In 2007, at the age of 50, professor Apex Pan-Soong Lin has pushed his career into a whole new level. He was awarded the National Award for Arts by the National Culture and Arts Foundation, the youngest award winner in the history and the first ever designer to receive the honor. Lin is like a flying fish, soaring through several different international designing associations to boost Taiwan’s exposure in the international stage of design. There’s no better reason for him to have receive the award.

　　Shing-Gung Wang, a prestigious designer was the one who had suggested Lin to apply for the National Award of Arts. Being one of the nomination committee in the Award, Wang stated that there are no other people in Taiwan who can be like Lin that contributed so much through not only in the academic field, but actually promoting design through real world collaboration and international exchanges.

　　Wang thinks that professor Lin is definitely an artist that is one of a kind representing the visual designing area in Taiwan. The preface of Lin’s writing in the book Pan-Soong Lin’s Designing Map, Wang wrote:

“As a Pingtung born artist, youth designer Pan-Soong Lin has the strength of a flying fish that never stops him from learning and working along his 30 years of achievement in the design community. After all, a flying fish can only see the sky by making an effort to leap in the air.”

　　Cheng-Ming Lee, dean of the College of Arts at NTNU, formerly the head of the department of fine arts at NTNU says that Professor Lin’s personality has made him work on to make things perfect from the very beginning. Lee also said: “He’s one of the pioneers in applying arts and design into CIS, and is also the first that had his designs influence through the industry.”

　　Dung-Yang Lung, the former head of commercial design at the Design Promotion Center/ CETRA wrote in one of her books, saying that Lin is the mentor of design in Taiwan. This shows how much influence he has made through the designing industry in Taiwan. The ministry of economic affairs published a book about creative commercial designers that was titled “Pan-Soong Lin, The Luminary of Design in Taiwan” as a tribute to his contribution for Taiwan on the international stage. The former chairman of the Japanese Graphic Design Association was invited to write a prefix using “The Designing Pride of Asia” as the title.

　1. Media Reports

　　There is numerous press articles about Professor Apex Pan-Soong Lin. Reports are as follow in a timely order.

 

　2.Interview

　　Since December, 2012, the Xinsheng Cyberfair Team had interviewed Sophia Lin-Hung Shih from the department of design at NTNU. Yui-Tan Chang, the director of the National Museum of History. Ching-Long Huang, the president of Want Daily. Kuo-Chin Lin, chairman of China Image Research Development Association. Ming-Lung Yu, associate professor at Tainan University of Technology. Jia-Jang Yang, chairman of Taiwan Graphic Design Association. Wen-Yen Lin (Brother of Professor Lin), the head of the department of visual communication at Tainan University of Technology, and lastly, Professor Lin’s family, his wife and daughter. The following are some of the brief contents from the interviews.

　　Lin-Hung Shish from the department of design at NTNU thinks that Professor Lin is not just an outstanding designer that receives much respect from the industry, but he is also has a very easy going and selfless personality. He has contributed so much in spreading design ideas, attending numerous events, just to bring all the worldwide movements in design Taiwan, as well as showing the designs from Taiwan to the world.

Interview with professor Lin-Hung Shish Professor Lin-Hung Shish: Well, I think his feeling toward the root in Taiwan is always in his mind, because he is a native from Donggan Town and he had done so much for Taiwan Image. He is always pursuing what the root of Taiwan is, what makes Taiwan better, and what is helpful for Taiwan so that the country can sparkle in the world stage. Therefore, the Taiwan Image is ubiquitous all over his works, including paintings, photos, illustrations, and cultural creative products. He has shown the image to the world, which is very touching for me and for others.

　　Yui-Tan Chang, the director of the National Museum of History thinks Professor Lin’s artwork, “My Taiwan, Seeing the Homland of the Spirit” series gives us a different perspective in knowing what our homeland, Taiwan is like. It surely is a masterpiece. Lin cherishes his homeland so much, and this is why he is so keen in contributing. He hopes that talents in Taiwan can be seen in the world, and is always encouraging talented people to attend international contests.

Interview with director Yui-Tan Chang Director Yui-Tan Chang: The whole series of his art works about Taiwan is very well-known. Out of his passion to Taiwan, he approaches Taiwan’s land and geographic formations from various angles and then creates this series. This series, awarded abroad for several times, should be Professor Lin’s first well-known work. Hence everyone can sense that ‘Oh! We can see Taiwan from so many different ways: Horizontal, upside-down, front, or reverse’. In all, Professor Lin’s works help us to interpret Taiwan, the land where we’re living, from a new way. This is why all his works are so respectful.

　　Cheng-Chung Chang, a researcher at the National Museum of History said Professor Lin is a designer that has so much passion. Even when he is traveling abroad, he always has his homeland in mind. Whenever there’s a chance, he would be drawing things about Taiwan, and whenever he saw a piece that can represent Taiwan, he would bring it home and make it as another piece of artwork.

　　Qing-Long Huang, the principal of Want Daily has known Professor Lin for over 30 years. He complimented Lin as a deeply talented person, yet he has that amiable personality that led him through the creative graphic industry. What he has done for the society and connecting the graphic industry between China and Taiwan is irreplaceable.

Interview with Principal Want Daily, Mr. Qing-Long Huang Principal Qing-long Huang: He is very patient. I feel that it is because he has been interacting with students and working with love toward education. During our interaction, there is nothing that we cannot talk about. We have a very good friendship. It’s not like some seeking to take advantages from others, though our belonging associations, his university and my media company, cooperate. We are mutually happy. His personality is very precious in our current society. Not to mention that he is caring to his family and children. I think that he is a responsible man with a positive attitude toward life. Meanwhile he is one very approachable person full of passion toward education. This is Lin.

　　Kuo-Chin Lin, chairman of China Image Research Development Association has always thought that Professor Lin’s works have long been related to only one thing in mind that is, Taiwan, his home country. His life goal as a designer is to make Taiwan visible in the industry worldwide, and this is why he uses all kinds of different ways to bring his work to represent Taiwan to the world.

　　Ming-Lung Yu, associate professor at Tainan University of Technology is one of Professor Lin’s classmates in university. He said that Lin has got the talent and potential to make great artworks. Like one of his artwork “See through Taiwan”, was based on Lin’s frequent traveling experiences that made him see what Taiwan is like from another perspective. Thus, his works not only represents what Taiwan itself, but he actually puts other cities’ such as Tokyo, New York, Beijing, and several cities in Europe to add up a little different artistic perspective to his works.

Interview with professor Ming-Lung Yu

　　Hung-Tse Lin, the chairman at The Graphic Design Association of the Republic of China thinks Lin is a person who is down to earth, and who always has a passion to his country. What touches him is that Professor Lin is always selflessly helping industry designers with so much enthusiasm.

Interview with Mr. Hung-Tse Lin

　　Shu-Ming Wu, the principal of Tunfang Design University said that Professor Lin loves Taiwan so much that his artworks always starts from concepts related to Taiwan. His artworks represent local culture and spirit, which made his works one of a kind among others. With so much contribution to the designing industry in Asia, he deserves to be a respected Taiwanese designer. Without him, Taiwan wouldn’t be leaping forward with so much improvement in the academic area of arts.

Interview with Mr. Shu-Ming Wu

　　Jia-Jang Yang, chairman of Taiwan Graphic Design Association is one of Lin’s students. He has read through so many of Professor Lin’s writings about designing, and this is what makes Lin a respectable person in the industry.

Interview with Mr. Jia-Jang Yang

　　Wen-Yen Lin, the head of the department of visual communication at Tainan University of Technology is Professor Lin’s second brother; he is the one in his family that influenced Lin to work in the art field, but his influence only involves the first 25 years of his life. The last 25 years of his life mostly involves his schoolmates and colleagues that helped him through. He thinks that Lin deserves the honor to be the winner of the National Award of Arts, because he made the world see what Taiwan has to offer in the designing industry.

Interview with Professor Wen-Yen Lin

　　Professor Lin’s wife told us that he has so much passion about Taiwan that she always joked about him being a “Taiwan-maniac.” Taiwan is a very small country, he has sensed the necessity of gaining Taiwan’s worldwide recognition in design. His daughter thinks that he is always working hard and looks to him as a role model.

Interview with Professor Lin’s wife