Utopian City Poster - Best of best in Typography

QiuYu Li

Interview with QiuYu Li from Osaka University of Arts

Project Utopian City Poster – Best of Best in Typography / Other typography

1. QiuYu Li, as a previous winner of the C2A Awards, how has winning the award impacted your career or business in the creative industry?

Winning an award is a great morale booster, and seeing other winners’ works is a good stimulus for me to broaden my horizons.

2. Could you share your experience of the submission and evaluation process for the C2A Awards and any advice you might have for future applicants?

Reviewing previous award-winning entries has important reference value for what kind of work you should submit.

3. What inspires your work, and how do you approach the creative process? Do you have any tips or tricks for staying inspired and creative?

It is important to take an interest in everything in life. Favorite music, movies, books you read, or a comment from a friend can all be a catalyst for ideas. You should not ignore them.

4. What are some of the biggest challenges or obstacles you’ve faced in your career or business, and how have you overcome them?

Problems often arise when there is misalignment with the client’s thinking. In response to this, I believe that by first listening carefully to the client’s opinions, then clearly communicating my own opinions to the other party, and then exchanging opinions, we can find more and more proposals that are mutually satisfactory.

5. In what ways has winning the C2A Award enhanced your credibility and reputation in the creative industry, and how have you leveraged this to further your career or business?

Winning an award helps against promoting your brand. In my case, I use social networking sites to inform a large number of people, potential clients and other designers about the award.

Best of Best - C2A Winner in Typography- Utopian City Poster

6. Have you had any networking opportunities or collaborations as a result of winning the C2A Award, and how have these benefited your career or business?

Winning an award further enhances one’s credibility. This can be used to help you network with others. I value this because each connection can become a potential client or business partner.

7. Have you found that winning the C2A Award has increased the demand for your services or products?

It has certainly increased. I think it is easier to make connections with other designers.

8. Looking back on your experience as a C2A Award winner, what would you say were the most valuable aspects of participating in the awards, and would you recommend it to others in the creative industry?

In my case, I would recommend it; C2A is a quality and prestigious design award, so I think it is worthwhile to participate.

9. How do you stay current with new trends in the industry?* How do you incorporate these into your work?

I am in the habit of checking the news daily, so I clearly understand the latest technology, such as ChatGPT, after the fact. With some understanding, I will naturally find the answer to how to apply it.

10. What are your plans and goals for the future, and how do you see your career or business evolving over time?

In the future, I plan to work more with other designs first, gradually expanding my own brand, and when the time is right, I will establish my own design lab.

11. And the final question, QiuYu Li, how did you come up with the concept for the winning project you submitted to the C2A awards?

I am very fond of Bauhaus and Constructivist design of the 1920s, and this influence inspired me to create this series of works, and to enter C2A to show it to a large audience, while keeping in mind my previous philosophy of modeling and seeking new developments.

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