Meet Kathy Yu | Motion Designer

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

Hi Kathy, what habits do you feel play an important role in your life?
Drinking two cups of coffee every day is definitely the most important habit that helped me succeed in so many things—just kidding. The habit that truly helps me grow is learning specific knowledge from people or industries that excel in their fields.

As a young motion designer who has just stepped into the creative industry, I am constantly striving to improve. To do so, I need to understand what the highest standards are. Motion design integrates many forms of art, so learning from other creative industries like film, illustration, graphic design, games, and feature animation always helps.

For example, I received a valuable tip on making better compositions from a highly successful motion design freelancer who has established his own visual style. He suggested that if you are using a 16:9 ratio, you should reference films because the film industry has spent a century perfecting ways to create incredible moving images in this frame ratio.

I am also fortunate to have received advice from an award-winning illustrator. She told me that if a painting is out of balance in black and white values, no matter how beautiful the colors are, the final outcome will be less attractive.

Learning from related creative industries that excel provides me with the insights I need to grow, and I am always looking forward to being inspired.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I am a motion designer skilled in both 2D and 3D motion design, look development, and illustration. I am deeply driven to experiment and apply the fundamental rules of art, design, and animation to create beautiful moving images.

I am proud of the diverse skill set I have developed, allowing me to blend various techniques and potentially create visual styles that have not been seen before. These skills come from both my formal education and personal interests. I hold a bachelor’s degree in communication design, which familiarized me with graphic design, and I learned about the CG pipeline and motion graphics during my master’s degree at the School of Visual Arts Computer Arts department. Drawing and illustration have also been a significant part of my free time.

In an era where images can be easily generated, I have the utmost respect for craftsmanship. To ensure my work reflects love, effort and innovation, I strive to achieve a professional level with each project. Although it has been challenging, repeated attempts and perseverance have enabled me to reach results that surpass my previous artistic levels.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
New York offers so many options for a good time. Simply walking around the streets and soaking in the city vibe can be delightful. During sunset, you can see three colors on the windows facing different directions: blue from the night sky, pink from the sunset, and orange from indoor lights. Somewhere near the Hudson River is a good place to enjoy the sunset as well.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I am deeply grateful to my friends and family who have supported me in becoming not only a better artist but also a better person. Their trust and wisdom have been instrumental in bringing me to where I am today. When I was a student struggling to break into the industry, there were people willing to mentor me and see the potential in what I could achieve. Their encouragement has been my motivation to keep pushing myself to become a better artist and to help others just as I was helped before.

Website: https://www.kyumotion.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cathyyu6/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kaixi-yu-a0a8b126a/