Jingqi Fan
East Meets West: My Love Letter to Home
Jingqi thought she knew everything about design—that was until two years ago when an email from “MáLà Project,” a Chinese restaurant brand in New York, landed in her inbox. The challenge? Create a bilingual identity showcasing their rich flavors and cultural heritage. The dilemma? The said bilingual identity. Jingqi is, in fact, Chinese. She speaks Chinese and writes Chinese, but how on earth do you design in Chinese? How do you even begin to pair two completely different languages together?
This talk chronicles her year-long journey of research and design as she delves into the rich visual landscape of China for the very first time—from the imperial era to the 90’s and beyond—all while developing a deep obsession with its letterforms and rediscovering her cultural roots. Weaving together her learnings, Jingqi will illustrate the culmination of her journey through the lens of MáLà Project’s bilingual type system. This talk is about seeing the past anew—where every ending has a new beginning and every return paves a path towards another beautiful discovery.
About Jingqi Fan
Jingqi Fan is a Chinese-born Canadian graphic designer and art director. Currently, she is a senior designer at COLLINS and maintains a personal practice focusing on identities, web, and printed matter. Her work is historically informed and concept-driven—balancing distinction with familiarity and an eye for detail with a playful soul. She has been recognized by the Type Directors Club, Art Directors Club, Tokyo TDC, D&AD, and the Webby Awards, among others. Her work has also been showcased by industry publications like Viction:ary and It’s Nice That. Jingqi holds a BFA from Washington University in St. Louis with a minor in Computer Science and is a recipient of the Jeffrey Frank Wacks Scholarship.