Meet Shengjie Wu | Graphic Designer & Visual Artist

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

Hi Shengjie, what do you attribute your success to?
Since I was a child, I have had the habit of collecting things. Every piece in my collection tells a story. I collect Hot Wheels because I’m a car enthusiast. I love clothing tags because I’m fascinated by unique label designs. Refrigerator magnets from different regions record my journeys.
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My passion for collecting has shaped my aesthetic sensibilities and fueled my creative fire. The act of gathering a diverse array of objects provides me with a rich visual library. Immersing myself in this tangible world of collected artifacts helps me to gain fresh perspectives and a heightened sensitivity to detail. This collector’s mindset allows me to approach each project with a fresh outlook, offering designs that meet the brief and bring a unique perspective and connection that sets the design apart, and now, creating and collecting have become a way of life for me.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
As a graphic designer, I specialize in typography, branding, and book design. I am fascinated by using graphics and text to bridge the gap between individuals around the world, providing opportunities for everyone to explore various fields.

I am excited to find the little details in life and convey them to the audience through visual means. For example, the concept and idea behind the AAA rebrand project is to encourage customers to put their feet on the pedals and prepare for the trip. I found that the most well-known AAA service is roadside assistance. Therefore road trip concept is the core visual element in this rebrand.

My design career is an exploration of pursuing my dreams. My undergraduate background was studying the impact of big data on society, but since high school, I have been interested in graphic design. To pursue my dream of becoming a designer, I decided to return to campus right before my bachelor’s degree and learn more about graphic design systematically. Luckily, I got an offer from my dream school, Artcenter College of Design. In the beginning, due to my lack of knowledge in graphic design, it was always difficult to keep up with the pace of the teacher and the class. At the same time, seeing the works made by talented students, I would often wonder whether I could become an excellent designer. My mentor inspired me that design is never about following in others’ footsteps. The most important thing is to find your area and style and use visuals to make the audience resonate with your design.

In school, I am not only learning the skill and philosophy of graphic design, but I also learned the importance of teamwork, importance of storytelling, and concept. Without a great concept and story, design work could only be a great visual. However, design is more than just visual art, it is about the story, humanity, and thinking behind the design. Design that resonates with the audience is more important than good visuals

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
As a graphic designer, I want to show some national parks, such as Yosemite. I also believe that nature is one of the best inspirations for teacher design. The fresh atmosphere can help people escape from the crowned and bustle of the city.

As a car enthusiast, I would like to take you to visit the Petersen Automotive Museum. Explore the history and stories behind different cars. Appreciate the unique charm of cars. At the Petersen Automotive Museum, you can also see interesting models from different eras.

Amoeba Music is also my favorite to visit. Here I can experience the unique charm of music, find vinyl records of my favorite artists, and even discover the unique album cover designs.

I recommend Delicious Food Corner and Alice’s Kitchen, They have very traditional Hong Kong and Cantonese food, my hometown food.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I want to shout out to my family. Without the support of my family, I would not have been able to receive such an innovative and diverse design education in the United States.

Website: https://www.shengjiewu.info/

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

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/-shengjie-wu