We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Karen Tan Eap. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Karen below.

Hi Karen, thanks for joining us today. Learning the craft is often a unique journey from every creative – we’d love to hear about your journey and if knowing what you know now, you would have done anything differently to speed up the learning process.

Having been trained at the French design school Ecole Camondo and the American design school ArtCenter College of Design, I acquired exposure to various design cultures and processes. This enabled me to integrate both the critical thinking inherent in French design school and the pragmatism of the American design school into my approach. Additionally, my design and personality are significantly influenced by my Cambodian-Chinese heritage.

Design, to some extent, is autodidactic. Each individual possesses their style, preferences, and inclinations. While this may sound cliche, I consider curiosity and the deliberate pursuit of inspiration to be the most crucial skills. This involves personally immersing oneself in art, contemporary fashion, design, and architecture. Currently, my interest lies in retro-futurism, mid-century architecture, movies, and contemporary fashion. In this industry, it is imperative to stay attuned to the prevailing culture, events, and trends that surround you.
I believe that great designs are both aesthetically pleasing and highly functional.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I am a Sino-French experiential designer currently based in Los Angeles. I specialize in curating immersive experiences for consumers within the experiential marketing industry. My initial steps involve creating mood boards and selecting a color palette that aligns with the client’s vision or brand identity. I help clients translate their brand values into a tangible, immersive, and magical experience. I perceive myself as a meditator, a cultural bridge, bridging the gap between the brand and its audience. Given my background in different cultures and traditions, I also serve as a mediator between diverse cultural perspectives and designs.

One of the common challenges I address for clients revolves around budgeting – finding innovative ways to achieve impactful design within tight financial constraints and deadlines.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

Seeing a rendering, essentially a 2D image, come to life in a physical space is incredibly fulfilling: it’s the transformation of a dream into reality, between imagination and the tangible world.

However, the most rewarding is witnessing people immerse themselves and experience the space, creating memories and forming an emotional connection with an experience I design. It’s not solely about the design itself but rather the lasting memory that people carry, imbuing it with true meaning.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

The initial idea is only sometimes the best. It’s crucial to engage constantly in research, ideation, and design. I’ve also come to understand that working with clients helps refine my craft and brings precision to my concepts.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.karentandesign.com
• Instagram: karentaneap
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karen-tan-design/