Meet Lynette!
Lynette chats to us about her work as a designer and what it was like to study in London as a Study Abroad student at Central Saint Martins, UAL.
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...it was wonderful! I absolutely enjoyed every minute of my time in London, even the rainy and gloomy ones. I loved being a metropolitan city with booming art culture. There was always something to do in London
Tell us a little about yourself – where are you from? Could you briefly describe what kind of work you do?
I am originally from Shanghai, China, though I have been studying and working in the US for the past nine years. I was studying at Tufts University in Boston when I decided to study abroad in UAL. As of now, I am a product designer at a software company in San Francisco.
When did you realise that you wanted to be a UX designer?
I realized I wanted to be a UX designer while I was studying abroad at UAL. I was exposed to a variety of media all the way from screenprinting to coding in Central Saint Martins, and I loved experimenting with interactive media to express my ideas the most. After I finished my studies in London, I collaborated with peers back in the US on more website design and application design projects. I liked seeing my designs implemented in real life and observe how people use them. I also enjoy the rational aspects of UX design - conducting user research, synthesizing findings and incorporating insights into my designs.
What course did you study at UAL and why?
I studied graphic communication because I always have a passion for graphic design. While my university in Boston has a solid fine arts program, it does not have a strong focus on design. I was keen on the fact that Central Saint Martins focuses on both concepts and implementation because I needed guidance on both fronts for my designs.
What sort of work did you make whilst you were at UAL? Has your experience in London echoed in your work?
I created works with print materials and digital media. I think London made my style bolder because of my impressions of the city. My peers at CSM also had an exceedingly modern style to their designs, which definitely had an impact on me. I started engaging with more vibrant colors, cleaner fonts as well as more abstract shapes. My favourite project from UAL is this screenprinting piece called Reframing fear.
What was it like to study in London?
In short, it was wonderful! I absolutely enjoyed every minute of my time in London, even the rainy and gloomy ones. I loved being a metropolitan city with booming art culture. There was always something to do in London. School definitely kept me busy but I tried to explore the city as much as I could. In fact, I visited London again in May 2018 to revisit some of my favourite places: the fountain right in front of CSM, the Barbican Center, Tate Modern, and Shoreditch.
