Meet Veronica Tsai

We recently connected with Veronica Tsai and have shared our conversation below.

Veronica, we’re thrilled to have you on our platform and we think there is so much folks can learn from you and your story. Something that matters deeply to us is living a life and leading a career filled with purpose and so let’s start by chatting about how you found your purpose.

I don’t know if I’ve found my purpose yet, or if there even is such a thing as a
singular purpose in life. However, one thing I know for sure ever since I was much
younger is that I would spend this lifetime doing creative work. I was drawn to the
arts and crafts since I was a child, and that passion has never faded away.
A mentor of mine once said that life is very much a journey; we exist in liminal
spaces, and there are no final destinations. Once you achieve a goal, be it professional
or personal, you relish it for a while, then you move on to the next stage. At this stage,
I’m perfectly content with being a graphic designer. It’s a very fulfilling job that
allows me to explore different subject matters, design concepts and techniques, and
the collaboration with fascinating people from different industries.
When I can, I supplement my design job with other creative endeavors, such as music,
dance, and handicrafts. I’m more of a reserved person, but through learning and
experiencing different areas of the arts, I’ve been able to learn much more about
myself and be very expressive in my own ways. I’ll continue to learn and explore,
because I’m sure the creative energy will feed into each other in unexpected ways.

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’m a freelance graphic designer based in Los Angeles and Taipei, Taiwan. I currently
work with two great LA-based studios, Thunderwing and Sussman/Prejza.
With Thunderwing, I’ve had the pleasure of working on a wide range of projects that
focus on film, publishing, music, and art, which are all subjects that I’m really
interested in. Some of the projects include luxury art book publisher Taschen’s
beautiful The Library of Esoterica series, album packaging designs for Florence + The
Machine, and miscellaneous designs for Focus Features (NBC Universal).
A recent, ongoing project that I’m excited about is the visual identity for FORM, a
one-of-a-kind music festival located in Yavapai County, Arizona. Set in Arcosanti, an
experimental town designed by architect Paolo Soleri, FORM is wild, immersive, and
intimate. I created the main logotype with woodcut prints to reflect the rough and
organic nature of the music festival. When I was a student at ArtCenter College of

Design not too long ago, I created a fictional project centered around Arcosanti, so it
feels very fulfilling to be able to work on an actual Arcosanti-based project!
Additionally, it was a lot of fun to work on designs for the 20th Anniversary release of
Shaun of the Dead for Focus Features. I loved working in the heraldic (and slightly
bloody) illustration style.
Sussman/Prejza & Co. is a long-established studio known for its many large-scale
design projects, such as the identity for the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games and the
master planning for the Hollywood Entertainment District’s signage ordinance. With
Sussman/Prejza, I’ve participated on a few environmental graphics projects. For
example, over the past year, I’ve been working with Gulfshore Playhouse in Naples,
Florida, overseeing the design of a large interior graphics system for their new Theatre
and Education Center that are set to open this fall.
In addition to Thunderwing and Sussman/Prejza, I had the opportunity to work on an
exhibit at the Skirball Cultural Center. I worked directly with Skirball’s Museum
Director Sheri Bernstein, Philadelphia-based curator Ivy Weingram and exhibit
designer Debi van Zyl on Frank Stella: Had Gadya. Taking inspiration from the work
of Frank Stella and El Lissitzky that is on display, as well as the traditional Hebrew
Passover song Had Gadya, I created original artwork for a set of 30 individual shapes
that the visitors can interact with to gain a unique and personal understanding of the
exhibition. It’s a fun, interactive portion of the exhibit that adds an extra dimension to
conventional viewing experience.
I’ve been very fortunate to work on a range of projects that vary in subject matter,
scale, and location. I enjoy working on detail-oriented work with Thunderwing, and I
also enjoy working on large, expressive graphics for architectural spaces with
Sussman/Prejza and the Skirball Cultural Center. I’ve learned tremendously, and I’ve
been able to utilize my different skillsets while gaining new ones.

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?

II’m also rather new to the professional design field, so I’m still learning and
improving my ways, but here are some things that have been working well for me.
Firstly, having an eclectic creative background has certainly been very helpful in my
journey. Before going into graphic design, I developed a diverse fine arts background
during my undergraduate studies—architectural design, media arts, creative coding,
drawing, sculpting, etc. I tried to take as many classes under different majors as I

could. Even though back then my studies felt unfocused at times, I think having
experience in different areas made me the versatile designer I am today. I like having
the flexibility to go completely analog or highly digital, or a mix of both.
Second, I think we should always try to establish habits that help us maintain a sense
of curiosity and find ways to fuel our passions. A professor at school always
emphasized how we should constantly “fill our well”—If our creative well is dry, it
would be difficult to come up with interesting ideas and solutions. I took that advice
to heart, and I try to fill my well in different ways daily. It can be small things, such as
going on walks and taking photos of anything that catches my eye. This habit made
me more observant and more appreciative of my everyday life. On the contrary, it can
be larger endeavors, such as creating a list of passion projects. For instance, on
Pinterest, I created inspiration boards for different hypothetical projects. They may
never come to fruition, and that is ok.
Lastly, I think it’s important to hone in on craftsmanship and technical skills, because
they are core strengths that can propel you forward. I love detail-oriented work. It
makes me even happier when the project involves some form of hand-making. I’ve
always loved to craft things by hand, such as knitting, embroidering, and model-
making. Over the years, my precision and fine motor skills have improved so much,
and I believe the progress can be seen in my work. Similarly, thanks to the rigorous
training at school, my foundational graphic design skills such as typesetting and
composition improved significantly. Now, they’ve become core skills that I can rely
on when I’m designing.

What’s been one of your main areas of growth this year?

The past 12 months have been an extremely important time period for both
professional and personal growth. I graduated from ArtCenter with an MFA in
Graphic Design in April of 2023. I felt the uncertainty and pressure of having to
formally establish myself as a professional designer/artist—am I putting myself out
there enough? Is my work too niche or not trendy enough? Doubts like this constantly
occupied my mind. Slowly, I began to figure out my own ways to navigate the waters
of the design industry. I’ve been very fortunate to have met several important mentors
who have been showing me the ropes. I’ve become more confident and comfortable
with my skills and experience.
Additionally, I’ve met many new friends at the dance studio I go to every week. It’s
been so interesting and refreshing to meet folks outside of the design field; everybody
comes from such diverse backgrounds, but there are several traits that they all have in
common: positivity, kindness, and passion. There’s always something new to learn

from them, and I truly admire them for pursuing their interests outside of their busy
day jobs. They motivate me to become a more active and better person.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://veronica-tsai.design/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/veronicatsai.design/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/veronicatsai/

Image Credits

Veronica Tsai, Thunderwing