Meet Hanson Ma | Graphic Design Student

We had the good fortune of connecting with Hanson Ma and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Hanson, is there something you can share with us that those outside of the industry might not be aware of?
The graphic design industry is very very fast-paced. Typically, students at Art Center are taking 2-3 studio classes at the same time. This is comparable to taking on 3 freelance jobs at the same time, where in each class you will work on a huge project with weekly deadlines to fulfill.

In a similar experience, during the summer of 2022 I interned at a creative agency by the name of INDUSTRY. Our team would typically work on 2-3 client projects at the same time. Whenever one project is completed, a new project will come along in a never-ending cycle.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I would say being a packaging design and motion design student at ArtCenter is pretty rare. Usually people would focus on one track but for me, I am heavily involved and devote a lot of my time to both fields equally. It was definitely not easy to get to where I am today, it took a lot of hard work, lots of late nights, and ups & downs. One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned through the process would simply be to do whatever it takes for the desired outcome. I always try not to half-ass whatever project I am working on, if it means for this particular project I would have to learn a new program, I will do it if it means this is what it will take for the outcome.

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 would say here in sunny Pasadena, the The Huntington Library is definitely a place worthy of checking out. It’s a massive botanical garden with gardens designed for different cultures. The gardens are really well maintained and a walk through the whole place will take up your entire day. In old town Pasadena, few restaurants I like are Osawa (Japanese) and Bone Kettle (Asian Fusion). If you go a little bit further west towards downtown LA, Bacari Silverlake is definitely my all-time favorite.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
During my time at Art Center, I was very fortunate to have been taught by a few very talented and knowledgeable teachers. Here are a few:

Daniel Hoy – Packaging Design
Gerardo Herrera – Packaging & Brand Design
Tracey Shiffman – Print & Publication Design
Ming Tai – Motion Design & Brand Design
Miguel Lee – Motion Design

One of my best friends here at Art Center and someone who has helped me the most along the way would be
Jeffrey Su https://www.instagram.com/jeffreysxy/

Website: https://hansonma.org

Instagram: https://instagram.com/hansonma._/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hanson-m-489681112/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKkjCcCChLo0JmJCu2EguXw