TYPHOON Haikui was battering Hangzhou and the classroom windows were shuddering from blasts of wind and buckets of rain. But the room was filled with aspiring designers, listening attentively to the wisdom of international design masters.

Hangzhou's fourth Summer Design Camp drew experts from Taiwan and three European countries, Finland, Germany and Switzerland. Over 12 days, five designers delivered lectures during the program organized by Hangzhou Phoenix International Creative Park and Hedesign studio.

Famous graphic designer He Jianping, owner of Hedesign, said the design camp earlier this month aims to help design students appreciate the diversity of art.

Shanghai Daily spoke with Taiwan graphic designer Aaron Nieh and Swiss graphic designer Bruno Monguzzi.

'I give my students key to knowledge door'

Graphic designer Bruno Monguzzi, born in 1941, has developed a graphic language unaffected by passing whims of fashion and has enjoyed international fame for years.

In 1965, the 24-year-old Monguzzi joined the Charles Gagnon and James Volkus design office in Montreal, to design nine pavilions for the 1967 World Exposition in Montreal.

Over the years he has received numerous honors, including awards from the New York Art Directors Club in 1990, the Yusaku Kamekura Award and the Gold Medal at the Toyama Biennial in 2000, and the title Royal Designer for Industry in 2003 from the Royal Society of Arts in London.

His most important projects include the visual identity of the Orsay Museum in Paris (no longer in use), the exhibition "Majakowskij Mejerchold Stanislavskij" (letters on posters) at Sforza Castle in Milan, and the posters for Canton Museum of Art in Lugano, Switzerland (1987-2004).

Monguzzi studied in Geneva and London, worked at Studo Boggeri in Milan and has worked and taught in Switzerland and the United States.

Q: Some designers' styles change but yours remains similar, involving many twisted and distorted letters, numerals and basic graphic patterns. Why?

A: I do not have a style, you may see the contrary, but that is because the works are always related to the specific assignments from clients. The message I convey from posters is accord with the message of the client. Also, a person looking at a graphic design should first understand the problem given to the designer; in other words, similar posters by one designer should suggest the same client, not the same designer.

Q: Do you prefer cultural or commercial works?

A: To me there's no difference between a commercial assignment and a cultural assignment, and I never have problems with that. By chance, I deal with many cultural assignments. Good art deserves good communication and so do good productions. Since I've been working in the art world for years, I can frankly say I don't see the art world is in any way better than any other world.

Q: How do you teach your students?

A: True education is to give students keys, and I give my students the key that allows them not to be superficial, so they can open the knowledge door, get the understanding, and apply the theory.

What I am doing with students in this camp is not all graphic design. I didn't ask them to design anything but I was teaching complexity about how images interact and how meanings are transferred into action via design.

Q: Why did you come to China and what do you think about graphic design in China?

A: I came at the invitation of He Jianping, and I want to see the constructions designed by Wang Shu (winner of the 2012 Pritzker Architecture Prize, the "Nobel" among architects) in Hangzhou. I think he is probably one of the great living architects today.

As for Chinese design, I have not seen much and I cannot comment.

Q: How did you get interested in graphic design?

A: I seem to be within the profession, but for quite a few years, I was outside, meaning I didn't buy magazines of graphic design and visual communication. Maybe a part of me needs to be outside, so I can see more clearly and do a few things.

Comparatively, I was much interested in architecture for many years. The life of paper of our graphic designer's work sometimes only lasts for one day, so I think architecture for people's use, which lasts for many years, is more meaningful.

Q: Why didn't you become an architect?

A: As a small child, construction was very appealing, but I have always believed that to be an architect one needs to be an engineer and then a master.

However, I hate mathematics, maybe because my mathematics teacher treated us poorly. Today, I know it was a huge, stupid mistake.

'My style changes almost every year'

When Taiwanese music stars look for an album cover design, many turn to graphic designer Aaron Nieh. The 35-year-old Taiwan native has designed memorable covers for most of the island's famous pop singers, building a reputation on both sides of the strait.

In 2010, Nieh received the Best Album Packaging Award for the cover of Yoga Lin's album "Senses Around," from Golden Melody Awards, considered the most prestigious award in Mandarin music circles.

He also designs book covers and posters for exhibitions, theaters, film festivals and other events and cultural products.

His first book, "Some Kidding About Reality," a compilation of designs, was his graduation work at the National University of Taiwan and included extensive freelance work.

It attracted considerable attention when it was published in 2002 and established him as an up-and-coming designer. His second work "Signature Work Yet To Come" was published on the Chinese mainland in 2009 and on Taiwan in 2010.

Q: How has your style changed over 10 years?

A: My style changes almost every year. If I use some elements too frequently, such as flower patterns several years ago, I force myself to discard them. We designers should adapt to the environment and sense what is popular around the world today.

Q: Do you compromise to satisfy record companies' requirements?

A: It's not me that decides the orientation of albums. Planning departments of record companies know the market better than me.

I usually design according to their directions. Designing is not pure art, instead, it is like advertisements, which should be precise.

Q: Do you have a signature work?

A: Every year I have a new choice. This time, I choose my design for Yoga Lin's latest album "Fiction" as my signature work. My works keep changing over time.

Q: What's the difference in designing for Mandarin and Western music?

A: The album packaging throughout Asia, including China, South Korea and Japan, is kaleidoscopic and aims to lure customers with multifarious sizes and appearance. However, Western is simple, plain and in the same size. I hope Mandarin music albums can return to simplicity.

Q: What are your plans?

A: I'm designing album covers for (pop stars) Wilber Pan, Yen-J and Jolin Tsai.