Lighting the path of design: how to enhance brands with purpose
Blending Eastern philosophy with modern minimalism, WHO Design Studio redefines the role of design as a radiant, human-centered journey — guiding brands from spark to brilliance through strategy, creativity, and cultural fusion.
Founded in 2018, WHO Design Studio was born from a vision to guide brands along what it calls the “Path of Light” — a seamless journey from concept to market, where beauty and business illuminate each other.
With a philosophy grounded in Macro Branding and Micro Designing, WHO Design Studio brings harmony to every layer of the creative process, ensuring that each product, experience, and message reflects a unified glow, bridging Eastern philosophy and global design sensibilities, blending human warmth with modern precision.
As the interview reveals, WHO Design Studio isn’t merely a creative consultancy — it’s a strategic partner devoted to transforming ideas into luminous experiences. From holistic brand ecosystems to “phygital” innovations, the studio continues to expand its influence across borders, helping brands find — and sustain — their own light in a crowded global landscape.
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When you founded WHO Design Studio, what was the founding vision you had in mind?
WHO Design Studio:
“Our vision was born from recognizing a need to illuminate the ‘Path of Light’ through a fragmented design landscape. We saw brands struggling to find a single partner who could guide them through the complete brand-product-market journey, while balancing aesthetic beauty with commercial value.
In 2018, we established WHO Design Studio as that guiding light – a unified partner dedicated to lighting the way for every brand’s journey. Through thoughtful design, we help brands shine from their initial spark to lasting brilliance, ensuring every step radiates both beauty and purpose.”
How do you connect different design disciplines while keeping a consistent story across them?
WHO Design Studio:
“We create harmony across all design disciplines through our guiding principle of ‘Macro Branding, Micro Designing.’ At the Macro level, we establish a radiant brand foundation through holistic market-brand-product analysis. This strategic alignment creates the ‘Genesis of Light’ – the core illumination that brightens every aspect of the brand.
At the Micro level, we carefully craft each element to reflect this foundational glow while addressing specific functional and emotional needs. From products to digital experiences, every touchpoint catches and reflects the brand’s essential light. This integrated approach allows us to maintain brilliant consistency across the entire design spectrum, creating a luminous signature for WHO Design Studio that shines through every platform.”
In today’s crowded design consultancy environment, what would you say distinguishes WHO Design Studio from other players?
WHO Design Studio:
“WHO Design Studio shines brightly in the crowded design landscape through our unique fusion of brand DNA and strengths. Our distinction begins with our core DNA of Diversification & Internationalization. We’re a global collective that brings light to both avant-garde international methodologies and deep cultural understanding, making us the perfect beacon for Chinese brands going global or international brands entering China.
This DNA illuminates three key strengths:
- Omni-Channel Approach: We provide comprehensive brand ecosystem services that shine across all touchpoints
- Future-Ready Digitalization: We will light the way forward through cutting-edge virtual reality and interactive experiences
- Strategic Marketing Partnership: We bridge design and market performance, ensuring creative sparks become commercial successes
This brilliant combination allows us to act not just as designers, but as strategic partners, guiding brands from concept to commercial success with enlightened vision.”
Your work blends Eastern philosophy with modern minimalism. How do you make it resonate globally without losing authenticity?
WHO Design Studio:
“We achieve global resonance through our brand DNA of Internationalization and Humanization. As strategic partners, we ensure every design solution shines while maintaining cultural authenticity. Our Chinese heritage naturally brings the harmony of Eastern philosophy into our work, while the European background of our founder enables genuine cultural illumination. We don’t simply layer Eastern motifs – we fuse these sensibilities at their core to create designs that glow with timeless sophistication.
Through our commitment to Humanization, we prioritize universal human needs: intuitive interaction, emotional connection, and genuine warmth. This human-centered approach creates designs that shine with authentic grounding while radiating global appeal, speaking to shared human experiences across cultures.”
What does your internal creative process look like from brief to delivery?
WHO Design Studio:
“Our creative process follows a four-phase journey that ensures brilliant alignment and sparkling excellence throughout.
- Discovery & Ignition: We begin by illuminating with clients through complimentary market analysis and requirement workshops, sparking the initial creative flame.
- Strategy & Alignment: We transform insights into strategies, conducting thorough research to define the creative direction before design work begins.
- Creative Execution & Amplification: Our cross-functional team bring ideas to brilliant life, ensuring consistent brand storytelling shines across all touchpoints.
- Delivery & Evolution: We deliver final assets with radiant precision and conduct satisfaction surveys, viewing each project as an ongoing partnership that continues to grow and glow.”
How do you define the role of “experience” in design today?
WHO Design Studio:
“Our founder’s journey through both client and agency roles revealed how fragmented the understanding of good design can be – we’ve moved beyond seeing design as isolated objects to understanding it as an illuminating experience.
We believe meaningful design creates a brilliant, multidimensional connection between brand and consumer, where value shines intuitively and loyalty grows organically. This is why we illuminate brands beyond linear customer journeys through interactive and immersive design.
Our Phygital approach will light up both physical and virtual spaces – from retail environments to digital scenarios – ensuring every brand strategy considers the user’s complete journey. Every interaction is designed to sparkle with intuition and meaning, creating a luminous relationship between people, businesses, and environments.”
Where do you see WHO Design Studio heading in the next few years?
WHO Design Studio:
“In the coming years, WHO Design Studio will shine even brighter as a deeply integrated and technologically advanced partner for ambitious consumer brands worldwide. We are focusing on expanding our Phygital expertise, developing virtual flagship stores and blended retail experiences that radiate innovation.
Simultaneously, we will strengthen our role as the premier bridge for ‘Go Global & Come to China,’ using our glocalized approach to help more brands shine across cultural markets. Our ultimate vision is to help every brand we partner with glowing brighter, bringing the transformative power of design to an increasing constellation of international brands.”
