Nathan Yong

Furniture Designer
October 2017

Nathan Yong is not only a two-time winner of the ‘Red Dot Concept Design Award’ but also a truly unique character whose insights and approach are anything but generic. Nathan’s portfolio spans across industrial design, graphics, interior and architectural design. Surprisingly, he still prefers to design with pen and paper. No computation is involved in his design creations. He might not push bytes for a living, but exactly that restraint is interesting in today’s data-driven world.

Abstaining from superfluous values and the focus on the creative process itself seem to be key components in attaining a sense of unforced poetry in his work. The man behind the craft reveals himself as a thorough thinker who carved out his own path from the very beginning. An accomplishment that is even more impressive since he remained an uncompromising dreamer along the way.

“The design process is always randomness of different issues coming together, jumping back and forth, looking at different processes. So it’s not a linear process, but more like a random process; it’s a free flow thing.”

Interview

Part 1

Your focus? | Furniture design | Pen & paper | Need for computers | Analog: pros & cons | Harder to sell?

Part 2

Design career | Good designers | Inspiration & ideas | The unknown | SG design scene | Design appreciation

Part 3

Contemplation | Generating ideas | Process & values | Design speak

Part 4

Optimistic? | Technology-driven | Need for balance | 2050 & the human brain | Future readiness

Part 5