Hans Tan, Industrial Designer

We speak to 2018 President’s Design Award Designer of the Year Hans Tan on what drives his passion for design

- Germaine Cheah

HOW DID YOUR INTEREST IN DESIGN BEGIN?

I was never good in the arts as a kid, and I still can’t draw well. During my university course in industrial design, I felt very inadequate as drawing was considered a basic skill a designer should possess. But on the other hand, I could make stuff with my hands, which was something I enjoyed very much. I learnt later on that making is a form of sketching in 3D, and that became part of my process since. In the third year of my undergraduate studies, my understanding of design started to come together, and it was like pieces of the design puzzle solving itself in my mind.

WHAT IS YOUR DESIGN PHILOSOPHY?