Today, we spotlight the accomplishments and journey of a distinguished, award-winning designer who has made a significant global impact in the design industry. Yating Liu, currently resides in Pattaya, Thailand, a widely celebrated creative visual designer with Chinese and American influences, shares her fascinating journey and the substantial contributions she has made in the design realm.

Liu completed her studies at the School of Visual Arts in New York in May 2019. Her exceptional talent quickly piqued the interest of industry titan, Paramount Global. Liu's contribution to the design of the Paramount Global 2019 Vision Week marked the onset of her impressive professional path. After her Paramount tenure, she joined Purpose, a reputable New York design firm, where she created logos and other graphic design components for multiple prestigious non-profit organizations. Subsequently, she collaborated with Prophet, a leading international branding consultancy, offering her graphic design expertise to top brands like IBM Watson Health, Thrivent Financial, and L&D.

In May 2020, Liu relocated to China to start a family, yet her devotion to her profession remained unwavering. She soon joined 2x4, a premier international design consultancy firm with a branch in Beijing. Founded in 1994, 2x4 navigates multiple domains, such as culture, art, fashion, and architecture, and was co-established by Yale professor Michael Rock, the Metropolitan Museum of Art's design director Susan Sellers, and eminent designer Georgianna Stout. Since joining 2x4, Liu has served several prominent global brands, including CBRE, ByteDance, Aranya Culture, Shanghai Design Institute, and Taiwan Fubon Art Museum.

Author: Kowit Chairat

Discussing her journey into design, Liu shared that she has been passionately interested in design since her youth, despite her initial undergraduate focus on Applied Economics. The catalyst for her design career emerged during a period of introspection and acknowledgment of her affinity for creative arts. Her decision to become a designer was confirmed by the sense of joy and conviction she experienced during her first encounter with the Polytechnic University of Hong Kong's School of Design. Liu offered invaluable advice for budding designers, underscoring the need for passion, concentration, and acceptance of imperfections in their work. She advocated for designers to be bold in making mistakes and embracing the unconventional, maintaining an enduring curiosity about the world, and learning from everything and everyone around them.

Liu discussed her professional experiences, expressing that the variety of projects and clients fuels her passion for design. She relishes the dynamic work environment at 2x4, which amalgamates graphic and identity design, offering a distinct challenge for designers. Liu acknowledged that her most significant learning from her profession is the expansive design thinking her role demands, as it necessitates a more inclusive and multidimensional design perspective. Liu shared her stress management strategies at work, admitting that it often arises from clients who lack clarity about their requirements, making it difficult for designers to effectively communicate their designs. Her approach to such pressure involves immersing herself in the task, generating more ideas, and experimenting. She believes that this strategy alleviates her anxiety and stimulates her creativity.

Lastly, Liu elaborated on her latest work - an exhibition poster. Drawing inspiration from the dynamism of nature and her preference for the contrasting thickness of the Didot font, Liu crafted 'The Algae' font set for the poster. The design aims to mirror the elegance and vivacity of seaweeds freely floating in the ocean depths. Liu incorporated matching color blocks and mechanisms into the poster to attain equilibrium in the overall aesthetic. The design, meticulously structured on a complex grid system, captures the spontaneous and twisting movement of seaweeds, despite its precision.