Meet motion designer from Taiwan, Yichi Chou

Tell us a little bit about yourself.

Hi, I am Yichi. I am a Motion Designer from Taiwan. I love Motion Design, GIFs, travel, cats, and sweets. Since I was young, I love to watch TV and animations. It makes me imagine and inspires me to create and draw. Therefore, I would like to use what I learn from Motion Design to tell my stories and connect to viewers because it is a powerful communication tool, allowing designers to communicate stories concisely and help viewers instantly grab an idea.

Describe the city you’re living in and what it’s like to live there.

Taoyuan is the city I was born and raised and also is an international airport in Taiwan. It is a nice and convenient place to live because It is near the airport and also Taipei that is the biggest city in Taiwan.

However, I am in Los Angeles, USA now. The huge difference between the two cities is the distance of a place. In LA, if you want to go somewhere you have to drive; on the other hand, in Taiwan, it is easy to go somewhere by public transportation.

The best thing in Taiwan is a lot of delicious food and local dishes, and they are not expensive.

What is the best and worst thing about living in your city?

The best thing in Taiwan is a lot of delicious food and local dishes, and they are not expensive. Also, Taiwan is safe and convenient. There are a lot of convenient stores or street vendors, so if I would like to buy food, it’s really convenient and quick to get it.

Give us 3 words that describe what it’s like to be a creative in your city.

Taiwan Taoyuan: Enjoyable, Warm, Peaceful

How did you start your career in art?

I love doodling when I was young. I started to work on design and animation during my Bachelor’s Degree, Digital Media Design, in Taiwan. I learned software and the fundamental knowledge of design, such as illustration, animations, video editing, and the fundamental website. In the last year of college, I had a senior thesis project with my team. It is a website about the disappearing industries: Handmade Paper. It includes the process of papermaking and an interactive papermaking game to make its own digital handmade paper. This project changed my mind to be a good designer because I realized that the importance of design is not just about creating beautiful things, but also deliver concepts and stories to solve problems and impact people. It still has room to grow and improve.

I had a chance to learn Motion Design in an event during the time, and I found out that motion graphics is a powerful communication tool to convey the concepts or idea and connect to viewers. After doing some researches about Motion Design, I decided to come to the US and studied Motion Media Design at SCAD (Savannah College of Art and Design).

I learn how to use Motion Design to communicate and solve design challenges. In the second year at SCAD, I had an internship to work on social content and smartwatch interface animation. It was a great experience to grow my personal and professionally apply my skills in the real industry. This opportunity allows me to think that there are different perspectives and fields in Motion Design. When I was creating, it always made me think about how Motion Design can help to improve our customers’ needs and create effective ways to solve problems. With technology improvement, I use motion design to enhance experiences between products and users, giving them opportunities to engage, and these are a huge possibility of solving problems. I realized that Motion Design could go beyond the traditional screen to deliver a new breed of integrated, digital experiences.

I realized that Motion Design could go beyond the traditional screen to deliver a new breed of integrated, digital experiences.

Were the people around you supportive of your decision on working as a creative?

Thanks to my parents and family supports and love, especially my father without any hesitation encourages me to do what I love. Because no one in my family is in this field, it is a tough path to pursuit; however, they still give me support to learn what I love and work as a creative.

What are some goals and ambitions you have for your future work?

I would love to explore and learn more about how I could apply my Motion Design on different experiences and use my skills to solve problems. Also, I would like to explore the possibility of Motion Design and create or deliver a new breed of integrated, digital experiences.

How would you describe the women around you?

I appreciate that women around me are so dedicated to their works, and I think it is the most beautiful thing. They are very talented, independent, and hardworking, and also inspire me a lot.

I appreciate that women around me are so dedicated to their works, and I think it is the most beautiful thing. They are very talented, independent, and hardworking, and also inspire me a lot.

Were there any local female creatives that you looked up to when you were growing up?

I knew a lot of amazing women while I grew up. Although they are not working as creatives, they influenced me a lot. When I came into the industry, I do have a lot of female creatives in my working place. I think they are amazing and awesome. I really appreciate that they taught me a lot of perspectives that I never thought before.

Are there any challenging aspects of being a female in your industry?

I would say nope. I think in my industry that gender won’t affect your career. People are more focused on your works and your professional skills.

Be yourself and don’t be afraid to share your thoughts or opinions.

Do you have any advice to young women who are aspiring to work in your field?

Be yourself and don’t be afraid to share your thoughts or opinions. When you are not afraid to speak out and express yourself, you will have more courage and trust in yourself.

Photos courtesy of Yichi Chou.