Today we’d like to introduce you to Sharleen Chen.
Sharleen, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I am currently a graphic designer, but I did not start with an undergraduate education in design. Despite always having an interest in the arts, I settled for majoring in Communications under my parent’s strong suggestion that I select something more practical. I double minored in Fine Arts and Music because I still insisted on pursuing my interests. I knew I wanted to become a graphic designer, so while at school I took on as much design roles in different clubs as possible to build up a portfolio on my own. After I graduated from college, I got a job as a designer where I provided creative direction and execution on all of the company’s internal designs and managed their brand assets. Since I never was formally trained, I recognized that I wanted to improve more but didn’t feel like I knew how without the proper education, so I decided to attend grad school. I eventually chose California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) because I felt like their program could really teach me how to think critically and differently. I truly feel that CalArts taught me to how to develop my own expressive voice.
While at CalArts, I developed an interest in motion graphics and emerging tech. I had never done any motion work prior to school, nor knew any of the programs, but I worked hard at learning it and eventually my interest in both print and motion, physical and the digital, culminated in my thesis project on the subject of mixed reality, I felt that since AR/VR/MR is inevitably going to be a part of our daily lives in the future, designers need to start thinking about how they can utilize this tool and incorporate it into their practice. Using the poster format as a playground for experimentation, I selected some principles of Graphic Design, added the element of the mixed reality space to them, and explored how the meanings of these principles could shift. This project really cemented my interest in speculative design that can help push our world forward.
After grad school, I started working on many projects that entailed speculative design through a process called “world building.” World building is essentially future visioning through the power of storytelling. Through extensive research, we design stories that showcase a preferred future, enabling our clients to then act upon this ideal vision. Currently, I am the Creative Lead on an art-science collaborative VR/AR project about the Pancreatic Beta Cell, called World in a Cell. This project is a partnership between USC’s Bridge Institute and World Building Media Lab. It’s a treat to be able to work with people from so many different disciplines to develop a brand new visual language to depict scientific data. I believe in making design work that pushes boundaries and ways of thinking, and I hope to continue to make work that is interesting and meaningful.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I have been extremely lucky in that just about every job I’ve had was either from a referral or I was found. With that said, I have definitely faced plenty of struggle with trying to find my way. Having my formal design education later in life means I had less experience in finding what I wanted and what I was good at, compared to some of my peers. I am very careful with the career decisions I make and I always want to make sure that I feel creatively fulfilled and that the work I make has purpose. This has made it difficult at times to decide on next steps. However, I am very grateful that I have found my way in something that aligns so closely with my interests in speculative design and emerging tech such as AR/VR.
Tell us about more about you. What do you do, what do you specialize in, what are you known for, etc.
As a designer, I specialize in creative/art direction as well as graphic and narrative design. I believe what sets me apart from others is my ability to not only think creatively but also logically. My work and process is very research-based and is viewed through a wholistic lens. I believe that clear, creative ideas will always be based on a well-thought out foundation.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
I think it was when I chose to jump into exploring mixed reality for my thesis project. I was armed with no knowledge but a deep interest in the topic, and it was a huge risk to try to pull it off within one semester. I did not know even how to use Cinema 4D, and it took a lot of research, asking around, and self-teaching to eventually accomplish what I set out to do. I feel like I learned so much through that process, and I am still reaping the benefits to this day from that project since it was a defining moment for my career path.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.sharleenchen.com
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: shartreuse
Suggest a story: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
