Rising Stars: Meet Vivien Luo

Today we’d like to introduce you to Vivien Luo.

Hi Vivien, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I grew up in Chongqing, China. It’s been a city I love with lovely people. The city cultivated my passion for art. Influenced by my family, learning Urban Design seemed natural when I started university. I should’ve worked as an urban designer or in a related field, but I found myself curious about more. Later, I embarked on my journey to discover the world outside my comfort zone.

New York became my next stop, where the lights are so bright, and the culture is so diverse. I studied at Parsons School of Design. School and the city were like a kaleidoscope. I have been interested in human behaviors since a very young age, and New York is a sufficient source for me to immerse. I found myself passionately observing people and learning new things.

Over time, I became more focused on my passions and strengths. In the intersection of design and human interaction, I found digital product design and graphic design to be extremely intriguing to me. Initially, I created interface mockups for tablets, but later, I desired to develop complete applications or websites that could serve people effectively.

Taking the initiative, I enrolled in user experience-related courses and worked on various projects along the way. I found the entire process to be fulfilling. Even as I progressed to collaborate with numerous individuals and win awards in competitions, I still value the early experiences that kindled my passion. These experiences continue to drive me to strive for greater heights.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It’s not a smooth path. Early on, there was a typical barrier for me, language. English is not my mother tongue, and I was not confident talking in English, pitching a design idea, or advocating for it. However, barriers can serve as motivation to learn. I set a goal to improve my language, both in reading and verbal communication. I spent months learning new vocabulary and embedding them in my long-term memory. Consequently, during presentations, I found myself speaking with greater confidence.

Nonetheless, I shifted to being more active when communicating with stakeholders, engineers, and other collaborators. Sometimes, you have to deliberately put yourself in an “uncomfortable” place to grow in that area. Through intentional exercise, diffidence dissipated through cumulative small steps and I started to hear acclaims from collaborators saying that they like my ideas and the way I relate design solutions to problems.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I’m a designer focused on creating digital products and graphics. Design is not only a powerful problem-solving tool but also a means to enhance the quality of daily life for people. This motive continually replenishes me.

I’m proud some of my design works are recognized by prestigious design competitions, such as the Muse Creative Award, DNA Paris Design Award, Graphic Design USA, Hermes Creative Award, Novum Design Award, and so on. Participating in competitions served as a great opportunity for me to cultivate a comprehensive understanding of the principles that define great design. This includes identifying the problem space, distilling research insights to serve as a strong foundation, conceptualizing and developing the design, and ultimately validating it through feedback from the target users.

I would say my strength is that I’m open-minded and self-motivated after the zigzag journey I’ve discovered in my studies and professional world. The design trends vary fast, especially with the advent of the AI era. Designers must not only possess technical skills, how they think, the way they approach and solve problems, and create good social impacts are essential. In addition, discerning what’s nitty gritty amidst ambiguity is a standout attribute. In the real world, the design process is usually not as idealistic as we learned in textbooks, there are many constraints.

We love surprises, fun facts and unexpected stories. Is there something you can share that might surprise us?
Here’s a fun fact about me – one of my covert passions or hobbies is my keen interest in languages. Beyond being a tool for communication, languages offer a beautiful medium for artistic expression, something I enjoy engaging with. I have been into writing poems and learning Cantonese songs. Those things are really fun to me.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.vivienluo.com
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vivienluo/
• Other: https://www.behance.net/vivienluo