A complex graphic design layout featuring a central illustration of a figure with a green face and three eyes. The composition is surrounded by surreal elements, including a globe, a ship, and various Chinese characters. To the right, three vertical panels in yellow, pink and blue contain diagrams and text. Below these are two teardrop-shaped ornaments decorated with similar colourful motifs and Chinese characters.

Googly eyes, goats and games: Step into Xingshan He’s incredible world of interactive design

Each element of the designer’s work has an interactive element, including a website that lets you fly an airplane cursor around a blue sky.

Words: Olivia Hingley
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Date: 8 August 2023
Tags: Work
Graphic Design
Typography
Poster
Interactive
Society

It’s rare to come across a design portfolio that feels like you can physically enter it, but this is most certainly the case with Xingshan He’s. Inspired by the likes of Studio Moniker and Yehwan Song, Xingshan is passionate about creating artful interactive design experiences. Stylistically, Xingshan aims for an aesthetic that emulates the “millennial internet” era. Her images often look like a noughties Myspace page, filled with overlapping images, vibrant palettes and hectic patterns.

But while Xingshan’s visuals exude fun and levity, she uses them to delve into complex societal topics. Particularly those connected to her personal experience, like China’s one child policy. Her interactive website Breathe With Us – which has a soothing title page that simulates the motion of breathing – deals with the experience of emotional labour in China’s food delivery industry. Inventive, immersive and consistently analytical, Xingshan’s portfolio is best suited for deep exploration.

A surreal digital collage blends a photograph of a city street with 3D renders and illustrations. A giant, multi-eyed creature looms over the scene, facing a small child’s face and a figure in a red jacket. At the bottom, a white banner features bold black text that reads “跟我回家”, followed by three smaller speech bubbles containing Chinese text. Vertical text on the right edge reads “Peekaboo: On The Way Home”.

A digital collage featuring a close-up of a person’s face, fragmented by geometric shapes and patterns. Bold Chinese characters in red, yellow and blue are layered over the image alongside grids, stripes and a red organic shape.

A screenshot of the “BreatheWithUs” website interface. A person’s face is framed in a central video feed, with instructions on how to play and a colourful wheel illustrating “Emotional Labor”.

An infographic with a yellow background and blue and red text. Two columns of text in Chinese and English explain “What is emotion labor” and “Why it matters”.

A 3D render of a surreal, multi-layered floating island in pastel pink and blue. The structure is populated by abstract shapes, small buildings, and floating portraits of people.

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Further Info

www.xingshanhe.com

About the Author

Olivia Hingley

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Olivia (she/her) is associate editor of the website, overseeing the day-to-day editorial projects as well as Nicer Tuesdays events. She joined the It’s Nice That team in 2021. ofh@itsnicethat.com

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