Meet the Jury
Our jury panel is comprised of an international pool of creative industry professionals from art and creative directors, curators, publishers and other influential luminaries.
Amber Xu is an award-winning Motion Designer, Art Director, and Illustrator based in the SF Bay Area, and boasts a diverse background in user experience, advertising, branding, and online media. With a portfolio that spans multiple creative disciplines, Amber’s work is celebrated for its unique blend of storytelling and captivating visuals. As a dedicated professional in the industry, Amber consistently brings fresh perspectives and innovative solutions to the realm of digital design.
Amber Xu’s foundation in the dynamic design world is rooted in branding and advertising. These formative experiences honed her ability to distill and express a brand’s core values through visuals. As digital landscapes evolved, Amber transitioned towards user experience design, a domain that resonated with her passion for merging aesthetics with functionality. With her multidimensional background, Amber crafts motion design systems that harmonize in-product experiences, branding, and marketing, ensuring an integrated brand narrative across platforms.
Currently, at Google, Amber Xu harnesses the potential of cutting-edge technologies to design innovative products. While her touch may not always be overtly visible, it profoundly influences the overall user experience, ensuring interactions that are intuitive, engaging, and meaningful.
Before joining Google, Amber Xu collaborated with industry giants such as Shopify, The Wall Street Journal, Xerox, and the Hearst Corporation. Each of these engagements enriched her design arsenal, equipping her to tackle diverse challenges and cater to varied audience needs.
Industry accolades consistently acknowledge Amber Xu’s contributions. Alongside awards from esteemed institutions like the London Independent Film Awards and the Accolade Global Film Competition, she holds eight design patents in UX motion. These patents underscore her commitment to pushing boundaries and setting benchmarks in user-centric design.
Beyond motion design, Amber Xu’s multifarious talents come to the fore as an art director and illustrator. She undertook significant rebranding initiatives, such as introducing a fresh visual palette for established brands like Tylenol, and steering the narrative direction of impactful campaign films.
Outside of her project-centric engagements, Amber Xu actively participates in the larger design discourse. As a jury member for film festival and design competition, she plays a pivotal role in recognizing and nurturing talent, reflecting her dedication to elevating industry standards.
One of the distinguishing elements of Amber Xu’s approach is her emphasis on storytelling. To her, motion design isn’t just about aesthetics or functionality. It’s a medium to convey a narrative, engage users, and create memorable experiences. This philosophy is deeply embedded in her work, making each design more than just an interaction – it becomes a story in motion.
In essence, Amber Xu represents the modern-day motion designer: one who understands the evolving dynamics of the tech industry, respects the power of narrative, and strives to create designs that are not only visually appealing but also impactful. As technology continues to advance, Amber’s adaptability, expertise, and vision position her at the forefront, ready to shape the future of interaction design.
