Graphic Design Is True Love (Part 1)
My college major was graphic design. But when I first enrolled, the major was called “Graphic Decoration.” That was 2001. The term “Visual Communication” didn’t catch on in China until around 2004.
In the last semester of my senior year of high school, our school needed a new emblem. My art teacher, Mr. Chen Wenyi, started a small contest among the art students (actually more of an exercise). The result was a bunch of budding “design stars” all stuck on the concept of an “open book” for the design (that book icon 📖), which was painfully provincial. So, Mr. Chen gave a simple primer on logo design.
During college, what fascinated me most was positive and negative space: simplicity, wit. The first time I saw positive and negative space in design, I was amazed. It was eye-opening.
Gradually, my fascination with graphic design became deep-rooted. I believe every unique graphic is a brand-new creation. People scramble for domain names and text trademarks, but clean, excellent graphics are also valuable assets. Think of the cross, BMW, Mercedes, Apple, Nike.
In the summer of 2002, influenced by my brother and a friend Ghost, I started using Frontpage, a web design tool. Then came the “web trifecta” tools. Beyond graphics, I found a new passion in web design and animation. Gradually, this hobby began to support me in school. Later, I pursued a career in web design, gradually moving away from ad agency and brand design jobs. In 2009, I got into UI design. Touchscreen interfaces were an upgrade of my passion for web interaction. Besides the passion, there were practical benefits; UI design pays well. User experience and interaction design came a bit later.
Recently, I’ve been working on brand-related design for a friend. When I immerse myself in graphic design again, it’s like a flow state: fully immersed, facing challenges but feeling confident. I enjoy the creative process, the carving, and attention to detail. Setting aside external gains and re-examining my true preferences, I have to say, graphic design is true love. One of them. 😄