We caught up with Joshua Shao who came to study Graphic Design at Central Saint Martins during his Study Abroad year. Joshua talks about his recent work for GitHub and the New York Times.
Joshua Shao is a recent graduate from Santa Clara University. He came to Central Saint Martins to study Graphic Design as part of his year abroad in 2015. Since graduating, Joshua has been designing for GitHub and the New York times. We caught up with Joshua about his work, as well as his time at Central Saint Martins, UAL.
Studying in London was an amazing experience. There was never a shortage of inspiration. I took advantage of attending every event, show, exhibition opening, gallery tour that I could.
Tell us a little about yourself – where are you from? Could you briefly describe what kind of work you do?
My name is Joshua Shao, and I’m currently a Product Designer at The New York Times. I’m currently working on an experimental news prototyping team. We’re prototyping a space where engaged readers can quickly check-in on the news of the moment and insightful conversation happening right now. We just finished a test with our readers that was deployed to 50% of our Android subscribers, and we’re currently in the process of reviewing the data, documenting pain points, and planning for a larger-scale launch next year.
You have been working at the New York Times, and previously – designing for GitHub. What has that been like, how did it come about?
It’s been incredibly exciting! I’m working as a product designer now, which allows me to balance my passions for both digital design and creative coding. At GitHub, I worked on the design systems team, which essentially houses the design and development source of truth for all GitHub products. At the New York Times, I’m working more on experimental features, and get to collaborate with the newsroom quite a bit.
What was it like to study in London?
Studying in London was an amazing experience. There was never a shortage of inspiration. I took advantage of attending every event, show, exhibition opening, gallery tour that I could.
What sort of work did you make whilst you were at UAL? Has your experience in London echoed in your work?
The work I did at UAL were projects that focused on honing the basic skillset of a graphic designer. It was rigorous, but I learned a tremendous amount. My experience in London hasn’t echoed in my work per se, but I look back on that period in my life fondly, and it’s certainly laid the foundations for my design career.
