Linlan Li has worked as a full-time graphic designer at LavaBeijing and is currently working part-time as a designer at North Design, London. She is currently studying MA Visual Communication (Graphic Design Pathway) at The Royal College of Art. And her previous education includes BA Graphic Design at ArtCenter College of Design.
Linlan Li
Alongside my practice as a graphic designer, I’m also a podcast host. Visual language and spoken language are equally important as methods to help me think, practice, observe and express myself. My graphic designer role allows me to follow my instinct, driven by curiosity and passion. And my podcast host role makes me a critical thinker who believes after proof and speaks after research. These two roles worked together and formed me into the designer I am. My practice sits on branding, publishing, and creative direction.
I have felt at home in the narrow lanes of Beijing, the roads to the beaches of LA, and the artist’s markets of London. By studying in China, the US, and then the UK, adjusting to different cultures has become part of my life. This has deeply informed how I practice design, emphasizing observation, dialogue, and finding a culturally and ethically conscious approach. My practice is centred around branding, publishing, and creative direction.
Influx – An Introduction of Hybrid Identity. –
This booklet is an overall research on Hybrid Identity. It is constructed in two parts, one is my own reflection based on my experiences of hybrid identity, the other part is academic research of how hybrid identity is formed. I choose Poly-Roly toy, scale balance and tetter totter to represent myself, to capture the unstableness of living in-between two culture identities.
Influx – An Interview of Hybrid Identity.
Influx – An Interview of Hybrid Identity.
Influx Project Statement
Influx – Influx means the arrival or entry of many people or things, the act of flowing in. And that correspond to the definition of hybrid identity which is where two or more aspects of a person’s identity are combined, producing a unique, form of identity. In this project, I will focus on the hybrid identity that is caused by personal choices rather than external forces. To research the social and psychological reasons hiding behind the formation of hybrid identity, to understand why one’s cultural identity is different from one’s passport nationality, and finally to create an online platform where people who are experiencing hybrid identity could communicate and support each other.
Influx – An Interview of Hybrid Identity. –
The second booklet is called “Human Flow”. The name is inspired by Ai weiwei’s documentary about human migration and global refuges crisis. I interview more that 10 people and choose three that I feel the most important. Each of them has the uniqueness yet deeply resonated with the existence of hybrid identity.
Influx – An Interview of Hybrid Identity.
Influx – An Interview of Hybrid Identity. –
I use French-Fold Binding to experiment with the liminal space in-between pages.
Influx – The space Influx. –
The Space Influx is a sequential exploration of the liminal space in-between cultures, countries, communities where all the people who are struggling with hybrid identity gathering together and support each other.
The space Influx Poster –
To promote the online platform, I designed a series of posters and fold them into the booklet. The poster series demonstrate different pages and functions of the platform.
The space Influx Poster