multimedia card (secure digital multimedia card, XD, memory stick, memory stickpro, secure digital pro), two 2.0 audio 3 watts, 120 watt power adapter, wired USB mouse, wired PS/2 keyboard
● Software: XP Home, Vista Home Basic, Vista Home Premium