profile / alumni / environmental-design
August 10, 2018
BY JAMIE WETHERBE
Source Material: Meet Environmental Designer Funi Ding
ArtCenter: What are you working on right now?
Funi Ding (BS Environmental Design 16) senior industrial designer, Alibaba Group: Cafe culture-related product that might be the future way of drinking coffee.
Interests in architecture, products and fashion lead me to explore cutting-edge materials, play with experimental forms, and allow the details to become larger ideas.
AC: What do you like most about your job?
FD: The challenge.
AC: What’s the design cliché you’re most tempted to use?
FD: To make things look NICE.
AC: How do you define success?
FD: Depends on if i was able to solve a problem.
AC: Describe a moment in your childhood where you first identified as a designer.
FD: My early exposure to urban and international influences was juxtaposed with the summers spent with my grandparents in China in the rural city of Wuxi, known for its natural landscapes and industries in pottery-making, silk reeling and weaving. This collection of influences throughout the years has translated into my design approach. Interests in architecture, products and fashion lead me to explore cutting-edge materials, play with experimental forms, and allow the details to become larger ideas.
Alumni Q&A
Submit the Alumni Q&A questionnaire to share your story. We want to hear about your accomplishments, what you're working on and your advice for future ArtCenter students.
AC: What’s the one tool you can’t do without?
FD: Pen and paper.
AC: Where do you go offline when you’re taking a break?
FD: Communicate with creative people around me.
AC: Where is your happy place?
FD: Home.
AC: How would your closest friend describe you?
FD: Stubborn.
AC: What’s your best piece of advice for an ArtCenter student who’s interested in following your career path?
FD: Work with passion.
