Fuseo... and thoughts on design

I've had the opportunity to start my own business for design illustration... and have thoroughly enjoyed sketching here. 

The design world here consists mostly of English words, since the modern design process originated in the western world. Generally, the personalities associated with certain professions are the same here... I almost didn't expect this, but people are people.

The Asian mindset regarding design is very different than what one experiences in the States. Here, theory and ideation is the most important part. Completing the task commences only when all the ideas are decided upon. Their critiques are key to every project here. For my first project here, every afternoon at 2pm we had a four hour crit to discuss the newest ideas.

Green building is an up-and-coming notion here. They want to learn from us as it is not yet commonplace to consider the environmental impact this industry creates. Along with that, codes here are much less stringent, or maybe not enforced to the level a westerner would expect, so buildings go up at an unbelievable rate. When we moved into our brand-new apartment, for example, the toxic adhesives made me extremely nauseous. Standards exist here, more in theory than actuality, however. I've learned much from the detail-oriented mindset, and they've benefited from my ability to think critically and see how the little details fit within the larger picture. I introduced to them the idea of organizing a project based on who is to complete which task. I also introduced to them a corporate interiors 'program' and 'concept' with which to base design decisions. We can learn a great deal from one another.