Today we’d like to introduce you to Ziwei Song.
Hi Ziwei, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Hi, my name is Ziwei Song; you can call me Vicky. I am originally from Tianjin, China, and now live in Savannah, GA, where history and art are combined. My parents are not in the arts industry, but they have cared about my artistic education since I was young; I learned piano, dance, and elementary painting from age four. My parents always believed that the only way to discover your hobbies is to be exposed to more different fields. I like painting more than piano and dance. At first, it was a hobby, and I spent a few hours a week going to the studio for painting lessons. In the years after, I kept going with this hobby until high school. Then, I officially started studying art and spent 5-6 hours a day practicing sketching. In college, I went to Tianjin Academy of Fine Arts, one of the best art colleges in China. At this time, I did not want to imprison myself in a single form of artistic expression with paper and pen again, so I chose to major in visual communication. I always think this was probably an important turn in my life because it was my first exposure to the broader concept of design and creativity. My college studies taught me that entrepreneurship and art can never be limited by form or medium and that connecting with your audience through your projects and your work matters.
During my college years, I participated in an overseas study program. I spent almost a year studying and living in Italy at the most famous Academy of Fine Arts in Florence, Polimoda, and other top art and design schools in the world. It further broadened my horizons and allowed me to think from multiple perspectives. I enjoyed communicating with friends from different backgrounds and cultures, which laid the foundation for me to continue my studies in the US.
After that, I moved to the United States to pursue my MFA in Graphic Design and Visual Experimentation at Savannah College of Art and Design. During my three years at SCAD, I continued to delve into graphic design, and I was introduced to a new field – UX/UI. unlike my long-held definition of art and design – “expressing myself through artwork” my studies at SCAD exposed me to a new concept – ” user-centered design.” Good design continues beyond formal aesthetics, including color matching and font selection. Good design needs to truly serve the user and help people and the world solve problems. I worked on a lot of team projects during my time at SCAD, including designing with the Google team. All of this has given me a better understanding of design and art and what I want to do. Roy T. Bennett said, “You never change your life until you step out of your comfort zone; change begins at the end of your comfort zone.” That’s what I’ve always believed. It has been more than ten years since I first encountered art, but the concept of art for me is still changing with the times and my experience. I like to challenge myself and step out of my comfort zone constantly. I believe passion and curiosity are essential qualities for a designer.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Of course not. Life’s path is never smooth. Like I said, it’s been a long time since I first encountered art. I’m constantly transforming my role and stepping out of my comfort zone to challenge myself with new things. I thought art was a beautiful painting and sketch when I was young. I sought to reflect on what I saw. Later, I became a graphic artist, using multiple media and simple geometric shapes to create the art I wanted and visual designs for various brands. Now, I want my design to be human-centered, and I want my design to contribute to society, even tiny. I want to combine what I have learned to become a product designer. However, the process is bound to be challenging. I will need to put in more effort than others; of course, there will be failures. I would face questions from clients and peers about problems with ideas, visuals that didn’t meet expectations, etc. I would also ask myself, what do I really want to do? Is it right for me to change the direction of my career? But as the saying goes – you never change your life until you step out of your comfort zone. I believe that everyone will encounter stumbling blocks along the road of life, and the most important thing is whether we stick to our original intention and overcome these challenges.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I’m in a career transition phase and looking to move from being a visual designer to a UX/UI designer. I recently worked as a UX/UI designer on Google X SCAD pro, which was an AMAZING experience and made me feel confident in my choice. I hope my designs can really solve problems for people, like creating a more convenient way to travel or it’s a faster ordering system, etc. It’s great to combine art and design with real life, so art is not a hobby and not an unreachable world but an area that is relevant to life. One of my superpowers is that I am very empathetic. I can quickly feel other people’s feelings, which is also very important for me to be a UX/UI designer. For example, I will identify design projects through everyday problems. By talking to the target user, I can find the pain point, turn it into design insight, and finally produce a design solution, an app or a website, etc. At this point, my graphic design background has become another superpower because I have better visual skills than traditional UX/UI designers. I have received a lot of praise from clients, professors, and peers.
Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
“You never change your life until you step out of your comfort zone; change begins at the end of your comfort zone.” Life is a long journey; I’ve only just gone through the beginning. Although this journey will have many challenges and failures, they are all valuable experiences. Only when you overcome these challenges can you see the new world!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.vickysongdesign.com/
- Instagram: vicky514049086
- Other: Graphic Design Web: https://ziweisongdesign.com/
Image Credits
Ziwei Song
