Interviews med Xun Zuo

After studying painting for several years in high school, I entered a university to study packaging design, where I began my professional practice as a brand designer. A few years later, I transferred to the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee to study brand design and then pursued a master’s degree in Visual Communication Design at Pratt Institute. I am now working at a creative agency in New York, focusing on brand activation and spatial experience design.

When I was a child, I was deeply fascinated by cars, not so much by their mechanical engineering, but by their aesthetic design. Drawing the cars I imagined and building them out of LEGO became my favorite childhood pastime. Over time, this passion evolved into an interest in fashion and sports, which eventually inspired me to pursue a career as a designer.

I chose to be a designer, but at the beginning I signed up for product design, not graphic design.

I design brands. My practice and research began with creating packaging and visual systems, but now I am shifting toward designing unique experiences for brands.

Truly love the profession you’re in, but don’t fall too much in love with your own work.

Stay sharp, skeptical, and a little bit ruthless.

Good designers create beautiful things, but great designers create work that makes a real impact on society.

I always ask myself: Who is the audience for this design? What do they need? Are these needs real and urgent? How does this design address and fulfill them? How do its form and function interact effectively? What are its commercial and social values? Is it distinctive? And does it embody aesthetic excellence?

Good design is about efficiency. It sells products better, builds smarter structures, streamlines workflows, and accelerates communication. Good design reduces waste and misunderstanding. It unites stakeholders and consumers.

I might continue to pursue my passion for automotive and footwear design. I design for myself.

ChatGPT said:

My dream project is to design a system that helps local small businesses better express their value and connect more deeply with their communities and cultures. Through design, I want to empower them to compete with increasingly homogenized global corporations—while also helping those corporations understand, respect, and celebrate local culture.

I don’t think I have a fixed formula for design, because every project is different. But I’d say Virgil Abloh’s “3% rule” is often my starting point.

Virgil Abloh is a great designer who has been a major source of inspiration for me. I also draw influence from artists like Futura and Takashi Murakami. Beyond that, I learn and grow by studying the work of various design institutions—from multinational companies like 2x4 to independent creative studios.

I love Virgil Abloh’s The Ten series. It preserved the classic look of Nike sneakers while completely reconstructing them from the inside out. What inspires me most isn’t just the shoes themselves, but the transparency and openness behind Virgil’s process. He shared his sketches, methods, prototypes, and experiments — that openness toward showing how things are made deeply influenced me. It’s the stories and thinking behind the designs that I truly love.

In my personal work, one project I really love is Hins’ Island, a low-poly 3D island design. It’s neither a logo, nor a poster, nor a book; it’s a form of self-expression, the only project where I am both the designer and the client.

See more design, visit the museum, and talk with other designers.

I don't know. I could become a code writer or a barista.

It's storytelling and problem-solving in a visually appreciated way.

My parents. My professors, especially the one American professor I met in China. He helped me a lot in both academics and life.

The design is a fun thing to do for me. That helps me a lot.

Experience. A designer must keep creating and practicing to make a greater impact — to prove their ability to shape society through design. That’s what I’m still lacking.

Designers should ensure that their work is presented within a thoughtfully designed context.

more brand activations

I hope the design systems I create can help local small businesses win — to become the coolest and most beloved things in their communities.

cool, new, and fun visual solutions.

Good design helps society become more efficient and eliminates misunderstanding — especially in an increasingly polarized world. Good design should also empower underrepresented communities.

I love helping brands communicate more effectively with their audiences. Some of my recent experiential design projects have achieved exactly that.

I designed a very cool café in Taiwan. It feels like my own child. It’s become a place both locals and tourists love to visit, and seeing people take photos inside truly makes me happy.

AI is a revolutionary shift, and the democratization of design is another major trend. I’m curious about how professional designers can redefine their place within this new landscape.

Designers are increasingly shifting from executional work toward creative direction.

Some projects take me a month to complete, while others never truly end — they become ongoing works that require continuous care and evolution.

I sink myself into the related visuals and study of the customers.

Just Do It

It’s an ongoing interaction: design draws inspiration from social trends, then shapes aesthetic trends; those aesthetics become archives, ready to influence future designs and movements.

Technology is the most crucial consideration — creativity is limitless, but only technology can turn ideas into real impact.

Adobe, C4D

These are the ingredients I often work with — I think about how they interact with my visuals from the very beginning of the design process to create the vibe I want.

Why you do this?

Everyday, in everywhere.

I don’t have an ideal model, but I believe good design requires the input of diverse perspectives and points of view.

All of my coworkers, especially my boss.

Designing Design, Kenya Hara

I’m always learning through projects, but my educational background has shaped a mindset where I constantly ask myself, whenever I see something: How was this made?

Probably everyone from the Bauhaus school.

For designers, yes — because we’re always working behind the scenes.

Black, blue and grey green. New York. Coffee. Fall. Sneakers. Audi and Nike

Design is a very enjoyable fun job for me, but I can hardly think of any funny experiences. Even though I enjoy it, I always try to stay serious about it.

See people enjoying my design, buying the product I designed, and support my client.

I spent most of my class time drawing comics, which my teachers never allowed — but looking back, that was probably a sign.

I hope humanity has become an interstellar species. Meeting and living peacefully with extraterrestrial life. But it’s also possible that our civilization won’t survive the next millennium if we don’t make real change.

As I grew up, I developed a strong passion for comics and illustration. Later, my interest expanded to fashion and the creative worlds of renowned brands and designers. The intersection of these influences naturally led me to pursue a career in graphic design.

Design is the rational analysis of emotional needs, followed by the search for thoughtful solutions.

Sports, fashion, lifestyle, and immersive experiences—all through the lens of brand expression.

There’s a lot I enjoy, but I’m especially drawn to bold, unconventional, and boundary-pushing interdisciplinary design practices.

At the start of my career, I designed business cards and packaging for a number of restaurants.

ChatGPT said:

Metal, silicone, frosted glass, CNC machining, and 3D printing.

After my coffee run.

Balance across shapes and colors.

People repost it, wear it, and talk about it.

Is it popular? Is it to deliver the information correctly and efficiently?

Designers play a role in shaping public understanding of beauty—making the pursuit of it more efficient, accessible, and sustainable.

Design is a tool in service of society, and as society’s modes of production continue to evolve, so too must design. The future of design lies in using new tools to solve problems that, at their core, remain much the same as today.

Nothing is ever 100% original. I draw inspiration for innovation from great artists, designers, craftsmen, musicians, and athletes.

My personal style leans toward the playful, bold, and colorful, but in my practice, style is always in service of the client.

I moved from my hometown to New York City. My heritage shaped my work ethic and resilience more than my aesthetic or style. In New York, I’m exposed to a rich diversity of design and art—but the cost of creative practice is undeniably higher.

Find the one person who genuinely loves your product or service; that's where everything begins.

Receive the brief, sketch ideas, brainstorm with the team, refine the concepts—then repeat.

listening

Nike, US Soccer, MoMA

In book design, the sequence and rhythm are dictated by the author. In this work, I seek to dismantle that curatorial authority in favor of a more democratized experience. By deconstructing the very structure of the book, I invite readers to define their own order and method of engagement, allowing them to interpret the narratives through their own lens. The vacuum-sealed packaging, drawing inspiration from coffee preservation, serves as a metaphor for safeguarding these stories and their endurance over time.

The conversations with the interviewees extended far beyond the coffee itself. These dialogues unfolded organically, encompassing their aesthetics, experience, and even their social media and private stories. I asked about the preferences of materials and colors, while also guiding them to consider the symbolic meanings in the design choices.

I conducted my inquiries in environments where participants felt most at ease. Asking questions without bias, observing, and documenting. My training in ethnographic research at Pratt Institute equipped me with the tools to approach these conversations with neutrality and sensitivity. Often, our dialogues unfolded in coffee shops chosen by the participants themselves. These familiar and reassuring settings created a sense of safety, allowing them to voice what they genuinely wished to share.

In traditional Chinese culture, people believe in the notion of Yuanfen, a mysterious force that connects strangers through unseen bonds. Rather than being pursued deliberately, it is something to be accepted as it unfolds. Similar sensibilities can be found across many other cultures. Within a community, individuals often feel estranged from the world around them, whether due to language, culture, or other barriers, which makes these unexpected encounters of Yuanfen all the more cherished. The invocation of the Red Thread legend pays homage to this experience.

In traditional book design, external information is often placed on the front matter or back cover; however, this would compromise the independence of each story and my position as a neutral observer. Instead, I positioned the business card outside the vacuum-sealed package, acknowledging my role as the storyteller. I envisioned this gesture as a way of extending the project beyond the book itself - transforming it into an invitation, allowing the work to transcend the informational limits of the book's physical structure.

The process was particularly challenging, as each individual's perspective was unique. I had to ensure that everyone's voice was heard while still maintaining a sense of cohesion across the book or this collection of zines. To achieve this, I designed and implemented a modular system: each participant responded to a set of questions and contributed specific photographs, and I, as the author, conducted contextual research, such as the history of the cafe we discussed, the neighborhood, and the site it occupies. These modules were then arranged in a deliberate sequence. It is this order and system that provide consistency across the zines, even as each zine appears entirely different on its own.

I have always been passionate about coffee culture, immigrant culture, and brand design. I observed that many multinational coffee brands are widely celebrated, yet they are not always culturally representative. Interestingly, however, new immigrants tend to gravitate toward these global chains because they are familiar, they have tried them before, or they simply feel safer within a recognizable brand environment. This, paradoxically, can make it harder for them to integrate into local culture, while also fueling negative sentiment and even tension among local businesses. The stories in my book serve as a case study, offering brands valuable insights into how they might better localize themselves within today's culture landscapes.

Design, especially brand design, aims to build a platform that serves not only business owners but also consumers. Today's consumers are increasingly unsatisfied with the fulfillment of material needs alone. Instead, they seek forms of spiritual or emotional fulfillment through their acts of consumption. This pursuit of meaning is cross-cultural. Yet, in attempting to address diverse cultural contexts, many contemporary designs adopt a neutral stance, ironically rendering the brand image distant and impersonal. Emotional design offers a way to bridge this gap. By genuinely understanding the people they serve, brands can establish more empathetic platforms within communities, creating deeper connections with their consumers.

Roots Zines will not be digitized. While I believe digitalization is a significant advancement, in this case it risk undermining the intimacy and immediacy of the words and stories. I envision Roots Zines continuing in print form, as a timeless project documenting the evolving landscapes of communities, immigrants, and brands. As it grows, the project aspires to become a democratized magazine, published periodically, accessible to diverse voices, and serving as an archive of stories, emotions, and transformations in brand design. In resisting digital translation, the work preserves the tactile and human qualities of storytelling, ensuring that each edition remain both a record of its time and a vessel of future reflection.

As a designer working with culturally sensitives subjects, especially within cros-cultural contexts, the most ideal approach is to begin from one's own cultural background. This becomes a point of entry, a way to establish authentic connections while respecting the space of dialogue. When design expands into cross-cultural territory, the role of the designer should shift toward that of a visual mediator rather than a prescriptive voice. The task is not to dominate the narrative with personal opinions, nor to self-censor in anticipation of outcomes, but to remain as neutral as possible. By positioning oneself as a tool of visual translation rather than a director of meaning, the process allows unexpected insights to emerge, insights shaped by participants, contects, and stories themselves.