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Creative China

Robotic hotpot restaurants, sustainable fast fashion and hi-tech hypermarkets: the move from ‘Made in China’ to ‘Designed in China’

By John Mathers

February 8, 2019 | 13 min read

In this month's China-themed issue of The Drum magazine, John Mathers, the director of the British Design Fund and a visiting professor of design strategy at Tongji University in Shanghai, takes a look at some of the most creative and innovative design concepts recently developed in the country.

china composite image

The new issue of The Drum magazine looks at some of the best examples of design in China

Last November I was in Shanghai with my good friend Jan Staël von Holstein. On our final evening we had a delicious dinner (it’s almost impossible not to in Shanghai) with another good friend and his wife. After dinner they were keen to show us their new apartment. For me it summed up everything that is happening in the world of brand, design and innovation in China, and the healthy tension that underpins all aspects of Chinese life.

We accessed the flat with a fingerprint recognition plate and entered a space rammed with the latest gadgets and electronics. Yet we spent most of our time there going through a tea ceremony and tasting different styles, while listening to my friend’s wife playing the most exquisite and haunting tune on a beautiful, traditional lute.

The design field in China has gone through explosive development in the last 10 years, driven by an insatiable appetite and need to create a better society and improve living conditions for what is a huge and diverse population.

A predicted migration of half of China’s rural population into its biggest cities will mean reshaping and rebuilding existing cities – mostly by building vertically – and about 100 completely new satellite cities. 50,000 new skyscrapers are predicted to be built in the next 10 years.

What seems to set China apart though, and where we can genuinely learn from, is that it has developed a process to manage change and is comfortable with the tension between the past and the future.

Vitally, that process includes long-term thinking, vision and pragmatism, as opposed to short-termism, myopia and rigid ideology.

China now aims to move from ‘Made in China’ to ‘Designed in China’, with ambitions to develop creative industries and advanced commercial sectors appearing in the latest national plan. But Chinese businesses and planners also recognize that they can learn from the rest of the world and are comfortable reaching out and embracing knowledge from all quarters.

To manage this change and supply the creative and technical skills required, the number of design colleges has grown from 300 to 1,800 in just 10 years. The last five years of IT development have revolutionized the country and it is now leading the world in areas including AI.

The communications sector, with over 20 social networks and billions of interactions every day, provides the necessary data to further develop these services. Through this, China has practically become a cashless society in less than two years and related banking services are much further developed than in the west.

The development of robotics in industry is equally advanced today and China leads in many areas of genetics and medicine. Fresh from the success of its Chang’e 4 mission to the moon, it may even be the first country to send a manned mission to Mars. All this is, of course, general background, but it is not at all understood or recognized in the west.

Progress in the arenas of communication, branding and design has followed an equally rapid trajectory. There are now some 50,000 designers in China according to some sources, including engineers, architects, urban planners, industrial and graphic designers and, now, advanced digital designers.

Sales and marketing strategies have had to be completely rethought, while traditional retail tactics are being challenged by Tencent and Alibaba.

There’s lots that we have already taught China, and businesses and marketers there are still keen to learn more, but increasingly we should be thinking, ‘what is it that we can learn from them?’

I’ve asked some of my good friends to suggest some of the examples they think best capture what it is we should be looking at, and what that might mean for us in the future.

bookshop

Destination bookshops by XL-Muse

Amid Chinese consumers’ insatiable hunger for new technology and innovation, there’s still a desire for space that can offer a time-out. Sarah Fairhurst, who is design director at independent agency Dalziel & Pow, says destination bookshops are the solution.

“Zhongshuge bookshops are a great example, each one visually stunning, busy with people and managing to find a balance of calm and energizing. They teach a lesson in creating spaces for real-life experiences that the internet simply cannot offer.”

Zhongshuge’s Hangzhou branch (pictured), says Fairhurst, is one of several designed by Li Ziang-owned design agency XL-Muse. It relies upon optical illusions to make the store seem bigger and more spacious.

Meanwhile, Fairhurst says, Fangsuo bookshop in Chengdu is a vast underground cathedral to the book.

“The cavernous, beautiful space is a sanctuary of peace, a place to learn, contemplate and rest. The mix of books and high-end fashion is intriguing and this store is another great example of future retail spaces needing to offer so much more than just product.”

haidilao

Robotic hotpot restaurants by Haidilao

As popular hotpot brand Haidilao prepares to expand across the west, Steve Haggarty, who is board creative director at Clear Strategy, tells us about its domestic success and what kind of eatery curious foodies might soon find occupying London streets. “What makes Haidilao so special is its consistently high service levels, innovative technology and the quality products it serves up every day,” he says.

“Its first smart restaurant opened this year in Beijing and while it once offered free manicures for customers waiting to be seated, its new sites offered digital ‘cherry blossom’ highways and robots to prepare and serve your food.

“No staff were hurt during the making of this restaurant. Now, all staff members are front-of-house, making sure no one dines alone.”

The all-in-one app by Tencent

Tencent’s WeChat is one of the best examples of why China is at the leading edge of technology, innovation, communications and consumer empathy. There isn’t much it can’t do.

Communicate with over a billion (largely mainland China-based) users by text, phone or video-call? Check. Pay your utility bills or buy cinema tickets? Check. Donate money to charity or book a doctor’s appointment? Check and check.

Tom Simpson, a senior director of the China-Britain Business Council, says: “I feel it single-handedly embodies China’s lead in tech innovation and the focus on consumers there. WeChat was also recently added to the V&A collection through its exhibition space at the Design Society Centre in Shenzhen.”

But far from being a museum piece, WeChat has the potential to further innovate the ‘life services’ sector in ways companies in the west could only dream of.

ycloset

Sustainable fast fashion by YCloset

When it comes to certain sectors, there’s still a residual sense that western is better, either because of the cultural value of imports or through the ways that brands are named, designed and marketed.

However, the last decade has seen more pride in home-grown brands and innovation born in China, particularly within the tech sector where Chinese brands are supported and invested in by the state.

Sophie Maxwell, the global futures director at Pearlfisher, says: “There are, in fact, some truly visionary and inspiring new brands coming out of China that may be under the radar for now but which are tapping into the wider macro-cultural shifts that we see shaping the future of our lifestyles – optimizing consumer needs for personal progression, creating new communities and establishing new impact and more meaningful legacies. Showcasing the new approaches of these brands to innovation, branding and marketing may help the wider shift in terms of how we perceive China and what it now has to offer our global culture.

“Beijing-based online clothing rental platform YCloset is expertly tapping into a young female society that’s short on time but big on fashion. It has rethought the local fashion market with an intuitive app and won out with a slogan-led cotton tote delivery bag that frequently changes its message – a personal and original way to marry the physical and digital. It’s feeding into a new global movement where consumers increasingly favoring access over ownership.”

With 15 million registered users across a range of subscription plans, YCloset is promoting a sustainable model of fast fashion.

Hi-tech hypermarket by JD.com

Keeping an eye on innovative retail spaces in China, Dalziel & Pow’s Fairhurst recommends e-commerce giant JD.com’s brick-and-mortar incarnation 7Fresh.

She says: “7Fresh supermarket uses a facial recognition system connected to the brand’s app as its main payment method. The store is full of other high-tech elements including ‘magic mirrors’ that sense when a product is picked up and automatically display its information and recently-introduced smart shopping carts that can guide customers to a product’s location or follow them around for hands-free ease.

“The store is more than just tech though. There’s a real focus on freshness – eggs are on the shelves within 12 hours of being laid and Japanese fish appears 24 hours after being caught.

“Of course, data privacy concerns are very different in China. An experience like this is only made possible because the Chinese customer is happy to trade personal information for a shopping journey that’s the ultimate in convenience.”

car showrrom in china

Experiential car showrooms by Nio

From innovative electric car designs to ambitious self-driving models and showrooms imitating members’ clubs, carmaker Nio has developed a brand that customers associate with an aspirational experience.

According to Martin Darbyshire, chief executive and founder of China-facing design consultancy Tangerine: “There is a growing wealth in China and an emerging middle class that is increasingly placing great emphasis on the value of brands as symbols of status – and a growing demand for strong brand experiences, not just products and services.

“Nio has met this growing demand through its stores, featuring related brands to engage the target customer and showcase electric racing car technology that sets the aspiration of the brand and its positioning and delivers a distinctive experience for the consumer.

“Nio is transforming the total customer experience through new core technology features and creating experiences that engage the buyer at every point of their journey.”

hikvision

Mobile robot solutions by Hikvision

Can China’s road infrastructure support its massive population? One solution to aid traffic congestion is Hangzhou-based Hikvision’s innovative parking robot.

According to professor Yun Wang, secretary-general of the Design Intelligence Award (DIA) committee in Hangzhou, the invention is “an integrated and intelligent solution to change the traditional garage into an intelligent garage”.

The annual competition rewards industrial design from across the world and is supported by the local government in Zhejiang and the China Academy of Art.

Wang says: “Under the same space conditions, the parking capacity in intelligent storage increased by 50% compared to traditional parking. The parking robot is a great example of trying to solve major social issues in China today. It’s no wonder it was the winner of the DIA Gold Award 2018.”

nums keyboard

Ultra-thin smart device by Luckey

Nums is a superbly thin device which sits right on top of your trackpad. It features the one bit of the keyboard that your MacBook is missing: a number keypad.

ompatible with pre-2016 and current MacBook laptops, Nums features the numbers zero to nine as well as multiple symbols and an enter key.

With design inspired by the intricate craftsmanship of jade carving, the product has won a host of design awards including the 2018 DIA Excellence Award. In addition to the extra keys, Nums also features its own software which integrates with Mac OS.

With a simple swipe, people can instantly launch websites and apps such as Netflix. Nums becomes an entrance point to the device and it is all accessible with a single gesture.

As an added benefit, Nums offers a layer of protection to the trackpad. And thanks to its ergonomic placement, people can type numbers up to 2.3 times faster than using the row on the keyboard.

John Mathers co-chairs The Drum Design Awards. He is also a visiting professor at Tongji University in Shanghai, he is working to set up a Design Innovation Hub in London and was a judge at the 2018 Design Intelligence Awards in Hangzhou.

The Drum's February issue focuses on the opportunities and challenges to be found in China. From its ever-more sophisticated ad environment, to its highly developed e-commerce scene and its fast-paced tech sector, the world's most populous country holds temptations and obstacles for the marketing industry. You can grab your copy here.

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