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Starting from now I would like to highlight interesting topics that have been posted at ProductDesignForums , a discussion board that I have been taking care of since August 2004 with my friend Renze Rispens.

One of our members, csven, started an interesting thread about the predictions for the industrial design profession:

So where are the predictions for the profession?

Not design/trend predictions. Job-related predictions. Because more than most, ID is arguably at the mercy of more factors than other professions.

Read more here

Currently I am reading ‘Universal Principles of Design’, which is an useful book containing 100 design principles that can be applied in several design issues. A lot of principles can be recognized from design theories learnt at a design school. So this book it is a good reference to check whether your design is well thought out or not.

Hello readers, who are still checking this place out even I haven’t blogged for 2 months. Maybe blogging is not my favorite habit. I want to wish you a happy and healthy new year (yeah i know i am late) and want to update with some few things:

What has happened and what have I experienced and learnt so far in the past 4 months working and living in Shanghai?

The first few important things in my new life here is that I have met a small group of very nice HongKong Chinese friends ,from the Christian community (yes I am a Christian), with whom I regularly meet for dinners and activities. They are an import part of my life here, becuase they make me feel home.

Also my Mandarin has improved quite well according to my Chinese colleagues. Well, I need to thank them, since I learned the most from them. Able to speak Mandarin makes life more easier here. Fortunately I am able to speak Cantonese (Chinese dialect used in HongKong) which is a good foundation for learning Mandarin.

Furthermore, I moved to my own apartment at HongQiao Road beginning December, 40 minutes commuting time to my work. Before, I stayed at my friend’s apartment in ZhongShang Park.

Before Christmas, our company had a Christmas party at a KaraOke bar (yeah KaraOke is very popular here). We exchanged gifts, some were quite crazy. And we said farewell to our Japanese collegeau Tomoko Obana, who has already been moved to Berlin.
During Christmas I went back to Holland for a short week to visit my family and friends. It was a warm and cozy stay

That’s it for now. Hope to be back soon here. By the way, check my latest sketch here.

Anke and Lars will held the second international designer gathering in Shanghai. If you are a foreign designer in Shanghai and want to have a drink with others like you, then you should come to the event. It will be held at Jonathan Li’s (Design Manager of Asentio Design) Winebar ‘Just Grapes‘

Time: Wednesday, Nov 21
Place :: Just Grapes (2nd floor 462 DaGu Roa)

Please email me so that I can forward your reservation to Anke and Lars, who are the organizers of this event.

I went to Yangshuo and Guilin with 3 friends from Holland during the National Holidays and we had a fantastic journey through a breathtaking landscape. Check out some photos here

One of my favorite design blogs is Design Sojourn, runned by Brian, an industrial designer from Singapore. You should definitely check his site for interesting and learnful articles about industrial design.

Last Tuesday I attended the first design gathering, organized by my German colleague Anke, for foreign designers at a nice cozy place called Cotton’s.
It is interesting to see that most of the designers who were there, are Germans. Maybe it is because of Anke who invited the people. Anyways, if you work in Shanghai as a designer and you are interested to attend the next gathering, please let me know so that I can send you an invitation.

Check out some photos from my first 2 weeks here

Why did I choose Shanghai to start my career? Well, I have read and heard some positive things about the development of industrial design in China and while I was in China during my trip last April/May, I did a couple of interviews in Shanghai. One of them was at Asentio Design, where I work now.

I believe that a work experience in China can become a valuable experience, because design in China is getting more and more important as the number of design conscious consumers, who are able to afford good design, is rising. That is why Western companies are settling down here. And ofcourse it is good to be here as the manufacturing of products is happening here.
So I hope I am able to learn a lot about designing in China for both the local and western markets. And to learn how to efficiently communicate with Chinese people.

Read more about industrial design in China here:
http://www.core77.com/reactor/08.05_china.asp
http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/05_47/b3960003.htm
http://www.core77.com/reactor/08.04_china.asp

An important question is ‘can I get used to the work culture and life here in Shanghai?’. I need to discover that…
Anyways, one work week has passed and I think the first thing I need do do is to get used to the hot and humid weather here(now I am missing the weather in Holland) and the food (weak stomach)

I hope to post some photos next time. Check back later!

Why am I starting this blog? Well, on the 22nd of August 2007 I will leave the Netherlands, where I was born and grown up and graduated as a industrial designer, and fly to Shanghai to start my design career at Asentio Design, a studio that enables Western and Asian clients to deliver deeply personal and addictive experiences to their target markets through consumer research, design strategy, and product design. Asentio’s portfolio includes mobile devices, media players, digital home artefacts, maritime cameras, interactive spaces, personal adornments and urban outfitting.

In the first place, I would like to share some of my interesting experiences on this blog during my stay in Shanghai. Those experiences would be mostly design related, but I would also blog about my daily life in Shanghai.
This blog is targeted to all my friends and designers who are curious about my adventure.

I hope you will enjoy my posts here and please motivate me to keep blogging, cause I know it will be hard. And feel free to let me know what you want to know about Shanghai. I will try my best to inform you about interesting stuff.