Meet Zoe (Yu) Cui | Graphic Designer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Zoe (Yu) Cui and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Zoe (Yu), what role has risk played in your life or career?

In my world, risks represent new opportunities. Just like the two sides of a coin, risks often come with the possibility of breakthroughs, and my guiding principle of life is to always choose the unexplored platforms within my capabilities, rather than the easiest or most stable ones. As a designer, appreciating the diversity of different cultures and the world is a part of creating artwork, so I am always moving, always on the way to another country. Leaving the familiar environment means letting go of many things, but this risk is one of the sources of my creativity.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
My work revolves around cross-cultural visual communication, utilizing text, language, and design as mediums. Currently, my practice focuses on the transmission of language in different cultures, which is closely tied to my life journey. As a Chinese living in the Western world, I keenly feel the Western control over cultural discourse. And I’m constantly experiencing code-switching. The cultural barriers and challenges faced by Eastern women, immigrants, and international students living in Western countries are areas of interest for me, as they constitute my daily experiences. At the moment, I am researching the incommensurability of translation between Chinese and English at the Royal College of Art. I aim to create a more inclusive dialogue between Eastern and Western cultures using textual work and pop culture as the vehicles. My latest zine series, “I AM/I AM” and “Chinese Alternative Universe Language,” respectively discuss the phenomenon of Chinese people often choosing English names in English-speaking countries, and the multiple meanings that arise when English names are subjectively translated into Chinese characters. I hope to create an interactive experience at the graduation show in June, transforming language barriers between East and West into communication bridges in a light-hearted and humorous manner.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I’m currently based in London, and I’m still kind of a tourist myself. But I would highly recommend checking out East London. Areas like Shoreditch and Hackney are full of interesting art and cultural scenes. If you are into fashion, art, and good food, definitely visit East London. Remember to get a Hojicha latte with oat milk at Katsute 100!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Firstly, I want to shoutout to my father, a great spiritual mentor and supporter. In China, most parents hope their daughters lead a stable life, staying close to the family and following a “normal” path which is safe and sound. However, when I was 15, my father encouraged me to go to the United States alone and told me that his only expectation for me was to be free. Later when I was fighting cancer in the hospital, his spiritual guidance was the reason I managed to stay positive and survived. Although he has passed away, he taught me everything I need to know in this lifetime. Until today, I continue to live as he advised, living freely.

Secondly, in my career, I want to shoutout to my creative mentor, David Lin. As a designer, one of the luckiest things is to encounter an outstanding mentor early in your career who is willing to teach you everything. He is not only a creative professional but also someone who integrates design and art into daily life. What I learned from him goes beyond design techniques; it’s about the work ethics of a designer, the insight of an artist, and the mindset to face successes, failures, and uncertainties as a creative worker.

Website: https://www.zoecui.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zozomoloko/

Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/zoe-cui-a51780201