Ben Hughes 'Design Theory, the Consumer Experience and Creativity in China'

Series TwoIn this episode of #TheNewAbnormal, I interview Ben Hughes, Professor at the Beijing Institute of Technology. He's also a consultant at, and an ex-professor of, the Central Academy of Fine Arts School of Design in Beijing; and was previously a consultant at the Innovation Centre, Central St Martins + the Course Director MA Ind Design at CSM. In this episode, we discuss his fascinating experience of working in China over the last decade, and of his viewpoints on all things relating to design / creativity / education. Along the way, we cover the different approaches taken to technology, as illustrated by the 'G-Mafia vs the BAT' i.e. Google / Microsoft / Amazon / Facebook / IBM / Apple vs Baidu / Alibaba / Tencent. And of course, Ben talks about design theory, the practicalities of life under the C19 lockdown in Beijing, and of the view from China, looking back to Europe.