We recently connected with Jiayu Hu and have shared our conversation below.
Jiayu, appreciate you making time for us and sharing your wisdom with the community. So many of us go through similar pain points throughout our journeys and so hearing about how others overcame obstacles can be helpful. One of those struggles is keeping creativity alive despite all the stresses, challenges and problems we might be dealing with. How do you keep your creativity alive?
To keep my creativity alive, I make an effort to connect with people from diverse backgrounds and immerse myself in new experiences. While I enjoy working independently and can spend long hours in my room, I find that isolation or endlessly browsing content online can lead to a lack of inspiration. For me, stepping outside and engaging with the world is essential to replenishing my creative energy. I enjoy meeting people from different walks of life, whether it’s volunteering at a film festival, taking a Japanese class, or traveling to foreign countries and visiting museums to learn about history. I’m passionate about stories, and understanding the narratives behind historical events or artworks often sparks new ideas. Additionally, I regularly use my phone’s camera and note-taking app to capture fresh ideas and inspirations as they come to me throughout the day. This way, whenever I’m feeling uninspired, I can always turn to my inspiration library for fresh ideas.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
I am a communication designer specializing in Branding & Identity, and Service Design. Driven by a passion for creating meaningful experiences, I focus on uniting people and fostering a sense of community through thoughtful design, storytelling, and innovation.
What excites me most is the opportunity to connect with diverse individuals and craft designs that spark conversations, bridge perspectives, and inspire collaboration. I have collaborated with various hospitality groups to create graphic and UI/UX design solutions, enhancing brand visibility and market success through cross-disciplinary teamwork. Additionally, I managed brand marketing, overseeing customer experience, social media campaigns, and promotional materials to develop strategies that drive user satisfaction.
I am currently exploring new ways to integrate emerging technologies into my design strategies, with a focus on accessibility and interactive experiences. This shift marks an exciting evolution in my work, and I am particularly passionate about how it can enhance user engagement and foster more inclusive designs.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
The three most important and impactful qualities in my professional journey have been creative problem-solving, collaboration, and empathy.
Creative problem-solving allows me to think outside the box and find solutions to complex challenges. In design, balancing user needs with business goals is crucial, and creative thinking helps achieve this through both visual and functional solutions. For instance, in branding projects, I often have to creatively address client challenges, meet their objectives, and craft designs that resonate with users. My advice is to keep pushing boundaries, experimenting with new ideas, and embracing challenges that encourage innovative thinking.
Collaboration is essential in any creative project, particularly when working with diverse teams from different disciplines. Clear communication helps ensure everyone understands the goals and expectations, aligning the team toward a unified vision. In developing brand strategies or service systems, effective collaboration enables us to deliver cohesive solutions. To improve communication and collaboration, I recommend focusing on active listening, asking the right questions, and being open to feedback from diverse perspectives.
Empathy is fundamental to design, as it helps us understand users’ needs, pain points, and desires. By engaging with users through research methods like surveys, interviews, or usability testing, we can create solutions that truly address real-world problems. For example, designing a health app or an accessible website requires a deep understanding of the target audience to ensure the product meets their needs. Developing empathy, engaging with users through surveys, interviews, or usability testing, and always keeping their needs at the heart of design decisions will be very helpful for growth.
We’ve all got limited resources, time, energy, focus etc – so if you had to choose between going all in on your strengths or working on areas where you aren’t as strong, what would you choose?
I believe that working on weaknesses is essential for personal and professional growth. While it’s easy to rely on our strengths, focusing solely on them can limit our potential and make us less adaptable in the face of new challenges. For example, one area I recognized as a weakness in my own journey is my familiarity with emerging technologies. I knew that expanding my knowledge in this area would open up new possibilities for creative solutions and enhance my versatility. By attending workshops and actively seeking opportunities to learn about these technologies, I’ve been able to integrate them into my design strategies. This has not only increased my effectiveness but also helped me approach projects from innovative perspectives. Strengthening weaknesses opens up growth opportunities and allows us to respond to evolving demands, ultimately making us more adaptable and resilient in our careers.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://jiayuhu.com
- Instagram: @hutt.pdf
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sunnijiayuhu
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