BOOKS

I'm drawn to projects with personal significance, whether for my clients or myself, and this one held both.

Both of my grandfathers served in the KMT during China's civil war. One of them helped found Taiwan’s first intelligence agency after the Chinese Civil War. He kept a diary that my father later compiled into a book. For its cover, I incorporated my grandfather’s admired calligraphy, pairing it with complementary typefaces that honored his artwork. The book is now housed in the Library of Congress.

A second project emerged during COVID, when we encouraged my father to write about his childhood during the Second Sino-Japanese War, his immigration to the U.S. in the 1950s, and his life with my mother as an American immigrant. Collaborating on the book’s title and imagery, I designed the cover using a tranquil stream motif and typography that echoed the movement of water, reflecting his vision.

Blending cultural and family history with design storytelling has made these among my most meaningful projects

A BOOK IN PROGRESS

Books seem to run in our family. I’m currently designing the cover for my aunt’s cookbook, compiled by my cousin from her mother’s cherished Chinese recipes and sprinkled with her own illustrations. With full creative freedom, I decided to feature those very sketches and doodles on the cover as a reflection of her voice and spirit. The title, Da Ma, is a loose phonetic translation of “Big Mama,” the affectionate name we all used for my aunt.