Chapter 66: Fighting Back
Su Nian paused, and seeing Lan Ting didn't interrupt, she continued, "I compared design drafts from the same period and found that the problem might lie in the balance between 'inheritance' and 'innovation'. The core design concept emphasizes 'modern interpretation of Eastern artistic conception', which is fully reflected in the classic series. However, the branch lines targeting young people seem to be more youthful in form, which in turn weakens our core artistic expression. Just like the first draft of the new autumn products you saw just now, it uses a lot of popular contrasting colors, but lacks the charm of white space."
Instead of reciting the information verbatim, she directly pointed out the design logic problems behind the data and even accurately linked them to the projects the department was promoting.
Lan Ting paused, her hand holding the coffee cup, a flicker of surprise in her eyes. She had prepared a few guiding questions, but now they were of little use.
This is not just "having some ideas", it is clear that the most difficult problem currently facing the design department has been grasped.
"How do you think we should adjust it?" Lan Ting asked, her tone adding a bit of seriousness.
"I think we can start by refining the elements." Su Nian's thinking is very clear. "There is no need to deliberately cater to popular colors. Instead, we can break down the imagery of cloud patterns and bamboo shadows in the classic series and present them with simpler lines and desaturated colors. This will not only retain the artistic conception but also appeal to the aesthetics of young people. Just like the pillow design we just saw, if the large-scale print is replaced with a localized bamboo embroidery, perhaps it will better reflect the feeling of 'sparse shadows slanting across the sky'."
The pillow design she mentioned was a scrapped draft that Lan Ting had casually put in the pile of materials that morning. It was originally intended to test the newcomer's sensitivity to details. Unexpectedly, Su Nian not only noticed it, but also gave specific and feasible modification directions.
Lan Ting put down the coffee cup and tapped the table twice with her fingertips. The scrutiny in her eyes gradually turned into appreciation.
She looked up at Su Nian, her tone full of approval: "Not bad. In just half a day, you've grasped the core issues and even combined them with actual cases to come up with ideas. This is much better than I expected."
Su Nian breathed a sigh of relief, a faint smile on her face. "Thank you, Director Lan. It's mainly because the information was organized in a more systematic way, and I did some research on Chen's design concepts before."
"It's good to be prepared." Lan Ting nodded and pulled a document out of the drawer and pushed it over. "This is the draft design direction for next quarter. Go back and take a look. Give me a copy of your initial ideas before work on Thursday."
"Okay, I will prepare well." Su Nian took the document. The moment his fingertips touched the paper, he could feel his heartbeat was much steadier than before.
Su Nian slowly walked out of Lan Ting's office, her fingertips still feeling the heavy texture of the design draft. She gently closed the door, and the glass door reflected the tips of her ears, which were slightly red. The conversation just now had gone much more smoothly than she had expected.
Li Yue, who was sitting at her workstation, immediately leaned over and asked in a low voice, "How's it going? Did the director give you any trouble?"
"It's... okay." Su Nian felt warm in her heart when she saw Li Yue's caring eyes.
Li Yue, a woman in her twenties, was hired by Lan Ting after she arrived in Jiangcheng. After six months, she'd become quite comfortable with Lan Ting. In her opinion, this boss, while rigorous, wouldn't single anyone out.
The phone screen lit up, and Si Yan's message popped up. Su Nian quickly replied, "Smooth!", the corners of her mouth unconsciously raised.
After sending it, I turned off my phone and immersed myself in the design direction document for the next quarter that Director Lan had just given me.
Time passed quietly between sketches and copywriting, and the sun was setting outside the floor-to-ceiling windows.
Colleagues packed up and prepared to leave, but Li Yue was still frowning in front of the computer screen, thinking.
"Aren't you leaving?" Su Nian asked softly, carefully putting the pen back into the pen holder.
Li Yue tapped away at the keyboard without even looking up: "The Director and Chairman Chen are in a meeting. I have to wait."
She suddenly remembered something and added, "Oh, by the way, tomorrow we have a department meeting to discuss the new products for the next quarter. You'll probably have to attend, so you can prepare a little bit to avoid..."
"Okay, thank you." Su Nian understood what she meant. He also started to pack up, and soon stood up and said hello to Li Yue, "I'm leaving first. See you tomorrow!"
"You're quite enthusiastic about leaving get off work!" A deliberately raised voice came from behind, breaking the silence of the office.
I knew without turning around - it was the provocative concubine Zhang Yue. I wonder whose favor she was vying for?
"Team leader, she has a background, stop talking." Another voice pretended to dissuade.
"What are you afraid of? I despise people who come here by relying on connections." Zhang Yue's voice was filled with obvious sarcasm.
Su Nian paused slightly. She took a deep breath and turned around with a polite smile on her face. "Team Leader Zhang, it's time to leave. You're carrying a bag, aren't you going to stay and work overtime?" Her eyes swept over the designer bag on Zhang Yue's shoulder.
Zhang Yue didn't expect Su Nian to fight back. His face instantly turned pale, and his carefully groomed eyebrows almost stood up. "Oh, you're still stubborn. I want to see how long you can stay here."
Su Nian ignored Zhang Yue's provocation and prepared to leave.
At this time, Lan Ting and Director Chen came to the entrance of the design department together. They obviously saw this scene. Chen Ran frowned slightly and looked at Lan Ting.
Lan Ting understood and said in a serious tone, "Zhang Yue, do your job well and stop talking nonsense behind my back. How did the pattern making at the factory turn out today? Don't rush to leave work yet, tell me about it."
Zhang Yue's momentum suddenly wilted. She lowered her head and walked towards the director's office with Lan Ting. Her high heels made a dull sound on the carpet.
Su Nian thought that the chairman had seen her arguing with her colleague on her first day. She smiled at Chen Ran embarrassedly and walked out.
It was still very hot in early autumn in Jiangcheng, and she saw Si Yan leaning against the car at a glance.
He was wearing a dark grey short-sleeved shirt today, and his slender figure was particularly eye-catching. Seeing Su Nian, he straightened up, and a gentle arc appeared at the corner of his mouth.
"How was your first day?" Si Yan took Su Nian's bag and opened the car door for her.
Su Nian climbed into the car, finally relaxing her day-long nerves. She looked out the window and whispered, "This is more interesting than I thought."
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