Meet Chuan Ching Ho | Motion Designer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Chuan Ching Ho and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Chuan Ching, where are your from? We’d love to hear about how your background has played a role in who you are today?
I am based in New York City, NY where I graduated from the School of Visual Arts (SVA) in Computer Arts (MFA).

Before this, I am born and raised in Taipei City, Taiwan. I studied Japanese and Italian languages and literature as my undergraduate. Then I pursued my passion for maps in world history in Tokyo, Japan,
from this study, I discovered the world of infographics and this led me to animation and video.

So I would say, my multicultural background truly influences me a lot and it also supports me with diverse aesthetics and perspectives.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Since I am Motion Designer, my work can be applied in many kinds of forms, like pure animation, combined with video or film, short-term social media promo and installation…etc.

I think my language and cultural background really contribute a lot to my work. I like experimenting with the relationship between visual and sound experience in my personal projects, and I would say I do not have the specific style now but I do like exploring every little funny thing!

I would say the magic moment that came into my life is when I got my very first freelance gig right after my SVA graduation. Because during my time at SVA, although I know what I want to do is motion design and I already got myself into SVA but was still worried about will I would I be able to get the job after my graduation.

And this freelance hiring really pumps up my confidence and sets me a great start in my motion design career in the US. This freelancing job came from Frank Caruso, two times Emmy Awards cartoonist. In this project, I was collaborating with Frank, working on a Paul McCartney project!! It was really thrilling when I received Frank’s email!!

Actually I am not quite sure if I am a professional already. I just know I really love doing motion design and I would like to explore more and learn more about it. So I hope I am truly evolving every day, even a little will be fine.

It is just because I know I am not from this background I got a lot to catch up, no matter the hard skill like software or soft skills like the knowledge of basic design principles or any video theory and cinematography theory. They all take time to learn, practice, and digest.

I remember when I started to prepare my portfolio for SVA application. I did really learn the software from total scratch, following the tutorials step by step and then finishing all my pieces for application submission. Probably I have experiences like this and it made me get into SVA, I somehow believe that if I want to level up myself, I really need to get myself together, pay attention to it and wait for the time that everything will come for me.

It has been almost 4 years since my graduation, as a motion designer I was fortunate to be able to work on various kinds of client projects, including Frank Caruso, Paul McCartney, Jenny Holzer, Cartier, Adidas, Virgil Abloh, The Telly Awards, Microsoft, Samsung, Dell, Marriott, Fontainebleau, Maybelline, NYX Cosmetics and more

And this year I want to explore more and challenge myself to identify myself as an artist, so I will dedicate more time to my personal work. I am not sure how will it go but I am really excited about it!!

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I probably cannot make a one-week trip-long plan, but I do have some favorite spots I would love to recommend!

I would say it’s a good start from a West Village in Manhattan. Fresh out yourself by having the french breakfast at Buvette, enjoying how tranquil and calm morning it is in New York City.

After breakfast definitely take a deep walk in the West Village neighborhood, it’s a great chance to immerse yourself in the beautiful brownstone houses. And you may run into Friend’s Monica’s apartment, Sex and the City’s Carrie’s apartment, and one of NYC’s iconic dessert stores, Magnolia Bakery’s first location.

If you want a light easy and tasteful lunch, do not miss out African fusion food at Berber Street Food, French-style casual eat at Cocu, and Italian sandwiches at Sapanino. But if you are looking for a real deal big-volume Italian sandwich, Faicco’s Italian Specialties is the one!! It’s totally ok if you are up to spending the whole day here, Italian Via Carota or French Boucherie will not disappoint you, and how about visiting Small Jazz Club to wrap up your West village visit?

Stand Book Store is one of my favorite spots in NYC, I usually visit here during the weekend. When I have what I need at Strand, I sometimes stop by the Bread Bakery near Union Square to get their Babka also whatever I could have on their selves, haha. Or I just walk to the East Village, running my alternate schedule, like having Taiwanese sweets tofu pudding at Meet Fresh, drinking dark beer at McSorley’s Old House (probably the oldest Irish bar in NYC), or enjoying a Japnese-modern-Shōwa-era-vibe at Hi-Collar.

We all know MOMA is a place we hardly miss when we talk about modern art, but if you have more time, please take a bit longer railroad trip to Dia Beacon in the upper state, it definitely worth it!!

I think NYC is all about experiencing different experiences in one city. I am a walker and Citi biking lover, which makes me get to see and observe all kinds of things on the street, I learn from it and also got inspired by it!!

And if you are interested in trying out different food like me, I do have my long exotic bucket list of it, probably we could talk about it next time

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would say my parents definitely play the most role in my life journey, especially my mom. Since she took care of my brother and me for most of my childhood while my dad needed to work out of the city.

My parents are pretty cool, they are open-minded and liberal types of parents. They always introduce my brother and me to something they already know it’s good at the same time they also take us to explore something they are interested in but they have never tried, even now this family interactive way still keeps remaining. Though my brother and I tend to say more “no” to their new adventures when we gradually grow up, I have to admit that culture wise they did nurture us quite rich cultural diversity since we are little kids.

I would not say I remember all of them but it did somehow broaden kids’ views invisibly. Like watching Taiwanese classic movies and Glove puppetry at the local temples, also the latest Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Hollywood movies at the movie theaters, of course, we would never miss any Disney, Hayao Miyazaki, American and Japanese TV episodes. Meanwhile, my mom also kept introducing us to Chinese and Western classic literature, Japanese manga, Japanese rock bands then classic western rock bands, trending bands, hip hop and jazz……

Now you know my mom’s energy and I would never figure out what she has in her mind, but I do remember she was eager as us that want to get the latest manga as soon as possible, so one time my dad happened to be in Japan he brought us the latest manga (of course Japanese version) we were all waiting but the Chinese version has not been published! So that is my parent, my family!!

Becase of being grown up within diverse cultures, I have always been interested in languages and history.
So I do really enjoy doing anything amic languages, cultures and history or even —- I used to want to become a history researcher.

Then I encountered the turning point of my life while I was studying world history in Japan.

My study focused on world maps during the 17th and 18th centuries. And I always thought that it would be more interesting also the audience could understand better if I could make the map as an animated map for my study presentation.

One day I learned the term “Infographic” from a Japanese design book, and this really opened up the whole spectrum of my life. I got to rethink my history study, especially I should try to interpret them from the design angle because how and what the maps were drewn, all serve their purposes, not just reading the maps from the result/ outcome we are seeing.

Before this, I knew nothing about art and design, and the sweetness of learning infographics, makes me want to learn more and know more about design. (Yes, let me do some nerdy work here lol.)

My universe literally exploded when I found out that “the animated maps” actually could be done!! Isn’t it like a dream come true?

Later the more I explore design the more I understand that what really excites me is to tell a story through animation and video, not through my history study paper.

Then I came to the US to learn Motion Design since it was not even a term in Asia back then.

Website: https://www.chuanchingho.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cching_hooo/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chuan-ching-ho-660922140/

Other: https://www.behance.net/cchooo You can find my very first work, an animated map, the Taiwan Fruits History series here!