Interview with Yu Yongzhen: In this world, it is not surprising that you have your kind

At the time of the video, Yu Yongzhen was in Antwerp, Belgium, with a time difference of six hours. At noon in Belgium, the sun poured into the room from behind him, lined with the gray hat T micro-back light, a strong sense of life scene, Yu Yongzhen's smile bloomed, like a sea of freedom.

Photo courtesy: Yu Yongzhen
Photograph: Kris Kang

In the past two decades, Yu Yong is a loud name in Taiwan's design community. At the beginning of his career, he was Zhang Xiaoyan Chin point, began to do the cover for The Day of heaven, almost every year shortlisted for the Golden Song Award best album packaging;

Whether it's the Money at The New York Times' Democracy at 4 a.m., Tsai Ing-wen's campaign vision and inaugural commemorative stamps, or the Street Seller project, his strong attempts to design language, practice social engagement and open up the space for dialogue.

Yu Yong really design, into the WTO is not tame, this time we asked him to operate the gender force of the logo and CI design, up close to see his mind of the universe operation.

What everyone needs is just my name.

From Taiwan to Belgium, Yu Yong really wants to stay away from life too easily. "Sometimes I worry that what people need is just my name. He smiled. "Not only me, many well-known designers are also, you turn red, the name is hyped, we need your name, not your work." 」

'Sometimes tiredness comes from being too comfortable, things start to repeat, and everywhere you go is within the comfort zone, ' mr. Yu said. But he was restless in the room, yearning for freshness, longing for no one to hang his name, and moving on.

So he decided to go out - at the Royal College of Art in Antwerp, Belgium, where he returned as a student. Change the environment, update cells, establish new methodology, experience different countries, cultures, systems, how to think about design.

When the first aura you see is your fame, not your work, it's dangerous.

Shoulder carrying the "star designer" code, Yu Yongzhen all the way, the label for him to bring fame, but also let him as thin ice, "star designer" the word is weak, not enough to represent me. Behind this word, someone is looking at you, or think you are hyped, once made me very uncomfortable. 」

Photo courtesy of Yu Yongzhen/Photography, Kris Kang

In the first three or four years, he had had solid darkness.

At that time, he had just finished the May day of "Time Machine", Jay Chou's "Ye Huimei" album cover, many record companies came to the door, he felt he was a star symbol: "I was young, self-righteous, think I can do everything." As a result, the quantity is too much and the quality starts to get worse. Designers know better than anyone else.

In the red period, the eyes of others bright, shouting him star, while he slowly into the dark, feel little bit by bit consumption, negative emotions emerged, life imbalance. It took him a long time to adjust the pace of work, the density of the case, and to build a recovery system.

In 2012, he became the first Taiwanese designer to be selected to the AGI Association, marking an important year in his design career, "all of whom can go in are power," master." Yu Yongzhen said, there is pride, no longer need to work so hard to prove themselves, not only the star word.

sensitivity, is the very important ingredient i do design

Designer's sense of life is very important, introspective is also necessary, with the most strict vision, to see themselves, in order to allow themselves to go further.

Photo courtesy of Yu Yongzhen/Photography, Kris Kang

Looking back on the past, Yu Yongzhen saw blood, "You think more money, in order to live a good life, but in fact will not ah." To establish a sense of life to work hard, said Yu Yongzhen, "actually realize that i was wearing out, is a good start, even lucky." When you realize that, it's the best way to overcome it.

When he walked through the darkness, he remembered why he had come.

Graphic design is his interest, his profession, he feels that design is a part of his human ity, like a natural instinct.

"I've always known that I am very sensitive. "I knew very early on that I was extremely sensitive to graphic design and image design. Even I feel that sensitivity is a great ingredient for me to design. 」

High school, Yu Yongzhen learned mechanical drawing, he laughed, when the elevation of the country, do not understand anything, see the mapping on the climax, selectively ignore the mechanical word, read three years, in fact, also happy, "drawing engineering drawings, or look at the drawing, let me see a thing 3D space concept becomevery very good." But he knew in his heart that it was not his own direction.

At that time on the road, he met other school art class and advertising design class students, carrying a picture bag and painting equipment, "I feel beautiful enough in my heart!" Envy them, then wanted to do their homework. Yu Yongzhen's voice was eight degrees high, and he flew up and pulled me back to the scene.

It was a moment of epiphany for a young boy, and i was sure that I was destined to do the design. This walk has been eye-opening for twenty years.

Design is the method of finishing, don't give people the old-fashioned things

At the beginning of the interview, Yu Yongzhen told me that he had read the interview outline, some of the questions difficult to answer, he could not answer will be straight to say. I said yes, no problem, but in fact he answered very well, very sincere.

Ask eddy design, what positive impact might it have on society? He went down to the words, "Good design will have a positive impact on society, yes, " and then thinking, "Design is art, is the present existing, not yet intact material, organized into effective dissemination, so that the audience is easier to understand, more willing to touch what they should know." 」

For Yu Yongzhen, design must be "effective", not only the pursuit of beauty, not just self-hi, so design must care and consider who the audience is, what is the purpose, the task necessary to be cautious, in the process to challenge themselves, how to do better.

Designed for him, is a set of methods, style comes from, you organize the method, and others are not the same.

Photo courtesy of Yu Yongzhen/Photography, Kris Kang

Designing the hand- and he's used to throwing out a few sets of possible solutions in the first place, which usually doesn't use, "The first time that comes out is the concept that I first deleted." Because on behalf of others may also do so, this idea may be old-fashioned, old-fashioned, not special, that will not bring too much benefit, through the design to attract attention and discussion. 」

Delete the law, like others, repeat their own, these I do not want. He was keen to limit himself, to limit the possibilities, to lead him down, to look for exports that no one had ever arrived, "I tend to push myself to the limit and suggest another path." 」

Open and open, down and down, extract symbols from text, draw language from text, how the designer "wants" is very important, said Yu Yongzhen, "What you are reading, what you are imagining, even if it has nothing to do with your design, it is possible, they actually have links to each other." 」

For example, in the near future, he focused on the network world and the near future, the network can have its own set of language and visual logic, subvert the real environment, too natural visual system. He looks at sci-fi works, such as black mirrors, shell-tapping mobile teams, skin invasion, close his eyes, imagine another operating system.

"We have the habit of language, ready-made typography and aesthetic logic, which have been saturated and repeated, but I wonder, is there a parallel universe because the language they speak is so completely different from our logical system that it affects their entire visual system?" 」

There may be, Yu Yongzhen do the design, curious about the world, riding the wings of design, trying to arrive.

Gender Forces smh.com.au

We talked about gender-sensitive logo and CI design, and he said it was hard to speak.

"Gender force has a lot of codes, but in terms of dealing with it, I think it's very, very difficult. Yu Yongzhen used two very, "If you use those code to do, you will fail." 」

Gender power is another media brand of our media, believe that gender discussion, can bring strength to the times, give individuals freedom, talk about gender experience, gender solution, gender daily. Yu Yongzhen digested the message and decided to start from the natural image. When there are too many codes, perhaps rainbows, perhaps unicorns, he wants to open up space, let new words and imaginations into.

It sounds very bold, talk about gender, we often from the social construction analysis and discussion, and for individuals, gender identity and sexual orientation, is an extremely natural thing, is a part of the body, "I want to think of gender force as natural nature to do, so look for the natural environment, think of the wind and water, think of the day and moon." The sun and moon, the head will see the existence of gender-force logo, so, is a group of sun and moon, day and night together, looking after the crowd.

Borrowing its original color, the sun chooses gold, the moon chooses yellow, "the process, the sun is the sun, but I found that it is actually like a female sexual, the moon is like a male sex." While doing, the concept of a huge number of running in, cracking men and women, yin and yang of the gender image of the continuous look, blurring the existing order, open up new possibilities, that possibility, contains more past not to be embraced by the individual.

Day and fall, moon has cloudy, like the dynamic change of gender movement, generational change.

"This logo, which also calculates the communication language and usage habits of the keyboard generation, can be easily played out with the keyboard. The head-up visible, the transition to the network communication context, the gender force of the snom, like saying, I'm here.

Design logo, Yu Yong really want to be very far, perhaps, the future will become the language of the online world is also uncertain.

It's no surprise that there's your kind in this world.

Yu Yongzhen talked about his own gender enlightenment, came very early, "probably when I was young, I knew I likethe same-sex." Because of puberty, more obvious. It was hard to speak in my day, but I wasn't particularly oppressed. I enjoy the same-sex affair and have my sexual fantasies. 」

High school, accidentally to the book bureau, turned to a series of gay love novels, surprised the heavens, remember is the horn publishing house, Yu Yongzhen moved the whole set of novels home, "I found that I like the same-sex matter, is very normal, can also bring me happiness." Also, someone is trying to do this information to let you know that there is a world where there is your kind. 」

Photo courtesy of Yu Yongzhen/Photography, Kris Kang

College, BBS, MOTSS Gay Edition, similar online recognition, oh you are here too? Studying at Taipei University of Science and Technology, Yu Yongzhen, ran to Taiwan University to participate in the Gaychat version of the gathering, thinking that it was good to have their own community, "North University actually no gay version!" I created a version of the same-sex love, also do small newspapers, when the newspaper, the edge of the island, there are Queer-related information, I sent the newspaper to the department's public space, no information, to open up ah. He has a handsome eyebrow, and since he doesn't, he's doing it. He and his friends everywhere posted, created and sent newspapers, in order to organize information, reference to have something to do, nothing but want to tell others - the world, there is your kind of existence, really. (Extended Reading: Jumping out of the fluid sex of the duality, living out the real self)

Yu Yongzhen said he learned from the line, has been in the gender-friendly comfortable circle, design department, originally more comrades, into the industry, culture circle, record circle, entertainment circle, publishing circle, all gay friendly, so live very used to thinking it is the norm, "so when I am on the network, across the same temperature, Hearing all kinds of opposition, I really thought, wow, it's heartbroken. 」

Originally there is a group of people, denied their existence of this matter, last year's referendum result, he thought, the original reality of the parallel world is such, good disappointment. Then also realize that the friendly comfort circle, not everyone. For some, it may be even too extravagant.

'At the low ebb, speak for yourself to a similar kind you can trust,' he said.

You are not alone in such confusion, there are people like you in the world, you are not surprised.

People are in groups, the same kind of dependence, should be in accordance with each other. (Extended reading: Ma Xin's essay, the gay movement, seeking the freedom of the soul to break free from the label)

He said a turn, gender education, the reason is so important, because not everyone has such an opportunity to know the same kind, can be firmly caught. "Gender education in schools, that's the basic umbrella, from the textbooks, you know you're not wrong, you're not a problem, you build a sense of security for yourself. Peer groups also receive information to understand the existence of diversity and to enhance the sense of security in the overall environment. (Extended Reading: What does China's Small Sex Education Teach?) Let's open the textbook and look at it)

So, tears wipe, there is still something to do.

It's a sharp and gentle yin.

Edit postscript

I asked him a question, think the most important contemporary gender discussion is what, thought he would be referring to the imminent rights and interests of comrades, did not expect him to say is sexual liberation. He frowned and talked about the stigma of sexual liberation, "Liberation is always stigmatized, and when "sex" is added, wow becomes darker again." 」

Sexual liberation, the pursuit of knowledge of rational de-fascination, and political democracy equality, is the desire to be treated equally, we can make our own physical choices. "I think any one person needs to know what sexual liberation is and what it really means to be free of the body and the freedom of gender identity." 」

The significance of sexual liberation is to allow the groups subjected to sexual slaughter/sexual oppression to have their own freedom. Yu Yongzhen said, body and person, do not be trapped in the cage, do not get used to this matter. (Extended reading: Halfway out of home feminism!) "The liberation is not only about lust, but the freedom of all people"

I think, Yu Yong really through the design, open the cage window, let the wind in, people fly out freely.