Today we’d like to introduce you to Haotian Dong.
Haotian, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I was born in a city in northern China, not too big and not too small. To be honest, I was not born in a family with a strong artistic atmosphere. I grew up with my grandparents, who were both chemistry teachers, and my mom and dad, who were both businessmen and civil servants. So naturally, growing up in such a family environment, I, like many Chinese students, did not even consider that I would one day pursue a career in art and design. I think it was in 7th grade that I started to get hooked on Korean groups, and the two that were active at the time were “2NE1” and “T-ARA”, which were my favorites. Then I realized that I was very interested in their album design and music video concept planning. Sometimes I would secretly “design” their album covers or clothes for their next event during boring chemistry classes. I guess this could be my artistic initiation. It wasn’t until later that my family chose to send me to the U.S. for my undergraduate studies, and I was initially given accounting as my major. Because they thought that every company needed an accountant, so I would be able to find a job. At that time, I didn’t have any personal opinion, so I just studied for one semester. After one semester, I realized that I couldn’t imagine what it would be like to work in a law firm every day, filing tax returns with digital forms. So in the second semester of my freshman year, I secretly changed my major to Visual Communication without telling my family. They didn’t know about this until the following year, and they were surprised, but they had to accept it because they couldn’t change their major after sophomore year. When I started studying graphic design, I really felt like a fish out of water and my mental situation was much better. Now I’m working for an advertising agency “Admerasia” and I’m also working part-time as a freelance designer.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
To be honest, I think the biggest challenge is that I started out halfway, I don’t have a good foundation in art. By art foundation, I mean specifically drawing the human body structure. Although it is not necessary to have a very good drawing or painting foundation for design. But I think it is very necessary if you have one. Because if you want to use illustration elements, many times you need characters to appear in the scene. This is where it helps to have good drawing skills. I only took three drawing classes in my undergraduate program, and I was at the bottom of the class at first, but I spent almost every day in the studio that year and got good grades. After that, I just practiced more with online classes.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am good at combining graphic design and jewelry design to show a new look of art. My work often pushes the boundaries of traditional art and challenges the viewer’s imagination and perception. His work is highly visual and emotionally resonant and engaging. I also have a knack for bringing his reflections on everyday life into my works. Through vivid patterns and vibrant colors, I feel I often convey my unique understanding of life and the world through a distinctive perspective.
I just finished a branding project for my friend’s studio, it’s called “CASALEX”. It’s been featured on a lot of media and websites. The idea for CASALEX originated from a casual conversation I had with its founder, Alex Beaufort, over drinks at a bar. We were brainstorming names for a design firm for him, and eventually we decided on “CASALEX”, a combination of the Spanish word “casa” and the name Alex. The name means “Alex’s home” or “Alex’s cottage,” evoking the comfort and familiarity of home and suggesting that clients can find their own design within CASALEX.
The design of CASALEX is inspired by the artistic preferences of Alex Beaufort, the founder, and myself. We both have a passion for Renaissance and classical art as well as modern 3D/VFX design, so I incorporated elements from these different artistic styles to create the overall artistic personality of CASALEX. The central image is a painting “The Fallen Angel” by artist Alexandre Cabanel, created in 1847, which symbolizes the idea that even an angel who falls to earth will always find a home, reinforcing the theme of home that runs through CASALEX’s design.
The overall design of CASALEX uses only black and white, to represent the personalities of the founders. Alex likes black items, while I prefer beige, so we decided to use only these two colors. The CASALEX logo is a variation of Alex’s personal logo, which I designed to blend his initials, “A” and “B,” together. The logo is both classic and modern, with curved serifs and decorative lines to show elegance and a sharp serif font for visual balance.
The poster design is inspired by “x-ray films on hospital walls”. Through the design of “looking through the three-dimensional model inside”, I tried to mix classical and modern together. Looking at the poster, you will find that there are actually many variations of the CASALEX design. There are many variations of the CASALEX design, including a one-line version and a two-line version with “CASA-ALEX,” because we couldn’t decide which was better. So we decided to use both versions in all designs, as can be seen in the stationery design.
At CASALEX, we aim to enhance communication through tailored, functional, and aesthetic messages. We believe that design is not just about aesthetics but also about communication, so we integrate design with communication objectives in every project to ensure the most effective message is conveyed.
Are there any apps, books, podcasts, blogs or other resources you think our readers should check out?
It wouldn’t be nice if I said that the software I use most often is Tiktok. But sometimes there are a lot of talented artists on Tiktok, I think it’s the algorithm, if you like those artists a lot, then your FYP will gradually be occupied by these people. Other than Tiktok, I really like Letterboxd, I really love watching movies. Because a lot of my designs are inspired by movies, so Letterboxd is a software I usually use a lot. Btw my favorite movie is “Last year in Marienbad”! Behance! I think it’s needless to say, it can let me know the recent design style trends and appreciate other artists’ portfolios.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://howteeann.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/seeby8008208820/
Image Credits
Haotian Dong
