We were lucky to catch up with Yuanxu Liu recently and have shared our conversation below.
Yuanxu, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?
The most meaningful project I have ever done started with my love for car models. Once, I wanted to replace a special wheel but couldn’t buy it, so I designed and 3D printed it myself. It was very popular, so I started to provide customized model car wheel services.
One day, I received a unique order. A customer made a special request and hoped that I could paint the wheels for him. I was surprised because most players enjoy the process of painting themselves. After asking the reason, I received a long letter from him.
He is a 71-year-old man. When he was young, his brother dreamed of assembling a 1/25 scale 1963 FORD F-100 model car, but he had a severe stroke when he was about to complete it and could not continue, which became a lifelong regret. Now, the 71-year-old man decided to complete his brother’s unfinished dream himself. He spent a lot of energy and money and finally found a set of original models from nearly 60 years ago. He was determined to make this model car perfect in his brother’s mind, but he searched for a long time and couldn’t find the right wheels. Until he found my online store, he thought he might give it a try.
This gift meant a lot to him, a commitment that spanned decades. He wanted to complete the work as perfectly as possible, but his body was no longer able to support him to handle the details, so he made an exception and asked me to help complete this part.
In the end, he was very satisfied when he received the finished product. He replied to me that the work was more exquisite than he had imagined and truly fulfilled his brother’s wish. He said that no matter how much effort and money he had spent before, it was worth it.
This project made me deeply feel the most sincere emotions between people, especially the sibling love between two elderly people in their 70s. For me, this experience surpassed the sense of accomplishment and joy brought by all previous projects. It brought me more of a deep touch and satisfaction. I feel extremely honored to be able to help them make up for their regrets and fulfill this wish that spanned 60 years. This experience also made me more determined about the meaning and value of the career I love.
Yuanxu, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
I am an independent industrial designer, furniture designer and model maker. When I was a child, due to family reasons, I could only make toys by myself with cardboard and tape. This experience greatly improved my hands-on ability and understanding of structure. At the same time, my grandfather was a carpenter. Every time he did carpentry on the balcony, I would squat aside to watch. Although I didn’t fully understand it, his work process deeply influenced my future design habits. In addition, my father was a chemist who developed plastic packaging, so I was familiar with the characteristics of various materials since I was a child. These experiences together constitute the source of inspiration and technical foundation for my design. Today, I still continue my childhood love, but the products I create are more diversified and serve more customers with different needs.
Due to my work, I have been exposed to many industries and involved in a wide range of fields, so when designing, I will not stick to one industry. I always try to use cross-industry solutions, which often helps me better meet the needs of customers, and they are always surprised by ideas that they have never imagined. And because of my understanding of materials and structures, I can always help customers save a large part of the cost in the production stage. I once helped an industrial equipment design company redesign a multifunctional warning sign for construction sites. On the premise of meeting all their requirements, the solution I provided helped them reduce production time by at least 70% and costs by 40%. There are many similar cases, all thanks to some materials that they don’t often use but I know very well, or design directions that they overlooked but I noticed.
Since most of the projects I am responsible for cover the entire process from creative conception to mass production, I am not only a designer, but also a project manager. When I start each project, I will systematically analyze the skills and resources required for the entire process, assess possible challenges in advance and develop plans to ensure the smooth progress of the project. During the execution of the project, I am used to monitoring the progress by updating the checklist and making detailed plans. I will simulate the internal operation mode of the enterprise, self-manage, self-feedback and optimize the process. This method runs through almost all the projects I have completed. Therefore, in the eyes of the client, I am not only a designer, but more like a project manager who works with a designer as a whole. They only need to tell me what they want, and I am responsible for realizing their ideas and providing professional solutions and suggestions.
This working model is also what I am most proud of. For most designers, after the design is delivered, the progress of the project is no longer under their control. But for me, the design is only the beginning of the work. I will assist customers in the subsequent process, and even in some projects, I am responsible for contacting suppliers and manufacturers. From signing the contract to mass production of the product, customers do not need to worry about any details, because I have arranged every step for them.
We’d love to hear the story of how you turned a side-hustle into a something much bigger.
Making models used to be just a hobby of mine, and I occasionally shared the results with my friends. By chance, I heard the professor say that his sideline business also started as a hobby, and he got his first customer two years after he published his work. So I started to publish on social platforms, and about two years later, I also got my first order, which was the beginning of my sideline business and my first milestone.
Later, a customer wanted a rarer model. The model was very large, and due to the special materials and design, the workload required for the project was very large. During the production process, the customer changed the plan and asked to add diorama, which doubled the workload. In the end, this project had more than 1,000 parts and took a total of 850 hours to complete. This project was a great challenge to my patience. There were many times when I almost collapsed, but the final product made me feel it was worth it. This became the only version in the world that was made into a diorama. This project also made me no longer anxious about projects with a production time of hundreds of hours. This became a milestone for my patience.
Because I received many model orders, I considered turning model making into part of my formal work, so I started to take on more valuable projects. About a year ago, a client came to me and wanted to customize a model and do a lot of modifications. This involved a very complex circuit system, and the price of the model itself was very high. After calculating the cost of each part, I found that the price of this project would exceed $10K, but I didn’t expect the client to agree directly. When I delivered it, I was very excited, not only because I had completed another epic work, but more importantly, the price of my model exceeded the $10K milestone.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
For me, the most rewarding aspect of being a creative is that I can transform abstract ideas into works with warmth and vitality, and use them to create real and deep emotional connections with people. When I see that my designs bring joy, satisfaction, and even surprises beyond expectations to my clients, I feel a great sense of accomplishment. This creative process from scratch, and the real changes and touches that the works bring to people, are the most valuable gains in my creative career.
In addition, the creative process also gives me a more open and diverse perspective. I like to look at the same thing from different perspectives, discover and understand those details that are often overlooked. Every exploration is like a treasure hunt full of unknowns. When I find my own answers, the satisfaction and excitement are incomparable. Even if I don’t get what I want sometimes, I can always gain something in the process. This way of thinking that constantly explores the essence not only enriches my design, but also makes me more tolerant and creative in life.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.behance.net/wowlyx
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- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leoliu1990/
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- Other: https://www.etsy.com/shop/Wowlyx
Image Credits
Yuanxu Liu