Meet Xian Liyun, of Sun Design Production, China, an innovative and talented designer making a mark in graphic design through thought-provoking and visually stunning poster projects. The award-winning work here focuses on environmental consciousness and theatrical expression. Projects like “Don’t,” a public welfare poster about environment protection, and “Sweeney Todd,” a musical poster for a performance in South Korea, reflect the creativity and dedication to craft. As we delve into the details of these projects alongside Xian, the passion, purpose, and unique perspective shine through, offering a glimpse into the mind of a designer who believes that good design should serve humanity and assist in solving societal issues.
By: Xian Liyun
“Don’t” is a public welfare poster about the environment. I hope to make a little contribution to the world as a designer. If people can reflect on themselves and value environmental protection because of this poster, this significance has been achieved.
I have found that many public places offer disposable paper cups for the convenience of serving people with drinking water. However, such behavior is very environmentally unfriendly because it causes countless waste every day. Even causing unnecessary pollution. I see people squeezing paper cups and casually throwing them into the trash can after drinking water. I picked up those discarded paper cups and borrowed them to create poster designs. I believe everyone will not feel unfamiliar and will definitely resonate. I still remember that this work received constant praise from the audience during the exhibition. At the same time, this poster also won the Graphis Platinum Award for Design and the Gold Award for Poster of the Year. I believe this is also a recognition and encouragement from the judges for my work. I have also found a sense of value and mission as a designer.
As a designer who has always been engaged in graphic design, I believe that as long as there is love in the heart and constant concern for this society, there will be infinite inspiration. I believe that good design must serve humanity and help solve problems. As long as all designs are grateful and have love in their hearts, they can definitely take the world further from beauty.
“Sweeny Todd” is a musical poster that was produced for the performance of Charlotte Theatre in South Korea. Benjamin Buck, a young and talented barber, lived happily with his wife Lucy and young daughter Joanna but was wrongly accused and widely deported by Judge Teffin, who was greedy for his wife. It is a story musical.
The poster overlaps the distorted images of the protagonist and the central character in the story, dramatically portraying the tension of the interesting story in the musical. This is a musical that conveys a lot of care and stories to Korean audiences and has been successfully performed for a long time, evoking resonance and imagination as a poster.
As a designer who has always been engaged in graphic design, I believe that the ability to use graphics and colors to convey meaning is important. So we should be good at utilizing the creativity and color of graphics to have a psychological impact on people. Cleverly conveying the central idea of the work.
Xian Liyun has her Ph.D. in fine arts and is a National Level 2 psychological counselor. She serves as the design director of Sun Design Production in South Korea. She has won numerous awards, including Platinum, Gold, and Silver awards from Graphis, and has been invited to participate in international poster exhibitions in countries such as the United States, Germany, France, South Korea, Iran, Iraq, and China.
