Justine Yan Yee Fong

The Fu Print (Surface Design)

I first created a motif that is inspired by a design technique that I learned in high school - Kaleidoscope Lettering. “Kaleidoscope Lettering uses the concepts of bilateral (reflective) symmetry, tessellation, and positive/negative space to transform a name, initials, or an inspiring word into a unique design that looks much more complicated to create than it actually is” (Trowbridge). I chose the Chinese traditional character “Fu” as my inspiring word. After a few variations of sketches, I picked my favorite one of all. After making this motif, I transformed it into a digital file which allowed me to play with scale, colourways, and composition.

““Fu” in my language means “blessing” and “Happiness”, it is a very common character to be seen in Chinese calligraphy art and in many households, especially during Chinese New Year. ”