Made a poster with these strange unicode characters: Ḷ͈͇A̢̽̏͟͠Ą̷͞҉҉
Just for fun. No graphical elements were added. I only overlapped the letterforms.
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The first completely design/photography-unrelated post on this blog — this is not the start of a trend, I swear!
I can already hear you unfollowing. Yes, that’s me in a skirt. Life in design school does things to your head.
Anyway, I’ve been “learning” to play the ukulele on my own for the past few months, and I just want to share. Here’s a video of me playing earlier tonight.
I have a few designs I’m working on, but none of them are ready yet and I don’t feel like rushing. So all I have for you is this crap, I’m afraid.
Happy Chinese New Year! I’m sorry I don’t have a graphic to go along with it, but the one last year is awesome, if I do say so myself.
credits: bottom photos by my friend Glody, who does quirky, wonderful illustrations.
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Who knew an old sketch I did could lead to hours of fun?
Continuing to try out looser, rougher shapes.
Feel free to tell me the one(s) you prefer. These are just four (see the other post) of the many, many versions I did.
Here for the Adventure
As you may know, I’m going to Germany in March for my student exchange programme. Made this as part of my scholarship application.
Still trying to loosen up and experiment with a more expressive, “raw” look.
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Ought to be shot
Many people were protesting outside the Dolce & Gabbana flagship store here in Hong Kong yesterday. They were upset about the fact that a security guard of the store tried to stop people standing in a public space from taking photos. But few of the online overseas news report I read got the point of the protest. The guard said tourists from Mainland China are allowed to shoot photos, presumably because they are typically far bigger spenders than the locals. Whether it’s outright hostility or passive-aggressive behavior, we’ve long been treated differently, and there’ve been other factors stirring up tension between the Hong Kongers and those from the Mainland.
The issue is obviously not just about D&G. The event just sparked off some longstanding grievances. It’s about inequality, the right over public space, cultural identities, and above all, our dissatisfaction with a government/society obsessed with money.
Thoughts?
Learning FontLab
I’ve been fortunate enough to be offered an opportunity to visit Copenhagen for 2 weeks, where I’ll get to work at the Danish design agency Kontrapunkt on a typeface.
Although I love typography and dabbled with type design, FontLab is pretty foreign to me. Trying to familiarize myself with the interface.
Sorry for the lack of activity lately. I’ve been busy with projects I can’t show you just yet. Soooooon.
My New Year Resolution: Keep Playing.
(iPhone wallpaper now available on the To Resolve Project)
“Hey man, you work a lot, I feel unproductive every-time you post something new, I respect you fully but am curious about how often you just kick back and relax?”
This is an email I got from somebody that amused me a lot. If you can’t tell by now, I enjoy what I’m studying immensely. I do a lot of personal work in my spare time, and post pretty frequently (well, until lately). I update my blog because I enjoy it. So when I do post something new, it’s usually because I *am* relaxing. It’s my therapy. Everything comes very naturally to me at the moment, but I’ve seen people who’s grown weary, who are losing their fire. I hope that day will never come.
I don’t have a lot of friends, and I did wonder in the past if design is just a bubble I retrieve into so I’m not reminded of my loneliness. I’ve spent this New Years Eve quietly at home, designing. For a simple personal post on Tumblr, I put a ridiculous amount of time into tweaking the graphic you’re looking at above. But that’s how you know. That drive you get, that makes you obsess over fine-tuning the smallest detail, ignoring everything around you, that makes you snap at your mother when she tells you to go outside for once… That’s how you know.
Design is not a distraction. I probably have an unhealthy amount of love for it, but I’d like to keep it that way.
Enjoying what you do is the single most important thing in life, but you probably don’t need me to tell you that. Happy New Year. Keep playing.
(Source: jmak)
On the Apple/Steve logo, and unexpected connections.
I was not planning to write at length about this subject anymore, but something made me want to share my thoughts one last time:
I received a comment yesterday from Albert, a Chinese gentleman in his late 50s, who saw a few photos I took that reminded him of his childhood.
His story is very long, deeply personal, and a joy to read. I was not exactly sure how to respond in the comments, so I’m making this post. Because his message represents everything that’s been so wonderful about the experience.
I’ve been meaning to say this for a while: the best thing about my design going viral is not the publicity, or even the support I got from around the world (even though I greatly appreciate it). It’s the people I get to talk to, and the tales they share with me.
Whether it’s an email from Kevin Kern (the pianist — whose CD I later knew my father actually owns) sharing the role Apple products play in his life due to his visual impairment, or the story of a Chinese woman immigrating to the US, I love it all. I’ve met both “ordinary” people such as myself, and powerful individuals. Their stories and philosophies are equally fascinating.
Interestingly, the things people tell me are not always directly related to Apple, but I find that even more amazing in a way: the design has not only resonated with people concerning Steve’s passing, but has simply become a “window” for me to make all these connections. The comment I just received is not even about the design, but I assume that was how he found my blog.
It would be naive of me to think all these responses are a start to many friendships, but I treasure all these bits and pieces of life experiences people have shared. I’ll never forget the experience.
So, thank you, Albert, for your comment. It was a long and delightful read.
Maybe you’d like to share your thoughts? ;)
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