Interview with Anqi Liu

Anqi Liu ("AL") interviewed on Monday, 18 September.

Could you please tell us about your experience as a designer, artist, architect or creator?

AL : My name is Angie Liu. I am a full-stack user experience and user interface designer with visual and information design backgrounds, applying information organizing, visual impacts, and research skills to experience design. I am currently a senior UI/UX designer at Blizzard Entertainment. I create user-centered designs that are intuitive, elegant, and meaningful. I specialize in user experience, user interface and interactive design for digital devices, App design, and game design. Yangyuchen Li - a.k.a. Richan, a 2D animator + illustrator! I was born and raised in Kunming, China, and came to the US to study when I was fifteen. My practices explore language, ritual, and intimacy that overlap across cultures, from modern life to mythological folklore. Exporting these thoughts into fun jpegs, gifs, and movies with a wide variety of art styles is the language that I speak. I currently work at String & Key as a full-time animator.

How did you become a designer?

AL : Richan and Angie have been best friends since high school and share a passion for creativity, having taken art and design classes together to pursue their goals of self-expression and problem-solving. While they went their separate ways in college, their love and enthusiasm for art and design only grew stronger. Richan honed her skills in illustration and animation, while Angie focused on product design. As they built their skillsets and pursued their visions in different fields, their friendship and talent joined in product design. This led to the birth of DG-Meteor, where they continue to inspire and support each other.

What are your priorities, technique and style when designing?

AL : We believe creativity means finding the perfect balance between user experience and visuals, so our designs can speak for themselves. Creative ideas and designs are a reflection, a combination, a sum of unique voices amplified by an ever-growing process of learning and experimentation. We're passionate about functionality and problem-solving and express these values through dynamic yet relatable visual designs.

Which emotions do you feel when designing?

AL : As a collaborative team, our favorite part of the creative process revolves around collaboration and mutual understanding between the two of us, and how we bring our individual strengths together to create a cohesive piece. We strive to learn from and trust each other's expertise as we collaborate and work through the interdisciplinary processes of product design, animation, and illustration. Our shared goal is to achieve visual and functional harmony in our designs.

How do you know if a product or project is well designed? How do you define good design?

AL : 1. It's solving a problem for the User. 2. It's easy to understand and use. 3. Visually is consist with the concpet

What is your biggest design work?

AL : Reading APP is a UI/UX project thoughtfully created to enhance readers’ experience in digital reading and online communities. The Reading Application provides a space for passionate indie writers to publish their work, for curious readers to find indie writers, and for users, including writers and readers, to exchange their insights. The illustration highlights a clean shape and lines with a muted complementary color to appear approachable. We strived to provide a friendly style through characters, color, and icons to nurture a cozy, inclusive, and welcoming space for exchanging thoughts.