Shawna Li (she/her)
As a graphic designer and illustrator, I specialize in publication and printed matter, with a strong passion for abstract graphics, bright colors, and minimalist design. Drawing inspiration from my intercultural communication background and observations of human behavior, I focus on creating designs that critically and sensitively reflect everyday life. My works are inspired by the diverse cultures, habits, values, and behaviors of people from cross-cultural backgrounds. I am passionate about exploring various fields beyond design, such as praxeology and sociology. I find excitement in uncovering the potential for interaction and connection between these disciplines and design.
Decode, Tidy, and Recombine
“Decode, Tidy, and Recombine” is an experimental design project exploring the impact of news arrangement on our seeing and perception within the fragmentary context of information. Through a series of experimental design practices, I employed three methods – “decode, tidy, and recombine” – to analyze the current news layout and presentation of newspapers and websites, reflecting on the information jostling caused by the complexity of arrangement and hierarchy. I aimed to communicate these experimental works through graphic visual language and build an interactive relationship between my work and the audience, initiating a practical and reflective discussion of daily seeing and reading. Through this project, I also ask myself and the audience some questions: In the context of the information age, in our daily viewing, is our perception of the information we see accurate? Do we genuinely experience a sense of realism while engaging with reading? Are the disturbances unconsciously affecting us?
Invasion: From Concentration to Disorder
“Invasion: From Concentration to Disorder” is an experimental typeface and graphic work about how smartphones affect our reading concentration. My initial inspiration stemmed from my observation of the degree of dependence reliance on mobile phones among residents in two regions with different cultures. I discovered a notable correlation between this reliance and urban development in these areas. Moreover, smartphones are changing the way we think and read. Through graphic design, I aim to illustrate the disruption caused by mobile phones and other electronic devices on people’s reading process from concentration to disorder. I intend to promote critical thinking and reflection regarding the invasion of the digital age in the classic era of paper media.
Fruit Graphics
“Fruit and Vegetable Graphics” is my daily graphic design practice. Fueled by my passion for abstract graphics and inspiration from everyday things, fruits become my observation objects. I observe them from different perspectives, collecting each fruit’s color, shape, touch, and aging process. Engaging in the transformation of physical objects into abstract graphics not only provides me with immense enjoyment but also accumulates some design knowledge.
