Yvonne Qiao

Designer, teacher, storyteller, and a person who loves the world. Email me at [email protected] or drop a message in my ask box.

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Political engagement shouldn’t be a chore. 

Politics affect everyone. Voting have been heralded as the guidepost for democracy since the beginning of civilization. But with all the electioneering, partisanism, and overload of information, it’s hard for citizens to decode political stances of the people they’re voting for. 

Politica is a personalized political compass. 

Politica assist its users in voting during election season, and helps users stay informed between elections by feeding users with news update on issues they expressed interest in. This issue focused approach, rather than party focused approach, allow users to make up their own decisions on issues which truly matter to them, instead of confusing users with a broad overview of each party. 

Conceptualized as a Workshop project for York/Sheridan Design program, Politica is not available in the app store. Politica is designed with the Canadian political landscape in mind. If you’re interested in developing this project with me, please contact Yvonne Qiao at [email protected]. 

[yvonneqiao]

It’s Alright - A workplace comfort kit. 

Stress is real. Workplace stress is a major source of stress for North American adults. Increased levels of job stress as assessed by the perception of having little control but lots of demands have been demonstrated to be associated with increased rates of heart attack, hypertension and other disorders.

It’s Alright seeks to redefine professionalism.

It’s Alright is a workplace comfort kit designed to promote an environment of openness and empathy. It is marketed towards offices and is meant to be communal. The kit should be placed within an office break-room or a commons area. Employees are to share the items within the kit.

The kit includes: 

one blanket

one plush pug

one can of hot cocoa (with “this too shall pass” printed on the lid)

one mug which says “everything will be okay”

five buttons which says “I’m okay”, “I need a hug”, “leave me the f* alone”, “I can’t talk about it”, and “internally screaming”.

Oftentimes, negativity and anxiety are frowned upon at the workplace. People feel uncomfortable expressing their stress at the workplace. There is a stigma that any negativity is unprofessional. This often results in bitterness, employees complaining in private, and passive-aggressive behaviors, amounting to a toxic environment.

It’s Alright offers the much needed comfort and sympathy to employees without requiring them to verbally complain. Professionalism should not be about hiding one’s stress, it should be about creating a positive work environment.

This project is done for Packaging Design class at York University/Sheridan College’s joint design program. If you’re interested in producing this product, please contact me at [email protected].

[yvonneqiao]

Better City is an app which allows citizens report issues they see in the city.

Issues such as damaged public property, potholes, and graffiti often go unreported because many dislike having to call the government. 

Better City serves as a connection between municipal government and citizens by simplifying the process of reporting issues regarding public property. Users are given option to verify existing report, as well as to create new reports. The app would serve as a front end of a report database for the government.

This app is a spec project by Yvonne Qiao, Amanda Theyers, and Wei Wang. You can find the prototype of the app on InVision. 

All of us were involved in every step of the process. My core role in this project was information architecture and user interface, creating the wireframe and flow. I did not conceptualize the brand, however, I was deeply involved in developing the brand for the visual prototype along with Wei. I was also responsible for editing and sound design of the promotional video, along with Wei. 

[yvonneqiao]

Lightcake - Mooncake Packaging

The Mid Autumn Festival is celebrated in China, Korea, and Vietnam. It takes place on the 15th of the eighth lunar month, on the night of the brightest full moon. The defining value of the festival is “unity of the family”. The family is suppose to gather, and be complete, just like the full moon.

There are two defining activities of the Mid-Autumn Festival, mooncakes and the lantern festival. What if we can have both in one?

The packaging for Lightcake comes with a LED tealight, and turns into a beautiful lantern. Playful, warm, and a touch of mature elegance, this charming package is targeted towards the entire family.

The brand Lightcake is a visual play on the word moon cake. The full moon, a symbol of the festival, is displayed on the package. When one holds the lantern, they are holding a bright moon in their hand.

The lantern include two riddles each. One in Chinese, and one in English. Writing riddles on lanterns is one of the major traditions of mid-autumn festival.  It adds an element of fun to the package.

The answer to the riddles are hidden within the dividers inside the package.

[yvonneqiao]

Froot - Soap Packaging

In the modern world, people often feel disconnected with manufactured products. Bath soap, a product common in each and every washroom, is produced in factories. It is chemicals, everything people deem “unnatural”. Yet it shares an intimate relationship with our body.

The packaging design of Froot bridges the gap between manufactured and human. The soap is fruit scented, and the package is made to look like fruit flavoured candy.

Candy, though manufactured in factories, have been widely accepted as being fit for consumption. They are associated with nostalgia of our childhood, and thus, begs for our trust. Fruits, on the other hand, are known to be natural, healthy, and wholesome. They convey a sense of freshness and life.

The combination of the two edible object stimulates our senses. It appeal to our base instinct, the happiness and desire we associate with sweet candy or a succulent fruit.

The candy wrapper shape, while playful, invites the user to unwrap it. The idea of a “wrap” reminds people of presents. The blinding colours gives the user a pleasant surprise when they open the package. The wrapping paper then become a beautiful keepsake.

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Valentine’s day card, illustrated by yours truely. 

[yvonneqiao]

Working with a team of 3, I was tasked with reorganizing the information from the previous FGS website to and transfer it onto the 2014 Wordpress template. I was tasked with both reorganizing the content, making minor adjustment to the CSS, and creating the banner images on the front page.

The banners focus on grad students with outstanding achievement in their fields. The objects on the background were arranged according to the student’s research area.

The website can be viewed at gradstudies.yorku.ca . YorkU 2014 Wordpress template is made by YU IT.

[yvonneqiao]

Toronto Dragon Boat Festival

For this project, I was asked to design the branding for a cultural festival. I chose to design for the Toronto Dragon Boat Festival. Looking at the demographic of my target audience, I notice a large amount of them appears to be Chinese-Canadian families. The Dragon Boat festival celebrates both sports and Chinese culture. Thus, I want something that can communicate the sports spirit and appeal to families. The bright colours were chosen to appeal to people of all ages. The style of the posters are created with many Chinese pattern and symbols, such as the waves and the dragon, to communicate the cultural aspect of the event.

A poster, a ticket, and a pamphlet were designed, as well as a street marker. The street marker is photoshopped. 

[yvonneqiao]

Artsee is an e-commerce app designed to help artist connect with art buyers. The app is designed for a school project and is purely conceptual. It is designed in collaboration by Demi Pinsonneault, Yvonne Qiao,  Ormond Yeung, and Chloe Negrette.

All of us were involved in every step of the process. My core role in this project was conceptualization and information architecture. I was primarily responsible for the information architecture and user interface, creating the wireframe and flow. 

[yvonneqiao]

A brochure on Yuki Kajiura which I did for a project at YSDN. Including a biography, an illustrated lyric page of her song To Nowhere, a bit of information on the members of Fiction Junction, and a discography. The booklet is created to reflect the mood of Kajiuran music. Her music often have an ethereal atmosphere with strong folk influence, which is reflected through all the curves and flow.

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An infographic of Kingdom Come, an role-play on Gaiaonline which I created and participated in. 

This looks better on print I swear. 

[yvonneqiao]

This is a booklet designed for a typography project featuring comic creator Bryann Lee O'Malley. All images belong to Bryann Lee O'Malley and Onipress.