We had the distinct pleasure to interview award winning designer Terry Chow about their original and creative LED Parasol design work. Terry Chow is an award-winning industrial designer, that makes our world a better place with their original led parasol works.
Terry Chow ("TC") answered Design Interview ("DI") questions about their award-winning work NI LED Parasol. Interview questions prepared by Frank Scott.
TC : Our main principle is to design something that is highly adaptable to different environments based on a classic item that everybody knows. We come up with the idea to design the NI noticing that parasol is only used during daytime. We doubt about that as we are always inspired by the concept that things mean more than what we think.
TC : To make it all-in-one so that it can be moved to anywhere and easily plugged in. “Simple to use” is what we want to achieve.
TC : To make it even more outstanding and further develop on its concept.
TC : It took us almost 4-5 years. We once thought that it would appear in the market but it didn’t. That’s why we decided to create it on our own.
TC : Many people asked the same question. At the beginning it was a side project that we first tried on, as it was totally different from what our company has been working on.
TC : We designed and produced it.
TC : We noticed what our streets, the surrounding environments are missing. Then we looked at what we have in hands and found that we were ready to do this.
TC : It is likely to be taken as a decorative item for the luxury class or high-end customers that are interested in quality of life. But we believe that it also benefits the general public and commercial customers such as hotels, resorts and etc.
TC : The overall simplicity.
TC : NI means “not exactly” in Spanish. Things tend to be perceived as what they appear to be, but they are actually more than that. The NI Parasol is a parasol, but it is not all of it. It is also a torch, lighting system and etc…
TC : CAD and screwdriver….
TC : The 3-channel dimmable LED lighting.
TC : We worked with a guy in Technology Solutions, who graduated with a B.Sc. from McMaster University and Ph.D from University of Toronto. He provided us a lot of support on lighting and PCB design.
TC : The dimmable 3-channel lighting.
TC : The colors of lighting did take us some time to research and test on.
TC : The challenge is about remembering the truth that when you get something, you always need to give up something. For example, in making the stand strong enough, we need to use heavier material. It means that the parasol may become more difficult to move. We have to consider on things like this and to make right choices. I guess this applies to not only designs but also many other things too. Balance always has to be achieved.
TC : It is unique and we would like to introduce it to the international audience. In this way, it can be adapted to even more different environments.
TC : You have to keep trying even when everyone says it is impossible.
TC : No thanks.
