CARL LIU
Carl is the founder of CARLLIU. He is currently working as the Senior Design VP of Niutron Technologies, a green company that focuses on smart electric urban mobility and sustainable lifestyle, based in both Beijing and Shanghai. He earned his design degree from the world-famous design school Art Center College of Design in US and Switzerland. Later he worked at the award-winning design consultancy Astro Studios and Motorola Advance Concept Design group total for seven years before he moved to China. He also taught a drawing class at CCA during his stay in the US. Carl's signature designs included Compaq iPaq PDA, and Nike running watch Triax 300/50. Recent designs include a line of electric smart scooters. These products had been sold over millions and won international awards like G-Mark, IDEA, iF, and Red Dots. His designs have demonstrated that good design matters to successful business.
Carl is enthusiastic about elevating the design level in Asia. He has published two design books Carl Liu Design Book and Innovative Product Design Practice since 2005. His books have influenced students and designers in many counties. The books have even become textbooks for many universities in China. His sketches are also shown in two issues of SKETCHING, Two of the best selling design sketching books worldwide. Carl loves to design. He builds his own brand CARLLIU as a design platform for talented Chinese designers to share design experience and life story. Carl’s belief of CARLLIU is a brand of creative living and quality lifestyle. He believes the ultimate green thinking is to create simple, high quality and timeless objects for a lifetime duration. CARLLIU is a brand for creating tasteful objects that people desire to own for life.
Work Experience
Niutron Technologies Ltd.
Shanghai China, Senior Design VP, Feb.2022- present
Future product roadmap / Manufacturing collaboration/ Project management/ Design direction
Niu Technologies Ltd.
Shanghai China, Design VP, Jun.2016- Feb.2022
Future product roadmap / Manufacturing collabration/ Project management / Design lead / Designer
Designworks, a BMW group company
Shanghai China, Director of Design, Dec.2014- Apr.2016
Third party projects / Business development / Workshop / Project management / Design lead / Designer
Idea Dao Design ( Shanghai ) Inc.
General Manager / Senior Design Director, July 2009- Oct.2014
Clients’ connections / Business development / Project management / Design lead / Designer
The Walt Disney Company ( China ) Ltd.
Creative Manager China, Jan 2007- Mar 2009
Creating consumer electronic products to explore new business opportunities for Walt Disney China
CARLLIU
Founder, 2006 - Present
Developing my own brand furniture and houseware products
Intel ( China ) Corporation
Design Consultant, Feb - Jun 2006
Three break-through ideas has applied utility patents for Intel.
Motorola ( China ) Electronics Ltd.
Beijing Branch, Design Manager, 2003 - 2005
Manage and lead projects with junior designers
Involve Design Language workshops to create future product language
Sync2 Design
Beijing, Founder and Design Director, 2002 - 2003
Set up entire design studio
Build up relationships with major clients
Motorola Electronics Ltd.
Advanced Concept Design Studio ( San Francisco ), Senior Designer, 2001- 2002
Innovate advance concept products for future product roadmap
Involve Design Language workshops to create future product language
Astro Studios
Designer, 1996 - 2001
Successfully develop Nike watches, Compaq iPaq PDA and many other award-winning products
Recognition
2022 Jury of 2022 Good Design Award
2021 Jury of 2022 Good Design Award
2020 Jury of 2020 IDEA Product Award
2020 Jury of 2020 Good Design Award
2019 Jury of 2019 IDEA Product Award
2019 Jury of 2019 China Red Star Design Award
2019 NIU U1 Red Dot Award/ iF Award /Good Design Award/ IDEA silver Award
2018 NIU M1 Red Dot Award/ iF Award /Good Design Award/ IDEA silver Award
2017 Jury of 2017 Good Design Award
2016 Jury of 2016 Red Star Design Award
2016 Jury of 2016 Good Design Award ( G-Mark ) Japan & China
2016 Jury of 2016 iF Product Award
2015 Forbes Award / Top 10 the most influential designer in China
2015 Jury of Home Style Award by iF
2015 Jury of COMPUTEX d&I Award by iF
2014 Exhibitor of China International Industry Fair
2014 Jury of Hyundai Car Design Award
2013 Carl Liu Design Exhibition _ Loving Design
2012 Messe Frankfurt Ambiente exhibition Talents invited designer(20 worldwide).
2011 Beijing International Design Triennial, 4 designs were displaying.
2011 Shanghai Creative Week, Designer for Shine Shanghai 3 “True Lies”.
2011 Taiwan Designers’ Week invited for Keep and Tainan gifts.
2011 Shanghai 10 most influential designer.
2010 Shanghai 20 most influential designer.
2010 Jury of Intel 20e0 Design Competition.
2010 Shanghai World Expo, invited as designer and exhibitor for Expo Bike.
2010 Jury of IF Concept Award
2010 Shanghai 20 most effective designer exhibition.
2010 Carl Liu personal exhibition/ Shanghai City Fan announcement at Shanghai.
2010 Shanghai Creative Week, Designer for Shine Shanghai 2 “Extra Ordinary”.
2010 Moleskine World Detour exhibition at Shanghai.
2010 Taiwan Designers’ Week invited for Invisible exhibition.
2009 100% Design Tokyo, invited as exhibitor for Newtive Creations.
2009 Jury of Shunde International Design Competition.
2009 Shanghai Creative Week, Curator / Designer for Shine Shanghai.
2009 Taiwan Designers’ Week invited for Rain exhibition.
2008 Taiwan Designers’ Week invited for Wall exhibition.
Invited Talks
Taipei world design expo speaker invited by image model, Oct.2011
Wacom Asia forum presenter, Jun. 2011
Mstyle magazine forum invited speaker, Mar. 2011
Guang Dong Industrial Design Institute 2-day workshop, Dec. 2010
Intel 20e0 Design Competition workshop invited speaker, July. 2010
Hyundai Motor invited speaker. Oct. 2010
Moleskine workshop by Carl Liu in Tongji University, Oct. 2010
Zhejiang Sci-Tech University (Hangzhou), Human Centered Design, Jan. 2010
East China Institute of Technology (Shanghai), Human Centered Design, Dec. 2009
Shanghai Second Polytechnic University, Design to make better life, Nov. 2009
Shanghai Tongji University, Design Communication, June. 2009
Fashion Art Design Institute ( Shanghai ), Design is not a rocket science. Jan. 2009
Singapore Polytechnic, Design is not a rocket science, 3 day workshop. Nov. 2008
Shanghai Institute of Visual Art, Design is everywhere. June. 2008
Design Talk at Eslite Bookstore ( Taipei ), Design makes us view the world differently. Feb. 2008
Mitac International Corp. ( Taipei ), Design is not a rocket science. Feb. 2008
Chih-Chien University ( Taipei ), How to prepare a killer portfolio. Feb. 2008
GuangZhou Art Center, How to prepare a killer portfolio. Mar. 2007
Mingchi University Of Technology ( Taipei ), Selling the intangibles. Feb. 2007
Mitac International Corp. ( Taipei ), Design talk for the creative team. Dec. 2006
Shih-Chien University ( Taipei ), Selling the intangibles, 3 hour workshop. Dec. 2006
Chang Gung University ( Taipei ), Selling the intangibles. Dec. 2006
National Taiwan University of Science and Technology ( Taipei ), Selling the intangibles. Dec. 2006
Invited speaker for Guangzhou Design Week 2006. Nov. 2006
Souvenir Workshop, co-work with designers from the UK. Nov. 2006
Creative Thinking. 3-day workshop for ID students of TsingHua University. Beijing. Aug. 2006
Lenovo ( Shanghai and Xiamen ) How to come up great ideas? Aug. 2006
Design Helps Your Business Being Remarkable. Workshop for ZTE Corporation. Jun. 2006
Experiencing New Era Design. Art Design Department of Fine Arts College of Shanghai Normal University. Nov. 2005
Lenovo ( Beijing ) Design Language Discussion. Oct. 2005
Design Process and Design Method. China Central Academy of Fine Arts. Dec. 2004
V3 Product Promotion Speech. Cheng Du. Nov. 2004
Experience Design/Design Experience. Image Model Inc. Taipei. Sep. 2004
Design Process/Ideation Method. TsingHua University, Beijing. Apr. 2004
Cross-Strait Industrial Design Forum/Student Workshop, GuangZhou, Dec. 2003
Ideation Technique. GuangZhou Art Center, GuangZhou. Dec. 2003
One-week Design Workshop. Besco Inc. GuangZhou. Oct. 2003
Ideation Sketch. TsingHua University, Beijing. Sep 2003
Education
Art Center College of Design, Pasadena, California. Bachelor of Science in Product Design, August 1996.
Art Center Europe, La Tour- de Peilz, Switzerland. Exchange program, Spring 1995.
California College of Arts & Crafts, San Francisco, California. Industrial Design Program 1992-1993.
Hwahsia Junior College of Technology, Taiwan. Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering, June 1987.
