We recently connected with Xiaodie Huang and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Xiaodie, thanks for joining us today. Are you able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen?

In my case, earning full-time living as a graphic designer is not an easy path. I started studying Graphic Design out of pure enthusiasm and interest in the subject. It’s an ongoing learning process for me. What I have found extremely helpful to shape my creative abilities is to collaborate with designers from different disciplines. You will improve your skill sets and learn new software in the process of collaboration. In addition, I also developed a broader view of the world and became more open-minded.

I have been fortunate enough to encounter some helpful opportunities that have prepared me for life in the design industry. I had tremendous internship opportunity at Koto, a design studio located in Culver City, California. Working with the design team and independently on some client projects was an eye-opening opportunity for me. The experience of working in a positive and energetic work environment had increased my confidence and helped me quickly understand how to manage different design processes.

Beyond that, I also seized any possible opportunity I could find during my time at school. During a course of work, our team’s design work got selected by Pasadena Public Health Department for the Pasadena city event. We collaborated with PPHD and got to build a creative and inspirational craft space for event’s attendee.

There aren’t any little opportunities, but always great learning. As I have encountered numerous different situations, I have gradually developed my own design process keeps my on track while also allowing me to adapt to different circumstances. Through these experiences, I also found out what kind of designer I am. I am fortunate being able to utilize my creative skills in the most friendly and considerate group of professional designers. I’m excited to continue to grow my design career.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I am graphic designer specializing in brand identity, spatial and editorial design. I come from China and now reside in Los Angeles. While I was in China, I developed my passion and interests for design. Throughout my learning, my parents were very supportive and allowed me to explore numerous subjects such as music and art. In a younger self, the creative seed was sown. Studying abroad in the USA allows me to fully choose the career path I am pursuing. During my creative journey, I have won some outstanding awards such as the Hermes Creative Awards, MUSE Creative Awards, and Indigo Design Awards, among others.

I am currently working as an Associate Creative, UI designer at Elephant. Elephant is a creative company creating digital products and brand experiences that feel intuitive and function beautifully. We have worked with many famed clients such as Apple, Domino’s, and Beats ect.. As for myself, I am now working closely with the Apple Newsroom team; my daily life of work is to optimize the production workflow and make sure we deliver high quality of work in a timely manner. Just not long ago in June 2023, we together completed the press release for the most exciting Annual Apple WWDC 2023. My honor was to be part of this event in person at Apple Park, and it was exciting and pleasure to witness the event in person. A level of professional teamwork and excellent quality of communication between the Apple team and me was really inspiring at times. It has been a source of personal satisfaction for me to be able to contribute to meaningful projects and share my design expertise.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

I believe meaningful design leaves a mark on people’s lives and brings about positive change. My driving force in creativity is that I always want to create meaningful and narrative design that connect people and spark deep conversation. I deeply feel the mutual connection when I visit exhibition or flip through a book. Even though people are coming from different background and holding different values or design style, design can always bring people together. Taking a closer look at the typeface, paper, and colors selected by the designer, I can clearly discern their intention. It is also a pleasure to be friendly and outspoken about my ideas and thoughts with someone, within those conversations and emotional connections, we already feel good about ourselves. It is truly fascinating to learn insights from different people. As a designer, I want to continue to make a positive contribution by being a creator, thinker and observer in life.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of being a designer is when I see my designed products, website, or printed collateral are out for the world. For me, the value and functionality of the design is only fully realized when it is out in the world; people start enjoying looking at it or using it. One day, as I was browsing between websites, I discovered the shipping kit I designed was for sale. It is hard for me to use an adequate word to describe what I was feeling at the moment, but as a designer today I continue to feel that feeling still lingering within me. It is this kind of inspiration that motivates me to keep learning and growing as a designer. Also, it is my desire to make a little change in the lives of people and to make them feel more positive about themselves. To me, design is the soul of joy and it has the power to improve our lives to make them as good as they can be.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://xiaodiehuang.com