Under 35 - Simin and Sitao Qiu

gooood团队采访世界各地 35岁以下的年轻创意人，他们有的是创业者，有的是业主，有的是普通职员。我们探访众生百相，记录这个时代年轻人的面貌和真实状态，欢迎您的推荐和建议。第59期为您介绍的是 QIU工作室 创始人邱思敏和邱思涛。更多关于他们，请至：QIU on gooood

gooood team interviews creative individuals under 35 years old from all over the world, some are pioneering founders, some are clients, some are ordinary practitioners. gooood is trying to record the authentic living and working states of this era. Your recommendations and suggestions are appreciated!
gooood Under 35 NO.59 introduces Qiu Simin and Qiu Sitao, Co-founders of QIU
More: QIU on gooood

出品人：向玲 / Producer: Xiang Ling
编辑：武晨曦，杨子遥，熊玮 / Editor:Wu Chenxi, Yang Ziyao, Xiong Wei

*本文所有图片和视频均由QIU提供，All images and video courtesy of QIU

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个人经历
Personal Experience

邱思敏和邱思涛，产品设计+平面设计的组合
Simin and Sitao Qiu, a product designer and a graphic designer

邱思敏：2012年我们从中国美术学院毕业，思涛直接出国去了中央圣马丁读平面设计，我在2013年去了皇家艺术学院读产品设计专业（点此查看邱思敏在海外专辑）。毕业回国之后我们各自在不同的事务所工作，我主要是做建筑、室内和家具设计相关，思涛是在Landor做品牌设计。在2017年底2018年初的时候，我们一起成立了工作室，到现在差不多有4年时间。

邱思涛：我们两个的专业背景不太一样，思敏主要负责偏产品设计和工业设计的部分，我主要做平面设计和品牌设计，还有品牌定位和策略的部分。由于很多项目都需要把品牌设计和产品设计联通起来，所以基本上在项目前期我们会一起对品牌定位和策略进行梳理，然后再分别开展具体的执行工作。从前期的调研和概念的输出开始，我们会走完每个项目的所有设计过程。可能因为我们都是设计师出身，所以比起设计工作，公司管理这部分的占比会稍微轻一些。

邱思敏：英国的教学会更加偏向于研究。在设计一个工业产品的时候，造型其实是最后一步才会去考虑的部分。前期我们会先从更大的维度去看待产品和它所在的整体环境的关系，包括它的材料和工艺所涉及到的背景等等。这样的工作方法也延续到了QIU现在的实践当中，比如说我们会格外重视一个产品的深层价值，不论是偏商业还是偏研究型的设计，我们在开始项目之前都会先做很多前瞻性的探索，而不太会去做那些过于追随潮流的工作。

Simin Qiu: After we had graduated from CAFA in 2012, Sitao went to Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design for a Master degree of Visual communication design, and I chose to major in product design in Royal College of Art in 2013 (Link to the Oversea Album). We then return to China and worked for different firms, where I mainly engaged with architecture and interior, and Sitao became a brand designer at Landor. We started to have our own studio at the beginning of 2018.

Sitao Qiu: For our studio’s projects, Simin takes charge of the product design and industrial design parts, and I do graphic design and branding, as well as brand positioning and strategy. From the preliminary research and the concept proposing, both of us will go through the entire design process of each project.

Simin Qiu: In the early stage, we start by looking at the relationship between the product and its overall context, including the materials and processes that may be involved. We pay particular attention to the deeper values of a product, whether it is commercial or research-oriented, and try to do forward-looking exploration before starting a project instead of just following the trend.

▼左：邱思涛在中央圣马丁留学时期，右：邱思敏在皇家艺术学院留学时期
Left: Qiu Sitao during his study at Central Saint Martins; Right: Qiu Simin at the Royal College of Art

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关于QIU
About QIU Design

一间以“前沿思维”为驱动力的创意工作室
A creative studio with cutting edge thinking

我们希望在设计上可以更有前瞻性。我们会考虑一个品牌在未来几年的样貌是什么样的，会去做一些对于行业趋势的洞察和判断，而不是说当下流行什么我们就去做什么。在产品设计上，尤其是我们自主研发的研究性的产品就更是如此。我们肯定不会单纯从造型层面去考虑一个产品，我们会去关注它的商业价值是否能够在未来持续，关注我们的研究对象如何转化为一个产品，甚至于跳脱产品本身，先往前、往远考虑一步，然后再退回到产品上来。

我们不会去给工作室加上某种限定，这首先和我们的基因有关。我们两个人的背景是在品牌和产品这两个领域，当它们结合在一起的时候，能做的事情就有很多，尤其是品牌这一块，它不会限定在某一个具体行业，我们可以同时服务于传统家居行业、食品行业或者宠物行业等等，品牌和产品是不会剥离开的，它是一个整体，所以我们在产品设计领域会“打开”得比较广，每当我们接触到一个行业，我们都会预先做大量的研究和学习，这其实也会反哺不同的行业，让行业之间可以相互学习，找到彼此的共性并将不同的做法“打通”。

设计变得越来越重要。原来大家可能会更加关注于性价比，但现在会更加重视产品的包装、视觉以及如何去更好地推广。现在电商越来越发达，各种各样的平台都能卖货，产品和平面设计也就随之变得越来越“卷”了。无论是你卖一个多小的东西，你的包装，甚至于一张海报，都需对消费者产生足够的吸引力，尤其是年轻的一代消费者，他们对于视觉的审美已经有了一段时间的积累，因此会更倾向于“颜值”更高、更具有视觉品质的产品。

We hope to have cutting edge thinking in our design. We will consider what a brand will become in the next few years and make forecasts and judgements on the developments of the industry. We will never conceive a product simply from a stylistic point of view. What we focus on is whether the commercial value of a product is going to be sustainable, and to what extend the objects of our research can be translated into a real product. We always like to go beyond the product itself, thinking one step ahead, even if we will go back to the product after all those attempts.

The different backgrounds of us, brand design and product design, provide a lot of possibilities in what we can actually do, especially when they come together. We can serve our clients from the traditional household industry, the food industry, the pet-care industry and so on. Whenever we come into contact with an industry, we do numerous research and study in advance, which will in turn feed into different industries and create opportunities for exchanging and dialoguing to find commonalities that can bridge the different approaches.

Design becomes increasingly important. We live in an era where e-commerce is hugely developed. Whatever you sell, even a tiny thing, is supposed to be attractive enough to consumers, especially to those young generation who have been educated with aesthetics for a period of time and therefore are more inclined to products that look pretty and have higher visual quality.

▼QIU事务所部分作品，Selected projects by QIU

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QIU谈甲方
Collaboration with clients

“设计师和甲方应该是共创的关系”
“To build a co-creative relationship with our clients”

一些国家级的文化机构，他们会更多地考虑一个品牌能够是否能在未来十年或几十年很好地延续下去，而一些私人企业或者新兴品牌，可能会更关心当下最流行的东西，甚至要做得更超前一些，这是不同甲方在设计需求上会存在的一些差异。

作为设计方，和甲方的冲突肯定是会存在的，还是要以专业的方法和设计去引导客户。刚刚创立工作室的时候，我们的想法比较单纯，觉得只要做好设计这一件事就可以了。但现在我们意识到，你要去运作一个工作室，让商业项目能够取得成功，还有很多需要考虑的问题，包括商业上的判断，和客户之间的沟通技巧，设计只是其中一个部分。支撑你设计的理由同时也应该是客户所需求的。客户有不一样的想法是因为他们更熟悉自己的品牌和发展方向，我们是希望跟客户形成一个共创的关系，在我们的专业领域去帮助他们，大家一起把这件事情做成。

对于还没入行的设计师，我的建议是在学校里就尽可能地去掌握更多课外的东西和多维度的专业技能，包括人与人的沟通，甚至如何去运作一家事务所。不是说产品设计师就只做产品，你的全面性会对于未来的实践提供很多帮助。

There will be inevitable conflicts when you work as a designer with all kinds of clients, but the point is that you need to know how to guide your clients with a professional approach and design. There is a lot to consider when running a studio and making a commercial project a success, including business judgement and communication skills, of which design is only one part. The rationales that support your idea should also be what the clients want. They have different opinions because they are more familiar with their brand and direction, so what we are supposed to do is to build a co-creative relationship with our clients and help them with our expertise to make everything work.

For designers who are not yet in the industry, my advice is to get as much knowledge beyond your major field study at school, including but not limited to communication skills and even how to run a firm. A product designer can not focus only on the product itself, because the more capabilities you have, the less barriers you will encounter in your practice in the future.

▼QIU在上海的办公室，QIU’s office in Shanghai

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项目
PROJECTS

#Mobile Mirror
中式榫卯结构的新诠释
A New Interpretation of traditional mortise and tenon joints

一开始我们想研究榫卯和斗拱这些中国比较经典并且充满智慧的结构，经过研究之后我们发现榫卯结构可以简单地看作是一个具有咬合关系的固定件。除了这种凹和凸的形式，我们其实可以改变它的形状，从方形变成圆形，让它在咬合的情况下还能够在限定的范围内保持运动，这是一个非常有意思的逻辑。在实现了这样的结构之后，我们才考虑如何把它应用到产品中。我们最终用4个球形轴组成了一个可以在空间中运动的小型装置，也可以看作是一个室内雕塑。

This design is based on our study of traditional Chinese mortise-tenon construction and the arches, from which we found that the mortise and tenon could be abstracted as a fixed piece. In this project, the classical mortise-tenon structure is changed into a spherical one, allowing it to rotate for the central of the components while maintain the function of a joint, which shows the very interesting logic behind it. After realizing the prototype, we then considered how to apply it into the product: four spherical mortise-tenon structures are used to form a small installation that allows free motion of the double-sided mirror, which can also be seen as an interior sculpture.

▼Mobile Mirror双面镜，基于传统榫卯结构的研究和人体关节仿生构造，创造出可以自由旋转的球体榫卯结构，Mobile Mirror is based on QIU’s study of traditional Chinese mortise-tenon structure, allowing it to rotate for the central of the components while maintain the function of a joint

说到中式家具在当代生活中的演绎，我们希望摆脱那种很传统的符号化和元素化的内容，更多是从中国人使用家具的方式上汲取灵感，然后在这个基础上做一些old与new的结合。现代中式家具的创作空间其实是比较大的，因为它受材料的限制比以往更小，几乎什么样的造型都可以满足，既可以做得很复杂很厚重，也可以做得很纤细很轻盈。

As for the contemporary interpretation of Chinese-style furniture, what we want to do is to step out from those over-traditional and symbolic elements, but draw inspiration from the way Chinese people use furniture in their daily life to make a combination of old and new.

▼QIU为新中式家具品牌Becalm设计的“筑座”全系列家具，从传统木建筑构造中汲取灵感，洞察现代生活方式，以东方美学为品牌定位，成体系的构建产品架构，The Zhuzuo series of furniture designed by QIU for the new Chinese furniture brand Becalm

▼Rattan家具系列，探索了中国传统藤蔑材料与编织工艺，The “Rattan-collection” explores traditional Chinese rattan materials and weaving techniques

“大地毯”
Earth Carpet
传统材料与工艺的新可能
Potentials of traditional materials and techniques

“大地毯”是我们一直想去尝试的一个手工地毯项目，因为之前我们更多是做木材或者金属这种比较“硬”的东西，所以就想去尝试一下这种纺织类的产品，算是对不同工艺领域的学习。我们去工厂进行了几次实地调研，尝试了解地毯背后的一整个生产流程。我们发现地毯的编法非常多，随之也会展现出非常丰富的层次和色彩。所以我和思涛就觉定做一张像大地一样的地毯，通过变化的染色和编织工艺表达出这种丰富的感觉。地毯的设计比较像是平面设计和产品设计的结合体，它包含了画面、色彩、材质和整体的比例关系，最后再通过制造工艺把整个产品实现出来，所以这也是我们的平面设计师和产品设计师合作完成的一个非常有意思的项目。

Before starting this project we did several field trips to the factory to learn about the whole production process of a carpet. We found that there are a great variety of ways to weave the yarns and with that they reveal extremely rich layers and colours. This was how we decided to create a carpet that would have a variegated palette just like the earth. The design of a carpet can be seen as a combination of product and graphic design, which relates to the proportional relationship among patterns, colours and materials, and finally is realized through the manufacturing process. So this is a quite interesting project together achieved by our graphic designers and product designers.

▼通过手工针刺，高割绒低圈绒和割绒松毛等不同工艺将毛纱编织成地毯，细致地表现出大地丰富的色彩，肌理和触感，The Earth Carpet is woven from wool yarns in a variety of techniques to express the richness of the earth in colour, texture and touch

我们对于材料没有很明显的偏好，可能自然材料会用得多一点。我们更感兴趣的是为传统或生活中常见的材料和工艺寻找创新的可能性。比起使用高精尖的新型材料，我们更乐于对一些看上去很常规的，甚至是廉价的材料进行再设计和再利用，探索它们未被发现的潜在价值。

Comparing with using new, highly sophisticated materials, we are more interested in redesigning and reusing conventional-looking materials, or even cheap materials to explore their undiscovered potential and value.

▼Flex系列是QIU工作室2019年开展的产品研究项目，以“板材”作为研究对象，进一步探讨该材料的应用方式，The Flex series is a product research project by QIU Studio since 2019, using “panels” as the object of study to further explore how the material can be used
（点此查看项目详情 Link to the project on gooood）

▼左：Redefinition “重构”系列是对于木材的解构，再通过自由组合的形式重构，创造了无限的可能性；右：Endgrain项目通过对廉价木材-松木的特性研究，挖掘其潜在价值，探索多元的应用方向；Left: The “Redefinition” series creates endless possibilities through the deconstruction and combinition of wood; Right: The “Endgrain” project explores the diverse applications of wood by exploring its potential values

智能家居产品
Smart home products
“不费力的生活仪式感”
“The ritual of effortless living”

我们其实不太希望未来生活过于智能，这可能显得比较“old school”。我们认为设计不应过于偏激，最后还是要服务到人的生活。我们在设计电器的时候会向客户提议是否能够把电器做得更温暖、更舒适，而不是一个冷冰冰的设备。它和你的交互可以是非常简单的，不一定要具备很强烈的科技感。我们希望做的更多是那种有温度的，可以和家居相结合的智能产品。

在智能家居这一块，我们提出过一个概括性的想法，叫“不费力的生活仪式感”。它可能带有一定的智能性，但并不是完全的智能。它需要具备一定的装饰性，要能够跟你的家居风格形成融合。

艾美特的Air系列是我们认为很有意义的项目之一。“家电的家居化”或者“家电的艺术化”是我们一直感兴趣的内容和近期的研究方向。在这个系列中，我们做了Air 1和Air 2两款电扇，Air3是一款电暖气，它在外形上已经比较有别于传统电暖气的样子。在使用体验上面，我们把它的造型、取暖和悬挂衣物的功能完全结合在一起，同时保证了它在家居环境中具有很高的融合度。

Our design for home appliances often aims to provide a warmer and more comfortable experience of use, which is distinguished from those cold industrial devices.
We have proposed a philosophy called “the ritual of effortless living”, which refers to the idea of creating a smart life while weakening the dominant sense of “intelligence”. Home products need to be beautiful and could elegantly integrated into people’s home living.

The Air series we designed for Airmate is one of our most important projects. The “household quality” or the “artistic quality” of appliances is what we are always interested in and studying on. This series includes two electric fans (Air 1 and Air 2) and an electric heater (Air 3), of which the Air 3 has redefined the traditional appearance of an electric heater product. It meets the requirements of heating, drying clothes, sterilizing and towel hanging for bathing in winter as well as easy to carry it around the house simply like carrying a bag, allowing itself be well-integrated in the domestic scenes and environment.

▼艾美特Air 1风扇。标志性的三脚架结构由木材制作，呈现了天然材质最细腻的质感，伴随着使用而留下时间的痕迹。The Air 1 fan for Airmate, with an iconic tripod structure made of wood

▼Air 2风扇。透明的玻璃罩替代了传统的电扇支撑结构，极简，纯净，轻盈的感受给夏日带来清凉，The Air 2 for Airmate, whose transparent glass cover replaces the traditional support structure of the electric fan

▼Air 3电暖器（荣获2021年iF Award）定义了纯粹、诗意的设计语言，它开辟了全新的设计思考方向，Air 3 (iF Award 2021) is an electric heater that defines a pure, poetic design language for smart home products

我们觉得这种“家电的家居化”对于家电行业的未来是非常有价值的。反过来我们也在思考“家居的家电化”，就是让常规的家具可以提供一些智能的、额外的功能价值。未来我们可能就不再需要各种电子设备，它可能会以一种更有趣的方式和家具形成融合，进而也会影响到在室内设计中的一些应用。这是我们可以在未来一直探索下去的。

We believe that the “household quality” of appliances is valuable for the future evolution of the whole industry. In the meantime, we also focus on the “appliance quality of furniture”, where conventional furniture can provide some intelligent, additional functional value. We may no longer need a large number of electronic devices in the future because they can be integrated with furniture in a more interesting way, and this will in turn affect other specific approaches in interior design. This is something we can continue to explore in the future.

▼FT-R7风扇系列，FT-R7 fan series

▼NEW WIDETECH-AC系列产品，NEW WIDETECH-AC Series

上海大剧院的品牌形象升级
Shanghai Grand Theater

上海大剧院原先的logo是在1998年左右设计的，它是用书法毛笔绘制出来的建筑外轮廓，这种不规整的造型在使用上其实会遇到很多问题，比如很难被转译到一些具体的物料上面，也不容易在广泛青年观众中形成认知，所以剧院方就委托我们来为其进行品牌升级和重塑。

我们从这个logo入手，首先确定了前期的品牌定位，然后又延展到剧院的整个视觉形象、海报、应用物料以及与消费者的沟通层面等等。我们注意到上海大剧院的建筑，它的外观特征主要体现在渐变的玻璃幕墙上，所以我们在logo中融入了这种外墙的特征，并利用这种渐变的、类似于舞台的灯光效果去反映它本身的功能。

The original logo for Shanghai Grand Theatre was designed around 1998 and was inspired from a calligraphic brush drawing of the profile of its building. We started with this logo to define the brand positioning and then extended it to the entire visual identity of the theatre, posters, application materials and communication with consumers. We noticed that the exterior of Shanghai Grand Theatre is characterized by gradient glass curtain wall, so we incorporated this into the logo and used this gradually varied and stage-like lighting effect to reflect its function.

▼上海大剧院的新logo设计，以“天地之间”的建筑构思为原型灵感，New logo designed for Shanghai Grand Theatre, inspired by the institution’s architectural concept

同时我们也了解到，很多类似的地标建筑往往只是被当做一个打卡地，实际上无法真正吸引消费者走入内部。所以在视觉设计上，我们把具有代表性的曲线元素应用到不同的物料中，使戏剧的张力和魅力得以延展到剧院和观众的沟通层面上。

At the same time, we have learnt that many similar landmarks are often seen as a place just for photo-taking, without actually inviting the audiences to come in and experience its internal programmes. Therefore, in terms of visual design, we introduced the representative curved elements of the architecture into different materials and interfaces, allowing the power and charm of drama to be extended in different communication scenarios.

▼具有代表性的曲线元素被应用到不同的物料中，The representative curved elements of the architecture are introduced into different materials and interfaces

我们也为大剧院开发了原创的IP形象“抓马”（Drama的谐音），有了这个形象之后，剧院会更容易在未来开发文创产品和其他物料。IP形象的应用目前也非常广泛，比如“抓马”会作为“剧院小助手”，以第一视角去跟消费者进行沟通，所以它在应用和影响力方面都是有着比较深远的意义。

We have also developed an IP character “抓马” (homonym of drama) for the Grand Theatre to help producing more cultural and creative products in the future. The character has now been used in a wide range of ways, for example, as a “theatre assistant” to communicate with the audiences from a first-hand perspective, which gives it far-reaching implications in terms of application and influence.

▼上海大剧院原创IP形象“抓马”，The IP character “抓马” (homonym of drama) designed for the Grand Theatre

其他品牌形象设计 | Other branding projects

▼尼康品牌文创产品设计，Cultural and creative product design for Nikon

▼2020RED设计展视觉设计，Visual design for RED exhibition 2020

“蔬菜表情包”
VEG CREW emoji

从2020年开始，每年我们都会做一些和社会话题有关的设计。“蔬菜表情包”是我们在2022年上海疫情期间创作的，当时大家几乎见不到面，只能通过手机沟通。我们发现一些负面的情绪，包括很多谣言在不断扩散，所以我们就想是不是可以通过做一套表情包，来传播一些更加积极正面的情绪。这个设计的目标很明确，就是借助一些具有通俗性的、能够引起大众共鸣的形象来实现这种跨圈层的传播。

表情包里的蔬菜形象都是非常贴近我们的日常生活的，融入了大众都熟悉的一些比较有意思的“梗”，有点苦中作乐的感觉。在实际的应用当中，我们身边的朋友和父母长辈都很乐于去用这些表情包去表达自己的情绪和关心。对于我们来说，这也是通过设计的价值去影响社会的一个很好的行动，如果大家能会心一笑，我觉得我们的目的也就达到了。

平面设计有它自身的独特力量，能够更直接有力地去表达群众的想法和传递能量。

▼蔬菜表情包，VEG CREW emoji

Every year since 2020, we have been working on designs related to social topics. The “VEG CREW emoji” was created during the outbreak of COVID in Shanghai in 2022, when people could barely see each other but only communicate via mobile phones. Therefore, we used the materials that people are most short of – vegetables as the characters and created a WeChat emoji – called “VEG CREW”. We would like to use VEG CREW emoji to tell the funny story and helps among community, to provide some positive energy for society under epidemic. By using design methods, to encourage the connections between people, eliminate misunderstandings in communications, and rebuild the trust with a sense of humorous. For us, this is also a meaningful action to make positive impact for society and express the love between people by design.

Graphic design has its unique power to express people’s ideas and convey energy in a more direct and powerful way.

▼蔬菜表情包演示视频，Demonstration video

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未来展望
About the Future

我们现在不太满足于一直设计某个单品或某个小系列。我们期望能够在一个更高的维度上和企业品牌方合作，包括对产品的标准化和对品牌的战略性规划等等，这对于一个品牌在未来的发展可能会具有更加深远的意义。我们同时也在拓展自身不同的领域，比如室内和建筑的项目。我们不太会把自己限制在某一个小的领域，而是希望可以把不同行业的优势结合起来，在未来去做更加多元的设计和其他有趣领域的探索。

做设计跟其他行业有一个很大的区别，就是它一方面会被行业影响，另一方面也会影响这个行业。接触行业中不同的人群和想法其实就是一个进化的过程。我们也希望成为一个在设计领域比较具有引领性的工作室，尝试在传统行业中做一些新的突破。

We look forward to working with enterprise brands on a higher level, including standardisation of products and strategic planning of brands, which may have more profound implications for a brand’s future development. We are also expanding into different areas of practice, such as interior and architectural projects. We hope to combine the strengths of different industries to explore more diverse design and other interesting fields in the future, and we also expect to become a leading studio in the design field, trying to break new ground in the traditional industry.

▼邱思敏和邱思涛，Simin and Sitao Qiu

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