We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Riley Ruiwen Ruan. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Riley Ruiwen below.

Hi Riley Ruiwen, thanks for joining us today. To kick things off, we’d love to hear about things you or your brand do that diverge from the industry standard.

I believe rejecting self-doubt and continuously exploring new things is essential for ongoing creativity. Don’t overthink or hesitate—take action and turn ideas into reality. Avoid holding back or playing it safe. Be open and flexible to new things. Don’t let external factors influence your decisions; maintain patience, and take the time to refine and polish your work without rushing.

In the past, I felt constrained by rules and limitations, which led me to believe I didn’t have the opportunity to explore and experience new things. My curiosity was suppressed by fear and hesitation. It wasn’t until I grew up that I could finally go wherever I wanted. This “freedom“ brought me a sense of excitement and joy I had never felt before. Even when I didn’t have the necessary conditions, I took action to create those conditions for myself.

Riley Ruiwen, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

In high school, my involvement in the yearbook club solidified my decision to pursue Visual Communication Design. During my undergraduate studies, I took a gap year to intern at ByteDance, where I encountered the unpredictability of social media. The increased online demand during the pandemic made me realize how effective social media can be in providing exposure to projects or brands. However, the high demand and fast pace for visual content often led to incomplete designs driven by data results. Graphic design is a long-term process—design takes action and time.

My friends and I launched the ‘in-chaos’ and ‘Hand Me Down’ projects/brands. I’ve never regretted or doubted the projects and brands I started because, as I took action, I continuously learned and improved through mistakes. We explore social issues that young people often discuss and internet trends. ’Hear Me Out/Hand Me Down’ expresses our desire to translate our thoughts into tangible items that can be passed down.

My design goal is to genuinely and accurately convey the intended message while maintaining projects and brands through social media management.

How did you build your audience on social media?

A significant factor in building a social media audience was my internship experience in the social media industry, where I learned how to understand and utilize data for promotion. After the internship, I started managing my social media accounts, organizing my hobbies and interests into visual content for the online world. For example, I shared my finds in second-hand vintage clothing, documented myself with different coffee beans by grinding them at home and brewing with my moka pot, and posted about my learning process in art history at school. Then, one of my posts suddenly gained a lot of page views. I believe that maintaining a consistent posting frequency is key. In the early stages, don’t be afraid to prioritize the completeness of your content. Not every post needs to be perfect.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

Developing consistent design systems and balancing creativity with commercial value are key as a graphic designer. I believe in continuous learning and that mistakes lead to progress. Social networking and seeking feedback from mentors and peers have been essential in overcoming challenges and building resilience.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://isrriley.work/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_72l.1/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ruiwen-ruan-a0709014a/

Image Credits

Image Credits: Riley Ruiwen Ruan, JunJun Zhang