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

Shuang, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?

As a young professional who works in the education field with a design career, I see learning as an ongoing process. The graphic design industry requires constant learning on innovative thinking and technology updates. I started off as a non-art student, spending most of my time learning essential Adobe software and design basics from college and online resources. Once I stepped into the real design world, I quickly realized that graphic design expands beyond technology and book knowledge. Graphic design is a way of creative thinking and also a lifestyle. To design meaningful projects, we need to acquire the skills of detail orientation, the art of communication, effective collaboration, and clear art direction. It sounds complicated, but I found it very simple at the same time. I try to challenge myself by walking out of my comfort zone, practicing these skills in daily life, and never saying no to any present work opportunity. The worst situation we tend to imagine is unlikely to happen once we make a move. For example, during my internship at Champions, an NYC brand studio last summer, I worked on multiple projects and actively involves with the design process with the team and oversaw the workflow and structure in the studio. However, before this opportunity, I went through many rounds of interviews, countless cold emails, and several rejections in three months. I have explored different fields in the industry, from large tech companies to ad agencies, then small-size creative teams, and currently teaching in design higher education. Constantly absorbing information and being open to new ideas and opportunities are important when it comes to learning. Also, working in the western industry as a female of color is not easy but always believe and trust your instinct.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I was born in a small city in southern China and moved to Miami in 2013 for high school. I received my BFA in Graphic Design from the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) in Baltimore, Maryland, and I am working towards my MFA degree from the same school. Currently, I am teaching as an adjunct professor in the undergraduate department and running a studio with two partners in Shanghai. Previously, I have designed at Champions Design︎︎︎, MICA, NetEase︎︎︎ WangYi, and Wix.com︎︎. My clients include the Advancement Project, Quad, Maryland Department of Transportation, LadyM, Nespresso, and many non-profit organizations.

My work ranges from brand identity and packaging design to motion graphics, editorial design, and coding. As a designer, I am passionate about design storytelling, typography, branding, and creative innovation. On the side, I am always on the road of multimedia design experiments, such as C4D, TouchDesigner, and p5js.

Over the past years, my projects are recognized by the Society of Typographic Arts (STA), International Design Award (IDA), American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA), Indigo Design Award, Transform Asia-Pacific Award, Wix, and Creative Quarterly.

Looking back, are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

There are many online learning platforms that are provided for free. Internet is an open-source classroom, you can always find the knowledge you want, no matter how strange it is. Always keeps an open heart to everything around us, and try and challenge yourself. Network with different people from various industries, participate in design conferences (AIGA, TDC, etc). It will be a surprising adventure with all opportunities that come your way.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

As an instructor in higher design education, I always like to see my students achieve their creative goals through design. The positive feedback from the class is the motivation for me to keep teaching. Their projects reflect the teamwork between my lectures, class critique, and their own hard work. Speaking of design, to have smooth, active communication with my clients and create a brand system that speaks for their needs with my design lens is certainly rewarding.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://wu-shuang.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/reawakening47/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shuang-luna-wu-%E5%90%B4%E5%8F%8C-930b2814a/
• Other: https://www.behance.net/shuangwu47

Image Credits
From left to right Daily practice: Architectural Movement Posters Data visualization: Life journey that led to graphic design (selected as 1 of 100 winners across the world in the Society of Typographic Arts Competition) Branding: Moo-Ah Milk brand (gold winner, Indigo Design Award) Publication: Next Wave 2022 book, Brooklyn Academy of Music