Hi, I'm Nancy (Xinxuan) Gao, but I go by Nancy. I graduated from ArtCenter College of Design with a major in Graphic Design, focusing on branding and visual identity. My art journey began early; I started learning to draw and paint when I was just 4 years old. As I continued exploring the art world, I realized that I couldn’t live without it.

Why graphic design? I was inspired by the design magazines on my mom's shelf, captivated by the visual storytelling and branding behind each project. I was fascinated by how visuals and typography could communicate with an audience. That passion led me to apply to ArtCenter, and since then, I’ve been pursuing my design career.

I love exploring the unique stories behind each brand, understanding their positioning, and discovering the messages that attract people. It’s fascinating to see whether their visual language is effectively supporting their goals. There’s so much excitement in rebranding or even just a campaign—figuring out how to tell a compelling story.

I believe that graphic design is about delivering messages and building brands. At college, there were many paths within graphic design, but I stayed focused on branding, taking many courses that helped solidify my decision to pursue a creative career.

I currently work as a designer at BBDO LA, collaborating closely with the design team and creative directors on campaign and identity design. In my spare time, I also take on freelance projects.

When I was young, I thought creativity meant creating something entirely new, something that didn’t exist in the world before. But as I grew up and learned more, I realized it’s actually about translating something familiar into your own language—your unique interpretation.

If your version, your whole system, is distinctive, and the way you see things differs from the norm or current trends, then that is true creativity.

I believe thorough research on a brand is essential. It's important to understand its current brand language, positioning, target audience, and more. From there, conducting research and creating a mind map helps build new visuals and design systems. This is the foundation of creating effective design.

In daily life, I stay inspired by the great designs from top agencies, studios, and companies. Seeing how others approach design excites and motivates me to continually improve.

This is how my research goes: research—mind map—mood board—color palette—type choice—design system development. It helps me build a solid foundation for creating effective and cohesive designs.

My favorite part is positioning. After conducting thorough research on an existing brand, I enjoy the process of developing a new visual language. If the project includes creating a new logo, that's definitely the highlight for me.

However, when a client wants to retain their existing logo, finding the best way to enhance the brand's visual language is the most exciting challenge for me.

First, I use colors to convey emotions, creating a direct connection that allows people to feel them in my projects. Additionally, I'm passionate about custom typography and font design, often incorporating unique typefaces to define the main identity of my work.

I believe so! Although I haven’t worked on any projects related to Chinese culture so far, it doesn’t mean I’m not interested in it. However, I believe my experience with Chinese calligraphy has helped me understand fonts.

Even though Chinese and English are two entirely different language systems, when I work on font design projects, the attention to detail in each stroke for different letters reminds me of writing Chinese calligraphy. I think the beauty of typography and the humanism it conveys are universal.

It’s an honor to be recognized by the 2024 MUSE Creative Awards. It’s always gratifying to see my visual language being understood. I see this as motivation to continue exploring and developing my design skills, and to keep pursuing what I love.

The winning entry is an identity project for the Ojai Music Festival, which aims to perform and share experimental classical music by contemporary musicians with all music lovers—not just the older generation, but also the young. The festival connects people through the beauty of classical music and a shared passion for exploring creativity by offering immersive music performances.

Inspired by artists's performances, I experimented with typography to reflect the festival's values, believing that the interaction between music and type would be exciting. I chose to submit this project because I felt its consistent graphic language and unique approach set it apart from other music festival designs, giving me a chance to win.

I think the biggest challenge for me was finding a balance with the customized letters. If the experimental typography is too overwhelming, the design system can become very chaotic. Developing a comfortable and harmonious system with these elements was the biggest challenge.

I believe the award is a definite recognition of my design abilities, something I can add to my resume to help advance my career.

1. I like how open the industry is; there are no limitations for talented people.

2. For me, design is something I’m passionate about, which is why I enjoy being part of this industry.

3. Our industry is relatively broad, allowing people from different fields to connect. I think we share a common language that enables us to understand and learn from one another.

I’m originally from China but have primarily worked in the United States. The creative industry environments in both countries are distinct. China stands out for its rich and diverse cultural history, which many Chinese designers now draw upon to showcase traditional and brilliant aspects of the culture to the world.

In contrast, the United States, with its multicultural population, fosters an openness to embracing diverse artistic and creative expressions.

Regarding this question, I believe many would say that AI will significantly impact the creative industry in the next 5–10 years, though I have some doubts.

I still view AI as a tool for creatives, with humans remaining the driving force behind the industry. However, I do think the digital world will become more dynamic, and coding programs may become more accessible to everyone.

Take a look at the previous winners and analyze what makes their work successful, while still staying true to your own concept. You can always learn a lot by studying other people's work—observe how they present their projects and understand what defines a mature piece.

I would recommend taking some classes, either in-person or online. Additionally, practice regularly. In the creative industry, learning isn't like math—there's an unusual learning curve where everyone progresses at their own pace.

One day, you might suddenly realize that your skills have noticeably improved.

I would say my professors at ArtCenter inspired me the most. They helped me sharpen my design skills and guided me into the world of design.

Honestly, I don’t see myself as successful yet. I’m still young and believe there’s much more I can achieve in the future. As for the awards, I attribute them to my passion for bringing ideas to life and my relentless drive to keep exploring.