A piece of design by the Argentine

Zang Feng, curator of the future section of the exhibition, where Paz's work is on display, invited him because of his talent for being ahead of the pack in identifying and adopting trends.

"Francisco's work is both beautiful and functional. We want more Chinese to see what good design should be like. His use of materials, handling of cultural elements and other skills are worth learning," he said.

Aside from the exhibition, Paz also gave a two-hour talk about his work.

"It's an opportunity to spread a way of thinking, and if that generates opportunities with other people or companies that think the same way, it is good," he said.

Architect Liu Yang, 30, who visited the exhibition, praised Paz for finding a different take on everyday objects. "His designs surpass the conventional views of products and are very refreshing," he said.

Paz strives to bring something new to each design, even if only a small element, in order to push boundaries forward.

Portraits of reform

"I don't like to repeat things, or to just redo things with a small difference in shape. I think as designers we have a responsibility to do more than that. It's difficult, though," he said.

The hardest part of his job is convincing clients who often come to him with old designs and ask him to make something similar. Bringing new ideas to a project and overcoming other people's doubts about them can be a struggle.

"To create a successful product, all the parts of a company need to believe in the same thing, and push a lot of boundaries in regards to what is possible," he said.

"You need to have trust, and it often takes time to build this trust. Over time you start to develop a relationship, you start to speak the same language and you start to believe and think in the same way.

"If they don't believe that my ideas will work, I just create one and show it to them. I always do things; I don't leave problems to others. I just solve problems and never say things are not possible."

Paz's thought process can encompass a whole range of ideas about technology, the user, the company, the brand, problems to be solved, and daily life.

The most interesting part of the job is learning, he said. Being an industrial designer requires curiosity and a willingness to learn, but with this comes a gradual accumulation of knowledge.

Modernanxieties

"Each project helps you to learn many things. If you are making a bicycle, you learn how to ride one, what people like about bicycles, you learn about wheels," he said.

Marketing professional Wu Xiao said he appreciates the human touch and open thinking in Paz's designs.

"He has introduced us to some new ideas about design and broadened our horizons," Wu said.

Paz tries to incorporate social meaning into his work. For him, his two most important pieces of design have been Apero and Solar Bottle.

Apero is a chaise lounge entirely handmade in Argentina, which Paz hopes will help people discover the craftsmanship of northern Argentina. Solar Bottle could have considerable use in regions where polluted water is a problem.

"These two projects, in my opinion, show the direction that designers need to look in," he said.

"With these kinds of projects there can be a big social effect."

According to curator Zang, many Chinese designers focus on the look of a product and its symbolic meaning above functionality.

For Paz, functionality should not be separated from appearance as the real beauty of an object comes from its usefulness.

"When you start to do something, if you start from an idea, the shape is not the idea, it's how you use it, and everything goes from that. So, you have an idea and slowly work out everything from that," he said.

"Beauty is something that comes from making good decisions in the process of making a product."

Contact the writer at chenyingqun@chinadaily.com.cn.