Today we’d like to introduce you to Rita Liu.
Rita, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I grew up in Beijing, China. The big city gave me an idea of what I like; but I always wanted to go abroad, see the world, and soak myself into a mixed cultural melting pot. I went to the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, CA to major in Illustration. At that time, I was not sure if I wanted to be an illustrator in the future, but I know I’ve always been leaning towards visuals.
I was lucky during the first two years in school with strictly foundation courses, drawing, printmaking, and design. Each of these courses was incredibly hands-on, without any computer application.
It was my first course in design in which we painted color swatches with gauche and trained our eyes by intuitively identifying hue, saturation, lightness, and darkness. Paper cutouts were used to create abstract compositions to resemble nouns and adjectives–resulting in a wide variety of art coming from a classroom full of people with different creative backgrounds.
I wasn’t only focusing on painting and drawing, my school also gave me a chance to discover who I was and who I want to be. Design became a way for me to combine all of those things.
At this point in my life, I saw there is a gap between Asia and America, so I partnered up with a girl who has a similar cultural background from the agency Lemon Vision—we want to pool our skills together to celebrate our rich and vibrant cultural heritage and connect the bridge in between Asian and western culture.
Lemon Vision is all about vision: one that’s unique and bold, just like a lemon.
We empower brands to celebrate diversity, positivity, and personality through authentic storytelling and compelling design.
Founded in 2020, our name “Lemon Vision” was inspired by William Bernbach from one of his most notable print ads, Lemon, created for the company Volkswagen in 1960. Lemon Vision has never taken the easy path, we customize unique design solutions based on our clients’ needs. “Don’t Let The Perfect Be The Enemy Of The Good”.
We are not perfect as humans, but let’s celebrate our diversity and embrace that, especially with what’s going on in the world.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
It definitely hasn’t always been a smooth road, being a foreigner in a different culture is hard., Coming to the states had been a big culture shock at first. I can say I was a little bit closed-minded at first, coming to the states gave me a bigger chance to see the world and to appreciate others work even more: I look at other people’s work and don’t understand things sometimes too, but it can still be pleasurable in other ways, I think there’s merit to that — to express in their own way. I’m a first-generation immigrant in the US. After years of uncertainty and battling for stability, I am grateful for my parents’ sacrifices which taught me how to pursue my dreams with grit. I am proud that I’ve built a career that I love and deeply enjoy, and I am thankful each day that I get to share it with others.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I do graphic design for a living, and I love to paint in my free time. My partner and I formed an agency named Lemon Vision in 2020, our name, “Lemon Vision” was inspired by William Bernbach from one of his most notable print ads, Lemon, created for the company Volkswagen in 1960. Lemon is used to describe what we consider bad and defective products. The advertisement claims a car that looks so perfect is still unsatisfying. In order to show that, the public requires strict product quality requirements.
Lemon Vision has never taken the easy path, we customize unique design solutions based on our clients’ needs. “Don’t Let The Perfect Be The Enemy Of The Good”. In this era of mass production, our secret sauce has always consisted of adding authentic elements to the design while seeking after fulfilled quality.
Alright, so to wrap up, is there anything else you’d like to share with us?
Please don’t hesitate to reach out, love to connect with other creatives!
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: lemonvision.studio
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ritaliustaysgold/
Image Credits
Lemon Vision
