Invited for an interview by ZCOOL, China’s largest design platform

Shi Changhong: Hello, Mr. Liang. It’s a pleasure to be the one continuing the Longmen Forum by asking you questions this time. To begin with, could you briefly introduce yourself to everyone?

Liang Minliang: Hello everyone. My name is Liang Minliang, and I’m from Xinhui, Guangdong. It’s truly an honor to be interviewed by a designer I admire. I first came into contact with web design and Flash in 2002. Later, I studied animation design at university, and after graduation, I somewhat accidentally entered the field of web design. It has been 16 years now.

From a hobby to a profession, from self-taught exploration to professionalism, and from pure fun to solving real commercial problems, everything has stemmed from passion. It is passion that has kept me going. At present, my studio mainly focuses on web design, e-commerce design, and various forms of online visual design, while also taking on some brand design and product packaging projects.

I don’t like to confine myself to a single method or field. Through my design, I hope to help clients enhance the commercial value of their brands and products, while also adding a sense of warmth and humanity, so that people can remember them at a glance.

Shi Changhong: After reviewing some of your recent works, I find them truly impressive. However, I’m curious: are those beautiful images sourced from stock libraries, or are they photographed by yourself? If stock images are used, how do you handle copyright issues?

Liang Minliang: Most images used in commercial projects are provided by clients and then adjusted and color-graded by me. In some projects, I provide visual direction while the client handles the photography. There are also cases where I use photos I’ve taken myself. I enjoy photography and have accumulated a personal photo library over time.

For projects that require stock images from online libraries, I always communicate with the client in advance and ensure that proper image licenses are purchased.

Shi Changhong: Nowadays, there are many layout tools and website templates that are fast and efficient. This poses a major challenge to traditional web design. What’s your perspective on this?

Liang Minliang: For beginners, this can indeed be a significant shock, as many of their tasks can now be replaced. However, I believe this is also a positive development. As some say, “laziness” drives technological progress. In order to make website creation accessible to everyone, more convenient layout tools and templates will continue to emerge. This lowers the entry barrier and improves efficiency.

That said, for clients who require high quality and differentiation, these tools alone are far from sufficient. What we provide is not merely website construction, but comprehensive service. Clients are often not professionals in this field. Simply replacing images and text in templates rarely achieves the expected result.

High-quality websites require strong control and comprehensive design ability, which no template can replace. I don’t reject these tools. Instead, I advocate combining them with professional design expertise. This approach reduces development time while ensuring design quality.

Shi Changhong: You have a strong grasp of brand tone in your web design. Do clients usually provide a VIS system? What if they don’t have one?

Liang Minliang: Generally speaking, clients who come to our studio have a clear demand for quality, and such clients usually value brand image highly and already have a VIS system. Some clients, however, don’t.

In those cases, I guide them to understand the importance of VIS and suggest completing it before starting website design. If that’s not possible, I rely on my experience, combined with the industry characteristics and existing brand elements like the logo, to control the overall visual tone.

I like every website to have a memorable “highlight” — a unique illustration, an exclusive photograph, or a creative interaction — something that instantly brings the website to mind.

Shi Changhong: Great web design is a perfect balance between functionality and aesthetics. What do you do when clients insist on features that severely damage visual quality?

Liang Minliang: Clients who’ve worked with me know this well. I often debate intensely with clients over balancing functionality and aesthetics. I always insist on preserving visual quality while ensuring usability.

I once designed a set of icons that, after client revisions, completely lost their aesthetic value. Surprisingly, the client approved them. I struggled with it all day and finally decided to redesign them from scratch based on the final requirements. The result satisfied both sides.

Good projects come from intellectual collision between designers and clients. Simply revising endlessly according to requests will never produce great design — it only wastes time and money.

Shi Changhong: Some of your works include custom typography and brush-style fonts. Are these original? How important is typography in web design?

Liang Minliang: For projects with strong stylistic demands, I often design custom typography. For example, in Huihuang Combat Official Website, I created brush-style fonts by combining traditional references with my own aesthetic judgment.

Typography plays a crucial role in web design. Beyond images, typography conveys personality and character. However, when using existing fonts for commercial projects, copyright must always be taken seriously.

Shi Changhong: Your design style is clean, minimal, and even Zen-like. Would it be fair to say you have a “design cleanliness obsession”? Are you the same in daily life?

Liang Minliang: (Laughs) That’s quite accurate. Everyone has their own belief in beauty. I hold myself to consistent standards in design, and the same applies to life. If you can’t keep your space tidy, how can you clear your mind?

Shi Changhong: How do you improve your skills and vision? What books, websites, or competitions do you engage with?

Liang Minliang: Besides design books, I read widely across photography, fashion, psychology, entertainment, animation, sports, current affairs, and science fiction. A broad perspective is important.

As for design websites, everyone knows them, so I won’t list them. Regarding competitions, I participate casually. If a theme interests me, I treat it as practice rather than a goal-driven pursuit.

Shi Changhong: Have you considered publishing a book to showcase your work? Would it be aesthetic or technical?

Liang Minliang: I’ve thought about it, but I feel I still need more time to mature. If I ever publish a book, I hope it will combine aesthetics and technical theory. I also dream of drawing comics someday and publishing a comic book — who knows, maybe one day.

Shi Changhong: Have you designed H5 pages? What do you think of viral long-scroll H5 storytelling?

Liang Minliang: I’ve rarely worked on H5 pages, but I’m very interested in them. Modern audiences are internet-native and immune to traditional marketing. Fun, shareable, and creative H5 experiences resonate strongly and achieve impressive brand exposure.

Shi Changhong: What software do you think web designers must learn today?

Liang Minliang: To be a good web designer, you must understand the entire production process, not just visual execution. From planning and wireframing to visual systems, slicing, front-end, backend, testing, and deployment — designers should understand all stages.

I’m a full-stack designer and can complete all stages myself, but that doesn’t mean everyone must. However, understanding the full workflow is essential to achieving excellent final results. Remember: the launched website is what matters, not just a beautiful mockup.

Shi Changhong: Sometimes I feel overwhelmed by excessive interaction, yet bored by overly simple pages. How do you balance this?

Liang Minliang: There’s no absolute balance. I consider industry characteristics and audience tolerance. Design has no right or wrong. Being too subjective is dangerous. Sometimes breaking conventions leads to unexpected success.

Shi Changhong: Many designers like to use English in Chinese websites. Why?

Liang Minliang: I’ve gone through several phases. At first, I didn’t use English. Later, it felt high-end. Then I felt designs couldn’t work without it. Now, I believe English should be used only when necessary. Excessive English can cause visual noise and distraction.

Shi Changhong: I love your BOCEAN Hotel project. Did you write the copy?

Liang Minliang: Yes. It was a personal practice project inspired by years of hotel website experience. I wanted to inject warmth and emotion through images and text, creating designs with human touch.

Shi Changhong: Finally, any advice for young designers?

Liang Minliang: Build strong foundations. Don’t blindly chase tools. Learn based on real needs. Read broadly. Stay humble. Do more, talk less, reflect often.

Shi Changhong: Anything you’d like to say to ZCOOL and its community?

Liang Minliang: ZCOOL has profoundly influenced my design journey. Thank you for the platform and community. To all fellow designers: love design, love life, stay humble, share, and grow together.

Thank you all.

Original Link: https://www.zcool.com.cn/article/ZODI3NzQw.html