Future Notes I: The Parables of Emerging Designers

FEAT. MUTUAL FRIENDS

August 10, 2022

Future Notes invites student members to share their creative practices during their first 1–2 years after graduation. In this inaugural session, three emerging designers and their invited collaborators present their unique approaches to design, shaped by the coexistence of traditional techniques, AI, and new media.

Chen Wan-Yu: (a study of) BWV1080

Chen Wan-Yu’s project explores the use of digital generation as a creative tool in her study of orchid hybridisation. Treating code as a genetic sequence and music as the nurturing “nutrient,” she cultivated over 10,000 unique orchids through algorithmic processes. By seamlessly translating 2D imagery into 3D forms, she views generative programming as a disruptive tool that plants the seeds for her future artistic development amidst routine design work.

The project has garnered feedback from professionals in scientific and biological fields. Inspired by the real-world study of orchids, the digital results also contribute to practical applications in orchid hybridisation and discovery, forecasting the potential applications of generative design in bridging art and science.

Huang Cheng-Ya: The Projection of the Individual

Huang Cheng-Ya explores the structure of content in book design, engaging in the editorial process from the early stages to develop a deeper understanding and freedom in his design approach. For him, linear editorial structures, akin to comics and animation, enable stronger, more profound manipulation of symbols while rethinking the spatial interplay of text and visuals.

Book design wasn’t Huang’s initial creative focus; instead, it evolved naturally from his student projects. Content creators drawn to his tranquil and cohesive style invited him to collaborate. One notable work, Huang Cheng-Ya: Image and Text, uses his body as a semiotic element and takes the form of a compact booklet, highlighting his unique perspective on the relationship between image and text.

Wang Dong-Yue: IMAGEs Series

Wang Dong-Yue’s IMAGEs Series began as an inquiry into the essence of graphic design: Can design exist as pure imagery? Can it transcend the arrangement of text and information? Can it originate purely from aesthetic intuition rather than functional rationale? His work emphasises the emotions evoked by singular images.

His explorations lean towards organic, biomorphic shapes with tendencies for self-replication and infinite growth. Through this process, Wang realised that the IMAGEs Series serves as a snapshot of his aesthetic and technical boundaries at any given time. This has inspired him to revisit it annually as a personal project, progressing towards a clearer aesthetic vision and exploring ways to integrate his experimental outcomes into team-initiated projects.


Planned and co-organized by Winfield Chang.
Published: August 10, 2022. Last Updated: September 25, 2022.