(1)
AND THE WORD WAS GOD(神), 2024
Visual Identity Design/ Bilingual Design/ Poster Design
Designer: Xinyuan(Caesar) Li, Chin-Wen Hsu
Creative director: Xinyuan(Caesar) Li, Ben Yi-Yu Qin, Ming Liew
Art director: Xinyuan(Caesar) Li
Photographer: Chin-Wen Hsu
Writer: Ben Yi-Yu Qin
Motion Designer: Chin-Wen Hsu, Xinyuan(Caesar) Li
Speacial thanks to the support from Run Artist Run
Exhibition Project ︎
AND THE WORD WAS GOD(神), 2024
Visual Identity Design/ Bilingual Design/ Poster Design
Designer: Xinyuan(Caesar) Li, Chin-Wen Hsu
Creative director: Xinyuan(Caesar) Li, Ben Yi-Yu Qin, Ming Liew
Art director: Xinyuan(Caesar) Li
Photographer: Chin-Wen Hsu
Writer: Ben Yi-Yu Qin
Motion Designer: Chin-Wen Hsu, Xinyuan(Caesar) Li
Speacial thanks to the support from Run Artist Run
"And the Word was God(神)" is an exhibition at Run Artist Run for Melbourne Design Week 2024. It explores the evolution and transformation of language through the lens of three Chinese Australian artists. The exhibition delves into how language connects the past, present and future, highlighting the vibrant exchange between different cultures in Australia. Audiences are invited to reflect on their own linguistic experiences, promoting dialogue and understanding. |
| The design highlights the intercultural hybridity between Mandarin and Latin texts through the word "God" and its interpretations in Mandarin, each bearing unique cultural connotations. The concept of 'God' is expressed through three Chinese characters, including "神" (God), "佛" (Buddhism), and "道" (Taoism which signifies supreme power). By combining these characters, a new character is created to encapsulate the essence of these meanings, symbolising the intricate nature of intercultural translation. Using fluidity, blending, and repetition to symbolise how language can unify or divide, this innovative character invites viewers to appreciate the profound impact of communication on human connections. |
Exhibition Project ︎
(2)
Fusion of Forms, 2024
Exhibition Design/ Experimental Design/Billingual Typography
Designer: Xinyuan(Caesar) Li
Sound Edit: Benjamin Woods
3D Clock Demo: Zhen Xiong
Special thanks to the support from Run Artist Run
Presented as an immersive projection installation for Melbourne Design Week 2024, this experimental typography project explores innovative possibilities in bilingual typography using modern technologies. It features dynamic visuals and interactive elements that demonstrate the fusion of two different typographic systems, blending Latin letters with the intricate strokes of Chinese characters. Through the deconstruction and integration of elements from both languages, Fusion of Forms emphasises rich cultural interactions and the power of typography to bridge language barriers, while also encouraging audiences to reflect on their own linguistic experiences, promoting dialogue and understanding in bilingual and multicultural settings.
By integrating deconstructed Chinese characters with Latin letters, Fusion of Forms pushes the boundaries of bilingual typography and seeks to unlock the characters' pictorial potential. The fusion of elements from both Chinese and English languages underscores the universality of certain experiences, such as time and weather, encouraging audiences to reflect on their own experiences. Through motion design and projection mapping, the project takes the audience on an immersive journey. This innovative approach not only showcases the convergence of cultural narratives, but also highlights the power of modern design in bridging the gap between two languages, facilitating deeper connections and understandings.
More about Exhibition︎
Fusion of Forms, 2024
Exhibition Design/ Experimental Design/Billingual Typography
Designer: Xinyuan(Caesar) Li
Sound Edit: Benjamin Woods
3D Clock Demo: Zhen Xiong
Special thanks to the support from Run Artist Run
Presented as an immersive projection installation for Melbourne Design Week 2024, this experimental typography project explores innovative possibilities in bilingual typography using modern technologies. It features dynamic visuals and interactive elements that demonstrate the fusion of two different typographic systems, blending Latin letters with the intricate strokes of Chinese characters. Through the deconstruction and integration of elements from both languages, Fusion of Forms emphasises rich cultural interactions and the power of typography to bridge language barriers, while also encouraging audiences to reflect on their own linguistic experiences, promoting dialogue and understanding in bilingual and multicultural settings.
By integrating deconstructed Chinese characters with Latin letters, Fusion of Forms pushes the boundaries of bilingual typography and seeks to unlock the characters' pictorial potential. The fusion of elements from both Chinese and English languages underscores the universality of certain experiences, such as time and weather, encouraging audiences to reflect on their own experiences. Through motion design and projection mapping, the project takes the audience on an immersive journey. This innovative approach not only showcases the convergence of cultural narratives, but also highlights the power of modern design in bridging the gap between two languages, facilitating deeper connections and understandings.
More about Exhibition︎
(3)
OH Calligraphy(Beta Version)
Type Design/Poster Design
Type Designed by Caesar Li,
Poster Designed by Caesar Li and Yifei Luo
Photography by Yifei Luo
OH Calligraphy is a serif typeface that revives and reinterprets the first Latin typeface, Freundschrafts Antiqua, which was designed by a Chinese designer in 1959. It blends traditional Chinese calligraphic features with a contemporary aesthetic and incorporates the fluidity of Chinese calligraphy into a modular system. Its aims are to challenge the stereotypes perpetuated by 'chop suey' fonts in type design and to expand and redefine the visual and cultural boundaries of oriental type in Latin type design.
OH Calligraphy(Beta Version)
Type Design/Poster Design
Type Designed by Caesar Li,
Poster Designed by Caesar Li and Yifei Luo
Photography by Yifei Luo
OH Calligraphy is a serif typeface that revives and reinterprets the first Latin typeface, Freundschrafts Antiqua, which was designed by a Chinese designer in 1959. It blends traditional Chinese calligraphic features with a contemporary aesthetic and incorporates the fluidity of Chinese calligraphy into a modular system. Its aims are to challenge the stereotypes perpetuated by 'chop suey' fonts in type design and to expand and redefine the visual and cultural boundaries of oriental type in Latin type design.
(4)
Traditional Chinese Typography in the New Era, 2021
Publication Design/Billingual Typography
Designed by Xinyuan Li
Supervised by Ziga Testen
This is a bilingual publication that records seven articles about contemporary typography. The publication aims to explore the possibility of applying Chinese traditional typography to contemporary publications. One of the challenges was to reconcile the contemporary reading habits and the Chinese traditional typography principles for both English and Chinese audiences. In Chinese traditional typography, the reading order is vertical and right-to-left. For English speakers, the right-to-left reading order and right-aligned texts might significantly reduce readability. Therefore, it is significant to find a balance between modern reading experience and Chinese traditional typography conventions, and also to address the issue of readability.
I have used a different way of designing the layout, footnote, header, page numbers and so on to address the traditional Chinese typography conventions and aesthetics. The publication seeks to find a solution for reconciling the relationship between contemporary typography codes and conventions influenced by Western design styles and those influenced by cultures and traditions of the East. The work looks into how Latin texts and Chinese texts can collaborate with one another to facilitate cultural transmission between the West and the East. This publication indeed reflects my understanding of typography’s functions and values to culture and historical heritage.
Traditional Chinese Typography in the New Era, 2021
Publication Design/Billingual Typography
Designed by Xinyuan Li
Supervised by Ziga Testen
This is a bilingual publication that records seven articles about contemporary typography. The publication aims to explore the possibility of applying Chinese traditional typography to contemporary publications. One of the challenges was to reconcile the contemporary reading habits and the Chinese traditional typography principles for both English and Chinese audiences. In Chinese traditional typography, the reading order is vertical and right-to-left. For English speakers, the right-to-left reading order and right-aligned texts might significantly reduce readability. Therefore, it is significant to find a balance between modern reading experience and Chinese traditional typography conventions, and also to address the issue of readability.
I have used a different way of designing the layout, footnote, header, page numbers and so on to address the traditional Chinese typography conventions and aesthetics. The publication seeks to find a solution for reconciling the relationship between contemporary typography codes and conventions influenced by Western design styles and those influenced by cultures and traditions of the East. The work looks into how Latin texts and Chinese texts can collaborate with one another to facilitate cultural transmission between the West and the East. This publication indeed reflects my understanding of typography’s functions and values to culture and historical heritage.
(5)
Season Type Calendar, 2023
Type Design/ Calendar Design
Project in collaboration with:
Haocheng Zhang, Ruiying Zeng
Photography: Haocheng Zhang
Printing: Jiayu Cheng, Shuai Shao
Season Type Calendar is inspired by the 24 Chinese solar terms. Through the exploration of “one scene, one window’, the calendar unravels unique narratives throughout. Through gradient, experimental, and playful type designs, the calendar delves deep into the potential of fonts in visual communication. Through this project, we challenge the constraints of traditional font design, using gradient colors to evoke different feelings and emotional resonance to changing seasons. Type here serves as a medium to reflect the interaction and coexistence between humans and nature. Our intention is to shape a distinctive visual language that enables our audience to experience and understand the rich culture associated with Chinese solar terms through a brand-new perspective, while immersed with the beauty of seasonal transitions. Through this experimental exploration, we encourage the audience to reconsider the traditional presentation of solar terms and discover new possibilities in the fusion of Chinese traditional culture and modern visual expressions.
Season Type Calendar, 2023
Type Design/ Calendar Design
Project in collaboration with:
Haocheng Zhang, Ruiying Zeng
Photography: Haocheng Zhang
Printing: Jiayu Cheng, Shuai Shao
Season Type Calendar is inspired by the 24 Chinese solar terms. Through the exploration of “one scene, one window’, the calendar unravels unique narratives throughout. Through gradient, experimental, and playful type designs, the calendar delves deep into the potential of fonts in visual communication. Through this project, we challenge the constraints of traditional font design, using gradient colors to evoke different feelings and emotional resonance to changing seasons. Type here serves as a medium to reflect the interaction and coexistence between humans and nature. Our intention is to shape a distinctive visual language that enables our audience to experience and understand the rich culture associated with Chinese solar terms through a brand-new perspective, while immersed with the beauty of seasonal transitions. Through this experimental exploration, we encourage the audience to reconsider the traditional presentation of solar terms and discover new possibilities in the fusion of Chinese traditional culture and modern visual expressions.
