Telum Talks to... Lin Chia-Yu, Vice President and Editor-in-Chief at La Vie
Interview

Telum Talks to... Lin Chia-Yu, Vice President and Editor-in-Chief at La Vie

Can you share with us your daily work as the Vice President and Editor-in-Chief of La Vie?
Having over ten years of experience in this field, I have become accustomed to the regular and efficient work schedule. There are routine meetings every morning. I treasure time between those meetings and read lots of news, not limited to any industries or topics; meanwhile, I jot down subjects or persons I want to study in-depth. Additionally, there is often business lunch with clients or brands; if there is no particular business commitment, I like to take a walk and declutter my mind. In the afternoon, typically, I have to attend various press conferences or seminars to share values and opinions with brands or members of my profession. In the evening, I usually discuss working progress and project matters with peers from different departments and complete my works of the day at the same time.

What motivated you to enter the world of a design publication?
I majored in design and art subjects at the university and research institute. At that time, digital content was not as common and diverse as it is now, so most of the latest design-related knowledge and news was disseminated through paper media. I just preferred “writing” articles on designing and art to “producing” designs. Then, I successfully entered the media industry as an editor. I am still profoundly thankful that I have interviewed many world-renowned experienced architects and designers then, that is particularly memorable to me.

What is a La Vie story like, and how do you choose your cover story?
The editorial team of La Vie has put a lot of effort into the organisation and execution of cover stories. By the year-end, it has already formulated the direction for next year’s cover stories. Following the core positioning of La Vie’s branding and corresponding readers’ interests, we have to explore trending topics and established values to redefine in leisure & culture, design & art, and other sectors. But sometimes we simply love to work on amusing (less serious) stories about the hot topics or those reflecting society conditions.

As a design-focused magazine, your team also covers a lot of international design trends. From your observations, what's unique about Taiwanese design? How has the industry developed over the years?

Each period of a society has its characteristics, especially in the digital era. Aesthetics and designs have become more diverse. Young designers nowadays are good at making use of local cultures and elements, mixing and transforming them into so-called contemporary aesthetics through various styles and creative expressions. It is not about the past concept of beauty and ugliness; it is about personal attitudes and opinions. To me, Taiwan’s designing or cultural & creative industries also know a lot about connecting different cultural and artistic elements. Cross-border cooperation or resource sharing is quite valuable qualities.

Every year, La Vie holds "Taiwan's 100 Creative Awards", honouring talents in Taiwan's cultural and creative fields. Can you tell us more about the event?
La Vie has been observing the pulses in Taiwan’s designing & cultural and creative industries from the perspective of media. Every two years, we will invite experts to jointly select the mort representative peers for “Taiwan’s 100 Creative Awards” (台灣創意力100) from categories including the Most Influential Cultural and Creative Events, Social Practices, Creative Venues, Creative Platforms, Creative Exhibitions, Creative Brands, Most Influential Figures, Creative Style Figures. Through observation and identification of points, lines and surfaces, the ecology and development of creative industries in Taiwan could be clearly understood. More importantly, during the selection process, we have found that there is a wealth of creativity in the industry, and cultural values and innovations growing from the land of Taiwan. This energy allows these creative people to move towards the international platform confidently.

We started to include “Social Practice” as one of the selection options last year. We realised that, in various sectors such as education, agricultural economy, location creation, and many other fields, there is a group of young people putting their creative ideas into practice, doing something significant for the society or the environment. There are too many moving stories in this, so please look forward to the “Taiwan’s 100 Creative Awards” in 2021!

Do you think Taiwan has done enough in supporting young designers and cultivating the aesthetic sense of the general public?

Every country or city owns different cultural backgrounds and resources, while different environments always create diverse creativity and outcomes. For example, the 2020 Taiwan Design Expo (2020台灣設計展) exhibition held in Hsinchu and attracted 2,800 thousand of visitors in 10 days has taken the city as the performance stage and combined technology, digital codes, interactive performances, installation and other forms of art. The designing industry is no longer limited to specific groups of people. It lets all souls join, share, and create something together, and integrates aesthetics into daily lives.

Things have been changing too fast this year. From your perspective, what new trends can we expect in the lifestyle / design / creative industry?
During this period, everyone has more time and space to look back at the land where we live. Travelling on the main island of Taiwan and many smaller outlying islands in Taiwan is very popular, and it also allows people taking more time to explore the country. Themes related to Taiwan’s mountains, forests and marine culture have extended in many exhibitions and innovations, the content is extremely interesting. Immersive design experience and content digitisation are both developing trends.

Tips for PRs - how should PR practitioners cooperate with you?
Apart from usual content cooperation, we are also keen on trying some crossover collaborations. Any ideas are welcome! 

More stories


Telum Media

Database

Journalists
Chia Yu Lin

Editor Director

Media
La Vie

7 contacts, 7 media requests

Get in touch to hear more

Request demo

Telum Media

Alerts

Regular email alerts featuring the latest news and moves from the media industry across Asia Pacific Enjoy exclusive daily interviews with senior journalists and PRs as well as in-house editorial and features from the Telum team

Subscribe for alerts