Published by Leonardo Calcagno
Who are you:
My name is Pan Hu. I’m a designer of product packaging, a craftsman who’s somewhat obsessive with his crafts.
Your current job:
Product packaging design is my main job. My spare time is given to extreme cross-country hiking, car racing, caravan camping, antique collecting and other hobbies.
In which city are you located?
Shenzhen is renowned as the capital of design in China.
A word to define what kind of worker you are:
Earnest
What tools are essential to your life (app, software, etc..)
WeChat, AI, PS. Actually, more works are done on paper.
What does your office space look like?
My lab is in a quiet villa surrounded by gardens, the place known as “Hu Di” at the foot of the Nanshan Hill in Shenzhen. In fact, it’s not a studio in the normal sense. It feels more like a home, with old stuff and cozy.
What kind of music do you listen when you are working?
This looks rather extensive. Jazz, blues and rock n’ roll.
Do you have a way to organize your day to maximize your work?
My favorite working hours are from 6:00 to 10:00 in the morning. This is when I work most efficiently and I’m not normally disturbed in these hours.
What tips would you give to improve productivity?
There really isn’t much technique to it. The key is to follow my own routine and habits and to find the approach most helpful to myself.
You’re better than your colleagues to:
I have excellent people working with me. As to strengths, I think compared to my colleagues, I’m probably only strong at judging and getting the general feel about the design projects. That may have come from experience over the years and an attention to details in daily life.
What is the best advice anyone has given you?
A friend suggested to me six years ago that it’s important to choose a profession that I was truly passionate about, without a hint of reluctance. This almost changed my life since.
What is your best tip for saving time?
The best way to save time is to not work when you are not in the right state. To be methodological in taking breaks is also a skill.
What is your routine start and end of the day?
As mentioned I start working early in the morning, at 6 o’clock. I have some flexibility as to when to finish work, sometimes early and sometimes late. But normally I go to bed before 11:00 at night. It looks like I live by the pensioner’s hours.
Aside from your computer and your phone, what gadget can you not you go without?
And camera too, and Kindle, I can’t be without them.