A Tale of Two Cities Supporting Xinjiang

After Guzalinur led the training group to take on a corporate project, she spent every day with everyone in the computer room and art studio.

The company explicitly requested that Xinjiang characteristics be highlighted, and she immediately thought of the two core elements: Atlas silk and cotton. She felt that if these two were included, the Xinjiang flavor would be complete.

After working diligently for several days, the team finally produced the first version of the design.

A simple canvas bag. The front of the bag is covered with the pattern of Atlas silk, and a large cotton pattern is also printed on it. The corners are decorated with a circle of Uyghur totems. At first glance, it is full of Xinjiang elements.

Guzalinur was quite satisfied with herself: "Our design is so obviously from Xinjiang, it's bound to be approved!"

On the day she submitted the design, she went to the company with her team members.

But when General Manager Li picked up the design draft, he only glanced at it a few times and said bluntly, "This design is no good. It's the same old problem."

They only care about heap elements and don't consider practicality at all.

We want products that can be sold to young people and are suitable for everyday use, not these decorative items that are just for display.

Guzalinur quickly explained, "President Li, these are all Xinjiang specialties; we just wanted to highlight our regional characteristics..."

"That's not how you just pile on unique features!"

Mr. Li interrupted her: "Look at this pattern, it's too many and too complicated. It makes young people look old. And look at this cotton pattern, it takes up most of the bag. It looks bulky and it's not convenient to carry around every day."

You haven't even considered who would buy it or how they would use it. This kind of design simply won't sell.

To her surprise, Mr. Li then said, "Your group should go back to school for now. Come back and discuss things when you have a clear design concept and can come up with a solution that meets market demands."

After leaving the company, the team members' morale plummeted to rock bottom.

Walking down the street, someone couldn't help but complain: "I told you it wouldn't work. What's the point of just piling up elements? All these days have been for nothing."

Another person chimed in, "Yeah, no matter how we try to change it, it won't work. We might as well give up. We're not cut out for this anyway."

Some people even directly criticized Guzalinur: "Zailinur, aren't you too obsessed with piling on unique features?"

We didn't even consider the practicality Mr. Li mentioned. Now look what's happened—our entire team has been sent back.

Guzalinur felt wronged and upset, and couldn't help but retort: ​​"I just wanted to show the best features of Xinjiang, how is that wrong?"

Besides, if you give up at the first sign of difficulty, wouldn't all your previous efforts be wasted?

"When showcasing unique features, you can't ignore the market."

Someone immediately retorted, "What businesses want are products that can be sold, not designs that we think look good."

Both sides stuck to their own versions of events and argued fiercely.

After being rejected by the company, Guzalinur was completely dejected. She spent her days in the computer room staring blankly at the design drafts, with one thought repeatedly swirling in her mind: "I clearly piled on all the Xinjiang characteristics, such as Atlas silk and cotton, so why is it still not working? Was it wrong to highlight the characteristics of my hometown?"

Besides self-doubt, the doubts from her fellow members weighed heavily on her heart like stones.

During a group meeting, someone bluntly complained: "Zailinur, we followed your ideas, but the company rejected us. Now we're even facing the possibility of losing our training qualifications. What are we going to do?"

Some people even said sarcastically, "Stop clinging to your own unique features; who will be responsible if it jeopardizes everyone's practical training results?"

What worries her even more is that she is afraid of letting Chang Peng down.

Chang Peng went to great lengths to help them secure practical training opportunities, even inviting teachers from Dalian Vocational College to provide training. If his own group couldn't even produce a qualified design, it would be a disservice to Chang Peng's efforts.

The pressure piled up, making it hard for her to breathe. She tossed and turned in bed at night, unable to sleep, and her eyes were red from lack of sleep.

During the meeting, one member suggested directly: "Why don't we stop making changes, lower the standards, and just slightly modify and imitate the company's old packaging?"

Ultimately, what businesses want are products that can be sold; this way, they can avoid taking unnecessary detours.

As soon as these words were spoken, several people immediately echoed, "Yes, imitation is better than being rejected again; at least we can complete the practical training task."

Guzalinur firmly refused: "No! Absolutely not!"

We come here for practical training to learn real skills, not to simply copy others.

Even if you can't do it right away, you can't take shortcuts; otherwise, what's the point of practical training?

"But if we don't imitate now, we won't even be able to get through the door of a company. What's the use of learning so many skills then?"

The person who suggested imitation countered, "Exactly! What's the point of blindly copying? In the end, it's all for nothing!"

Fortunately, Chang Peng soon heard about their situation and found Guzalinur immediately.

Seeing her haggard appearance, Chang Peng gently encouraged her: "Guzailinur, don't be discouraged. The company's decision to send you back is not a rejection of you, but rather an attempt to point out your problems."

This is more meaningful than passing directly; at least you know where you are lacking.

As long as we identify the right direction and correct the problems, we can definitely create a design that satisfies the company.

Guzalinur felt a lump in her throat and couldn't help but express all the grievances and confusion in her heart.

Chang Peng listened attentively and waited for her to finish before continuing, "Your idea of ​​highlighting Xinjiang's unique characteristics is good. But design can't rely solely on sentiment; it also needs to consider market demand."

"Okay, I'll coordinate this for you one more time. You should proactively go and consult with General Manager Li, ask him what kind of product he specifically wants, and understand the problem thoroughly before taking any action."

With Chang Peng's encouragement and support, Guzalinur felt much relieved and regained her confidence.

She contacted Mr. Li that very day, bringing the previous design drafts to his office for advice, and said sincerely: "Mr. Li, we did not consider things thoroughly before and failed to produce a design that met our requirements."

I'd like to ask you, where exactly does our design fall short? What kind of product do you envision that meets market demands?

Seeing her sincere attitude, Mr. Li stopped showing his displeasure, picked up her design draft, and pointed out the core problem directly: "The biggest problem with your design is that it lacks market thinking."

You only think about highlighting the unique characteristics of Xinjiang, but you haven't considered who this product is sold to or how people will use it.

Young people buy canvas bags for everyday use; they want something simple, lightweight, and stylish. If you pile on a bunch of elements, making it bulky and flashy, who would buy it?

Having unique features alone is not enough; those features must serve practicality and enable the product to truly enter the market. That's the kind of design we're looking for.