REFRACTION _
2016—2018 Selected Works of Robin Xiao
REFRACTION_
2016—2018 Selected Works of Robin Xiao_
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CONCEPT OF DESIGN
I N T RO D U C T I O N
CONCEPT_
REFRACTED_
The design process explores a problem from many angles, and it allows experimentation in many directions like light refracting in a prism. Then in the later stages, the designer converges or focuses the idea into a cohesive solution. I view ideas as refracted lines of thought and action. From the spectrum of possibilities and refracted directions come one set of deliverables.
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01
When Doppelgängers Meet_ 006— 021
02
The Speed of Sharing_ 022— 051
03
It’s Elementary, My Dear_ 052— 061
04
The Body of Letters_ 062— 073
CHAPTER
01
02
03
04
05
06
07
08
D I R E C TO RY
GUIDE
CONTENTS_
05
Identity of Brand_ 074— 0 8 5
06
Between the Lines_ 086— 099
07
Out of the Darkness_ 100—111
08
The Hole Unfilled_ 112—121
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P ROJ E C T _ E N E M Y P O S T E R S E R I E S
COURSE_T YPE E XPERIMENTS
01 01/08_
When Doppelgängers Meet
P R O J EC T_
OBJECTIVE _
Enemy Poster Series
Play with lights, materials to create incredible and mysterious imagery that revealed
COURSE_
to the movie posters. It also about exploring
Type Experiments
a variety of ways to play with types. Ultimately, to create a poster series based on the
INSTRUCTOR _
movie that I chose. Expressing the movie
Wioleta Kaminska
through typography we explored, imagery, colors, and layout.
SEMESTER_
Spring 2018 DELIVER ABLES_
Three Posters / Movie Trailor C AT EG O R Y_
Typography PA LE T TE _
APPROACH_
The movie I chose was “Enemy”. It demonstrate a story of two oposite person switch to each other, their fate distorted and twisted after they met. For my series posters, I use symbolic elements and dark background to metaphore deeper meaning just like the movie. The three poster are connected and by the timeline of the story of the movie.
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P ROJ E C T _ E N E M Y P O S T E R S E R I E S
COURSE_T YPE E XPERIMENTS
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P ROJ E C T _ E N E M Y P O S T E R S E R I E S
COURSE_T YPE E XPERIMENTS
CHAPTER
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02
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08
P ROJ E C T _ E N E M Y P O S T E R S E R I E S
COURSE_T YPE E XPERIMENTS
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P ROJ E C T _ E N E M Y P O S T E R S E R I E S
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P ROJ E C T _ E N E M Y P O S T E R S E R I E S
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P ROJ E C T _ S M A RT S H O P N
C O U R S E _ V I S UA L T H I N K I N G
02 02/08_
The Speed of Sharing
P R O J EC T_
OBJECTIVE _
SmartShopn
Identify a problem for a selected topic. Then, identify its relevant target audience,
COURSE_
competitors, and stakeholders. Finally
Visual Thinking
create and implement a compelling visual treatment in a veriety of deliverables that
INSTRUCTOR _
work together as a system.
Sandra Isla SEMESTER_
Fall 2017 DELIVER ABLES_
APP / Sur vice / Event C AT EG O R Y_
Branding PA LE T TE _
APPROACH_
Young adults have the problem of what to do with their second-hand goods, I create three deliverables to help young adults trade their used goods quickly. The aim of these deliverables was to offer approaches for the young people with low budget to save money and time, and people can also purchase the low price used goods.
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P ROJ E C T _ S M A RT S H O P N
C O U R S E _ V I S UA L T H I N K I N G
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P ROJ E C T _ S M A RT S H O P N
C O U R S E _ V I S UA L T H I N K I N G
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02
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04
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P ROJ E C T _ S M A RT S H O P N
C O U R S E _ V I S UA L T H I N K I N G
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P ROJ E C T _ S M A RT S H O P N
C O U R S E _ V I S UA L T H I N K I N G
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P ROJ E C T _ S M A RT S H O P N
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P ROJ E C T _ S M A RT S H O P N
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P ROJ E C T _ S M A RT S H O P N
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P ROJ E C T _ S M A RT S H O P N
C O U R S E _ V I S UA L T H I N K I N G
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P ROJ E C T _ S M A RT S H O P N
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P ROJ E C T _ S M A RT S H O P N
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P ROJ E C T _ S M A RT S H O P N
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P ROJ E C T _ S M A RT S H O P N
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P ROJ E C T _ S M A RT S H O P N
C O U R S E _ V I S UA L T H I N K I N G
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P ROJ E C T _ B O O K C OV E R D E S I G N
COURSE_T YPE COMPOSITION
03 03/08_
It’s Elementary, My Dear
P R O J EC T_
OBJECTIVE _
Book Cover Design
Design a series of three book covers for a reissue of those three chosen titles from the
COURSE_
publisher. Each selected cover is differ-
Type Compositions
ent yet predictable, and should reflect the essence of the book. Research the target
INSTRUCTOR _
audience and other factors that can inform
John Nettleton
the design process.
SEMESTER_
APPROACH_
Spring 2017
I had the Sherlock Holmes series as my topic. The style of the stories are ominous so I chose
DELIVER ABLES_
three dark colors for the covers. I incorpora-
Three Book Covers
ted morse code and the deconstrcted shape of the first letter of each title to demonstrate the
C AT EG O R Y_
Typography PA LE T TE _
feeling of mystery and foreboding.
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02
03
04
05
06
07
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P ROJ E C T _ B O O K C OV E R D E S I G N
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056 / 057
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03
04
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06
07
08
P ROJ E C T _ B O O K C OV E R D E S I G N
COURSE_T YPE COMPOSITION
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02
03
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P ROJ E C T _ B O O K C OV E R D E S I G N
COURSE_T YPE COMPOSITION
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P ROJ E C T _ B O O K C OV E R D E S I G N
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P ROJ E C T _ T Y P E A N ATO M Y P O S T E R
COURSE_T YPE FORMS
04 04/08_
The Body of Letters
P R O J EC T_
OBJECTIVE _
Type Anatomy Poster Series
Choose three different typefaces and describe the characteristics of letter forms
COURSE_
and typefaces using standard typo-graphic
Type Forms
terminology. Describe the anatomy of letter forms and design them as a poster series to
INSTRUCTOR _
make them memorable.
John Nettleton SEMESTER_
APPROACH_
Fall 2016
This series of posters to presents the anatomy of each typeface, I chose three different
DELIVER ABLES_
typefaces (Garamond, Baskerville and Helvet
Three Posters
ica) to analyze and highlight the characteristics of those typefaces, used composition,
C AT EG O R Y_
simple lines, spot colors, layouts to repre-
Typography
sent the charac-teristics of those typefaces.
PA LE T TE _
CHAPTER
01
02
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P ROJ E C T _ T Y P E A N ATO M Y P O S T E R
COURSE_T YPE FORMS
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08
P ROJ E C T _ T Y P E A N ATO M Y P O S T E R
COURSE_T YPE FORMS
CHAPTER
01
02
03
04
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08
P ROJ E C T _ T Y P E A N ATO M Y P O S T E R
COURSE_T YPE FORMS
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08
P ROJ E C T _ T Y P E A N ATO M Y P O S T E R
COURSE_T YPE FORMS
CHAPTER
01
02
03
04
05
06
07
08
P ROJ E C T _ T Y P E A N ATO M Y P O S T E R
COURSE_T YPE FORMS
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P ROJ E C T _ R E B R A N D I N G
C O U R S E _ N AT U R E O F I D E N T I T Y
05 05/08_
Identity of Brand
P R O J EC T_
OBJECTIVE _
Rebranding
Give a dying or defunct brand a new life. Reposition the brand while keeping its origi-
COURSE_
nal core. I chose The Sharper Image (TSI).
Nature of Identity
It is a defunct American brand, one that began its journey with the launch of the high-tech
INSTRUCTOR _
products that can helps people upgrade their
Hunter Wimmer
outward appearance.
SEMESTER_
Fall 2018 DELIVER ABLES_
Branding / Website C AT EG O R Y_
Branding PA LE T TE _
APPROACH_
The Sharper Image’s mission is to provide opportunities for people who want to enhance their outward appearance. Palm has many future possibilities to helps people to present themselves as successful business people.
092 / 093
https://www.sharper-community.com/
CHAPTER
01
02
03
04
05
06
07
P ROJ E C T _ M Y S T E RY P O S T E R S E R I E S
https://www.sharper-community.com/
https://www.sharper-community.com/
COURSE_T YPE E XPERIMENTS
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P ROJ E C T _ S M A RT S H O P N
C O U R S E _ V I S UA L T H I N K I N G
CHAPTER
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P ROJ E C T _ A RT E X H I B I T
COURSE_T YPE SYSTEMS
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P ROJ E C T _ A RT E X H I B I T
COURSE_T YPE SYSTEMS
06 06/08_
Between the Lines
P R O J EC T_
OBJECTIVE _
Art Exhibit
Create a visual system of an art exhibition. Identify the relevant target audience and
COURSE_
implement a compelling visual system in a
Type Sytems
variety of elements: posters, tickets, banners, a booklet, a website and a wall graphic
INSTRUCTOR _
that work together as a system.
Brooke Willis SEMESTER_
Fall 2017 DELIVER ABLES_
Logo / Website / Booklet C AT EG O R Y_
Typography PA LE T TE _
APPROACH_
I created the visual system for the works of Alberto Giacometti. The visual system and elements that reflect the feeling of his work by using thin typography, gray tone colors and lines. I also organized the display of his art works in the map of the booklet.
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P ROJ E C T _ A RT E X H I B I T
COURSE_T YPE SYSTEMS
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P ROJ E C T _ A RT E X H I B I T
COURSE_T YPE SYSTEMS
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07
08
P ROJ E C T _ A RT E X H I B I T
COURSE_T YPE SYSTEMS
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P ROJ E C T _ A RT E X H I B I T
COURSE_T YPE SYSTEMS
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P ROJ E C T _ A RT E X H I B I T
COURSE_T YPE SYSTEMS
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P ROJ E C T _ M Y S T E RY P O S T E R S E R I E S
COURSE_T YPE E XPERIMENTS
07 07/08_
Out of the Darkness
P R O J EC T_
OBJECTIVE _
Myster y Poster Series
Find a feeling from a poem and generate kewords, to create illustrations and explore
COURSE_
materials to build models to explain the
Type Experiments
keywords. Design posters by taking abstract photos of models by using different angles
INSTRUCTOR _
and light.
Wioleta Kaminka SEMESTER_
Spring 2018 DELIVER ABLES_
Three Posters C AT EG O R Y_
Typography PA LE T TE _
APPROACH_
The poem I had is from Czech poet—Tuvia Rivner. This poem is a dark lullaby about an unknown dreamland, so my final keyword is mystery. My three directions of the posters are a future city, a path to the unknown world, and the universe.
102 / 103
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03
04
05
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07
08
P ROJ E C T _ M Y S T E RY P O S T E R S E R I E S
COURSE_T YPE E XPERIMENTS
CHAPTER
01
02
03
04
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08
P ROJ E C T _ M Y S T E RY P O S T E R S E R I E S
COURSE_T YPE E XPERIMENTS
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P ROJ E C T _ M Y S T E RY P O S T E R S E R I E S
COURSE_T YPE E XPERIMENTS
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P ROJ E C T _ M Y S T E RY P O S T E R S R I E S
COURSE_T YPE E XPERIMENTS
08 08/08_
The Hole Unfilled
P R O J EC T_
OBJECTIVE _
Book Design
Select a script from This American Life broardcast and design a book with four chap-
COURSE_
ters. According to the topic of the script,
Type Systems
explore the format and binding of the book and the visual system of the layout.
INSTRUCTOR _
Brooke Willis SEMESTER_
Spring 2017 DELIVER ABLES_ A Book C AT EG O R Y_
Typography PA LE T TE _
APPROACH_
My topic is about stories of living without, or the loss suffered by people who shared their stories. I used diecut technique for the cover and transparent vellum for each chapter opener. I created collages as graphic elements for the book. I also used handwriting type for each title of chapter opener.
CHAPTER
01
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04
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P ROJ E C T _ M Y S T E RY P O S T E R S R I E S
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P ROJ E C T _ M Y S T E RY P O S T E R S R I E S
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TO E V E RYO N E
T H A N K YO U
THANK YOU_
FA MILY_
M Y FA MILY_
Mom and Dad
Thank you mom and dad, grandma and gran-
Simin Cheng
dpa. I cannot find better words to express
Ruibiao Xiao
my appreciation. I could have never finished this without your support and encouragement. Thank you for always giving me positive power when I was down. I hope you will be proud of me in the future.
F R IE ND S A ND C L A S S M AT E S _
M Y F R IE ND S A ND C L A S S M AT E S _
Chieh Kao
I am so lucky to have you in my life. Whenev-
Cheng Li
er I was confused and depressed, you always
Jing Xin
encouraged me and stood by my side. Thank
Rosie Wang
you all for bringing such joy and sharing your life with me. I could not have succeeded without your help.
INSTRUCTORS_
MY INSTRUCTORS_
Phillip Hamlett
Thank you for guiding and inspiring me in
Mary Scott
the graphic design field. And I would like to
Hunter Wimmer
say you have brought me the best moments
Wioleta Kaminska
in my life. Thank you for encouraging me to
John Nettleton
challenge my limitations and reach higher
Carolina De Bartolo
places that I ever thought I could achieve.
Brooke Willis Scott Rankin David Hake
S E LEC TE D WORKS OF ROBI N XIAO _ 2 0 1 6 —2 0 1 8
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C R E D I T S A N D I N F O R M AT I O N
C O LO P H O N
COLOPHON_
NAME_
Chengsongmei (Robin) Xiao TELEPHONE_
415. 216. 3704 EMAIL _
r06inchin@gmail.com WEBSITE_
robinxiao-design.com P HOTOGR A P H Y_
unsplash.com T Y PEFACE _
Din / Garamond P RIN T ING & BINDER Y_
blurb.com
SCHOOL _
Academy of Art University PROGRAM_
School of Graphic Design COURSE_
MA Portfolio Seminar INSTRUCTOR _
Mar y Scott
REF R AC TI ON S E LEC TE D WORKS OF ROBI N XIAO _ 2 0 1 6 —2 0 1 8
C OP Y R IGH T ©2 018 B Y CHE NG S ONGME I (R OBIN) X I A O _
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