We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Yining Li a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Yining, thanks for joining us today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?
Last year, I joined the SCAD CoMotion branding team, a significant project I worked on during my time at SCAD. CoMotion, established in 2010, is SCAD’s annual student-led motion media conference that attracts 40-plus top-industry motion design companies. As a designer, I worked with other 7 designers to design style frames for the 2023 title sequence. The whole production spanned from late November to March 10 and utilized a hybrid of virtual and in-person collaboration. Due to my early background in illustration at SCAD, I have always been used to creating by myself, but I always hope to participate in collaborative projects. After I studied the Motion Media Design program, I am hoping to have more group projects. In this CoMotion, I worked with my team to explore visual problems and find and implement visual solutions. It was a great experience and the final delivery was very satisfying. I am very grateful to my team, and my leader, they are very positive, friendly, and professional.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I am Yining, an illustrator and motion designer. Now I am a graduate of Savannah College of Art and Design. I will be graduating in 2023 summer. Art is my friend since very early on. I make art or doodles as gifts to socialize with my friends. They love it and encourage me to do more art stuff. Later on, I began to study animation in college. I created my senior project called”The Pressure of Growing Up” which expresses my personal story of my growing up life. I found my love in telling stories. After I graduated, I hope to open my mind to the design field, so I hit up Savannah College of Art and Design to study Illustration. During study at SCAD, I discovered my passion for bringing visual concepts to life and using my design and illustration skills. As a visual storyteller, I aim to achieve and explore design styles to help tell better stories.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
As a creator, I find the most rewarding thing is to express my ideas through art and storytelling. During the creative process, I am free, and every interaction of inspiration is an extraordinary experience. Everything is unknown before the start of each project, and the experience gained during this process always brings a sense of freshness.
Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?
During my undergraduate studies, my understanding of design was very limited, and I never imagined that I would come to the United States to study design after graduation. I wish I had known earlier that aesthetics are diverse, and before my senior year, I knew nothing about foreign design colleges and information. If possible, I hope to open up my horizons earlier to learn and improve my aesthetics. Earlier, I always thought that technique was the only factor in creating or there was only one standard for high-quality work. When I came to study in the United States, I realized the diversity in design and culture. In creating, I am not limited to one aesthetic now. I can learn to appreciate more styles and techniques, thereby improving myself.
Contact Info:
- Website: yiningli.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yining_li20/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yining-li-b4002a19a/