Meet Haoran Yu | Product Designer& Photographer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Haoran Yu and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Haoran, how do you think about risk?

For me, risk is an indispensable player in my life, serving both as a necessary element and as a guiding force. Moreover, I actively seek out risks in both my personal and professional endeavors. Just like the routine activities of grocery shopping or watching a movie, individuals constantly expose themselves to risks, yet it’s impossible for people to refrain from venturing out and exploring the world.

As a product designer, there are numerous points in my daily work where I must confront risks. These range from minor concerns, such as the risk that users may not like a particular feature of a product after it has been designed and produced, to major challenges, such as receiving a significant design order from a client, but encountering communication difficulties with factories or manufacturing departments during the design and production process, which could potentially lead to the loss of the client.

However, once these risks are faced and overcome, individuals experience growth and simultaneously acquire new resources and wealth. This is also an essential aspect of being a designer—to utilize these acquired resources and wealth to design better products, thereby benefiting society.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
As a product designer and photographer, my daily routine consists of designing products during weekdays and venturing out to capture architectural landscapes or assisting clients with outdoor photography in my spare time. I believe that within my artistic career, my greatest driving force is my passion. The unparalleled excitement I feel comes from the sense of achievement in designing a product, expressing my own ideals, and collaborating with fellow designers to strive towards a common goal and design.

Speaking of product design, the process is essentially a journey of learning and problem-solving. Whether in school or in a corporate environment, product designers need continuous support for a learning spirit because we encounter various new product types or user demographics. It’s inevitable to encounter people and objects for the first time, so we need to learn how to interact with our surroundings. For instance, we often encounter various new materials, much like an apprentice arriving at a woodworking factory, needing to learn everything from the usage of band saws to CNC cutting, different characteristics of wood types, and their applications to create structurally sound and aesthetically pleasing furniture products.

I remember one instance when I collaborated with three other designers on a project to design products for elephants in a sanctuary in Tennessee. It was a completely novel experience for us to design for animals, and the freshness of it was invigorating. However, we also faced numerous challenges, such as understanding the elephants’ needs, exploring new materials suitable for their use, and, most importantly, completing the product development and manufacturing within about three months. After overcoming various hurdles through communication and collaboration among team members, and finally seeing the products materialize before us, the joy we experienced was irreplaceable. (We ended up designing a bed for elephants to lean against.)

In summary, when aiming to produce a good piece of art or design, I believe that passion, coupled with an exploratory spirit and effective time management, are crucial and indispensable factors.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
For me, I am someone who values experiential sensations greatly, and I enjoy sharing my joyful experiences with those around me.

If a friend were to visit my city and ask me to show them the local delights, in terms of dining, I would take them to visit a few renowned breakfast spots and Chinese restaurants. However, for the majority of our time, I would prefer to drive or ride with my friend to the outskirts of the city or to parks, where we could picnic by the lake or river, experiencing the freedom of chatting and enjoying delicious food on the grass, while immersing ourselves in the embrace of nature.

When it comes to exploring, I would take my friend along with a camera and stroll down the main streets of Downtown, capturing candid shots of pedestrians and architectural scenery together. Preserving the most beautiful sceneries within the camera, to reminisce about this experience in the future by flipping through the photographs. Of course, residing in Philadelphia currently, the diverse array of museums within the city is also quite appealing. Spending one to two days with my friend, immersed in the museum environment, would certainly leave a lasting impression on us.

Regarding accommodation, spending a night camping in the mountains or forests surrounding the city is also a wonderful option. After all, different cities have different climates, especially those that are far apart. Therefore, allowing my friend to experience the suburban environment of a new city, intimately connecting with nature within a tent, is also an excellent choice in my opinion.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would like to dedicate my shoutout to my mother. I believe that the family environment plays a crucial role in shaping an individual’s growth. Since childhood, I have been raised in an environment that fosters hands-on activities and creativity. My mother, being both a visual artist and a photographer, has captured life’s intricacies through painting and photography. Growing up in such an environment has not only deepened my understanding of art, starting from a state of innocence to gradually gaining insight, but has also profoundly influenced my subsequent studies and career in design.

Additionally, my mother has been very open-minded in my education. She respects my choices in selecting majors and hobbies, without excessively intervening. This has provided me with the freedom to pursue activities that I enjoy. The reason I chose design as my major is also because art and design constitute a significant part of my personal interests, as the saying goes, “interest is the best teacher.”

Recently, I have been reading a book called “Elon Musk – by Walter Isaacson.” It delves into Musk’s journey from childhood to the present, which has deeply resonated with me. His childhood experiences have greatly shaped his career and future life. His clear goals in exploring space for the future of humanity, advancements in AI technology, and the relentless pursuit of self-driving technology have inspired me. As a designer, I’ve come to understand the importance of having a greater vision in my daily work, designing quality products that benefit society both spiritually and materially.

Website: https://hryx99.myportfolio.com/

Instagram: ran_mk666

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/haoran-yu-167166234/

Image Credits
Jonathan Allen Photography