Design, in its many forms, can provide ways for finding solutions to everyday problems. The following projects pose ways in which UX applications can impact routine in-person user behavior. In
In a more playful turn,
About
2022, Freelance Designer, Cottage, San Francisco, CA
2019, UX Designer, Harvard Business Review, Boston, MA
2018, UX Design Intern, Depict, San Francisco, CA
2016, Designer, Fougeron Architecture, San Francisco, CA
2015, Designer, Swatt Miers Architects, Emeryville, CA
2013, Design Intern, Trace Architecture Office, Beijing, China
2012, Design Intern, Slab Architecture, Brooklyn, NY
2012, Staff, GSAPP Exhibitions, New York, NY
2011, Design Intern, Sou Fujimoto Architects, Tokyo, Japan
2010, Design Intern, Buro Ole Scheeren, Beijing, China
2010, Participant, GSAPP China Lab, Beijing, China
Columbia University GSAPP, Master of Architecture
Middlebury College, Bachelor of Arts
Contact
Case Study
2017
This project begins with a fun challenge: choose an everyday object and start to gather unique versions of that item until you make an 80-piece collection. Next, craft a visual identity around your collection, and create a coherent visual language that brings these objects to life.
Design task
Imagine you are curating an exhibition at SFMOMA, which will center around an 80-piece collection of an artifact of your choosing. How might you create an identity system around this collection? Deliver the following assets:
- Typography system,
- Logo lockup,
- Stationery system,
- Promotional poster,
- Video asset
The object
A knob is a simple object. It is typically circular, though not always. It is kinetic - its range of motion is limited by the hand that turns it. It is an intuitive interface that hides webs of complexity. Sourced from vintage radios and TV sets, this collection, aptly named Knob Knob, showcases 80 of these commonplace, yet important, objects.
A knob is a simple object. It is typically circular, though not always. It is kinetic - its range of motion is limited by the hand that turns it. It is an intuitive interface that hides webs of complexity. Sourced from vintage radios and TV sets, this collection, aptly named Knob Knob, showcases 80 of these commonplace, yet important, objects.
My collection of 80 knobs, amassed from old radios, appliances, and Ebay
Playful, circular, intuitive, tactile, kinetic
Guided by five descriptors of the object’s key qualities, the following design assets use the knob as muse. The solution identifies and interprets the essence of the object, and creates an identity system around it in preparation for a gallery exhibition.
Guided by five descriptors of the object’s key qualities, the following design assets use the knob as muse. The solution identifies and interprets the essence of the object, and creates an identity system around it in preparation for a gallery exhibition.
Creating a set of visual assets of my collection
Typography design
The collection’s logo lockup uses a typeface I designed on the font-building tool Fontstruct. The full typeface, which I named Mazurka after the Polish folk dance, features both capital and lowercase characters. For Knob Knob, the whimsical look of the lowercase characters suit the project’s irreverent nature. Mazurka’s lowercase “o” is a perfect vessel to contain the 80 knob variations within its thin outline. Accents on letters such as the insect-like “k” creates visual impact, drawing viewers into the quirky world of knobs.
Stationery system
The stationery system uses a Bauhaus-inspired palette of black, white, and red - a tribute to the midcentury origins of the knobs collection. Line drawings are used to express the knobs themselves; thin lines detail the textured ridges of the artifacts. A circle cutout on the envelope creates a playful relationship between the envelope and its contents. The brochure is a set of staggered leaflets that highlight the personalities of individual knobs.
The stationery system uses a Bauhaus-inspired palette of black, white, and red - a tribute to the midcentury origins of the knobs collection. Line drawings are used to express the knobs themselves; thin lines detail the textured ridges of the artifacts. A circle cutout on the envelope creates a playful relationship between the envelope and its contents. The brochure is a set of staggered leaflets that highlight the personalities of individual knobs.
Creating brand awareness
An important part of branding is creating awareness through advertising the exhibition. Promotional posters at the bus stop piques the user’s interest. Intrigued, she checks out the website and buys a ticket. Another promotional opportunity happens inside the museum. Before entering the exhibtion, attendees take a moment to snap a photo for their social media.
An important part of branding is creating awareness through advertising the exhibition. Promotional posters at the bus stop piques the user’s interest. Intrigued, she checks out the website and buys a ticket. Another promotional opportunity happens inside the museum. Before entering the exhibtion, attendees take a moment to snap a photo for their social media.
Ads with QR code in waiting spaces
Ads with QR code in waiting spaces
The museum experience
The entrance/ exit to the exhibit presents visitors with photo opportunities, whether they came for Knob Knob, or are just passing through. Inside the exhibition, visitors stop to watch a mezmerizing video of looping knobs. Using key descriptors as inspiration (playful, circular, kinetic), the motion plays on the idea of the circle as an endless surface.
The entrance/ exit to the exhibit presents visitors with photo opportunities, whether they came for Knob Knob, or are just passing through. Inside the exhibition, visitors stop to watch a mezmerizing video of looping knobs. Using key descriptors as inspiration (playful, circular, kinetic), the motion plays on the idea of the circle as an endless surface.