About
For me, visual choices are always closely connected to the audience. When we decide on the symbols, colors, composition, and hierarchy within a design, we are also deciding how that design will communicate with specific people. Different audiences bring different aesthetic experiences, reading habits, and cultural backgrounds, so the visual language of a project should shift depending on who it is speaking to and what it needs to accomplish.
My background in Art Studio has allowed me to work across photography, drawing, digital illustration, graphic design, and animation, and these different media have gradually shaped the way I think about visual communication. I do not believe that one visual language is inherently better than another. Clear and direct design can communicate effectively with a broader audience, while denser work that relies on more specific visual or cultural references may be more appropriate for a particular group. What matters is not whether a design feels “mainstream” or “niche,” but who it is meant for and why it is designed that way.
Whether I am working on a personal or commercial project, I want aesthetic choices to stay connected to the purpose of the work. Every visual decision should have a reason behind it and help the project communicate more effectively with its intended audience.

Work Info

Statement

Title: Blue Drifts

Medium: Glossy photo prints, cardstock, handmade photo book

Format: 34 pages plus cover

Click to browse the book

Blue Drifts is a handmade photo book that traces the color blue across different places, moments, and kinds of light. The photographs move between blue found in sky, water, shadow, reflection, and artificial light, using the color as a quiet thread to connect otherwise separate images. Photography, page layout, and short poetic text work together to create a slow visual rhythm. The book format allows each image to unfold page by page rather than being viewed all at once, while glossy photo paper and cardstock give the project a tactile, intimate quality. Through this sequence, I explore how color can carry mood, memory, and a sense of movement across images.

Title: Word Dragon

Medium: Digital typography, vector illustration

Format: Digital image

Word Dragon is a digital typographic illustration built around the transformation of written language into image. The figure is constructed almost entirely from lines of text, with changes in scale, spacing, direction, and density shaping the dragon’s silhouette and internal details. Although the words remain visible up close, they come together from a distance to form a single recognizable image. In this project, I used typography, composition, and repetition to balance readability with visual form. Through this work, I wanted to explore how text can move beyond its usual role as information and become a material for building texture, structure, and image.

Title: Baskerville

Medium: Typographic poster design, editorial layout

Format: Digital poster

Baskerville is a typographic poster built around the visual character and historical context of the Baskerville typeface. The composition combines letterforms, descriptive text, and a portrait of John Baskerville, using changes in scale, orientation, and placement to create contrast and movement across the page. Although the poster presents historical information, it also treats typography as the main visual structure of the work. In this project, I used layout, hierarchy, and typographic contrast to organize information while emphasizing the elegance and clarity of the typeface. Through this work, I wanted to explore how a poster can communicate both the history of a typeface and its visual identity.

Title: Geometric Patterns

Medium: Digital vector design

Format: Repeat Pattern / Colorway Variations

Click to browse the colorways

Geometric Patterns is a digital pattern design project built around the relationship between color, repetition, and visual rhythm. The composition is constructed from a fixed arrangement of geometric blocks that can be repeated as a tile and reinterpreted through different color palettes. Although the underlying structure remains the same, changes in hue, saturation, and contrast shift the balance and visual energy of each colorway. In this project, I used modular composition, color comparison, and repetition to explore how a limited visual system can produce different experiences. Through this work, I wanted to explore how color choices can guide attention, create contrast, and change the way the same structure is perceived.

Title: Cat in a Cup

Medium: Digital illustration, poster design

Format: Promotional poster

Cat in a Cup is a digital promotional poster built around a playful cat mascot and the visual language of milk tea advertising. The central figure combines the cat with an oversized drink container, using simplified shapes, bold outlines, and a warm cream-and-brown palette to keep the image clear and immediately recognizable. Although the composition is humorous, the layout creates a clear hierarchy between the headline, mascot, and call-to-action text to guide attention through the poster. In this project, I used digital illustration, typography, and character-based branding to create an approachable and memorable advertisement. Through this work, I wanted to explore how a simple mascot can give a product a distinct personality and make promotional information feel more engaging.

Title: Soft Moment

Medium: Hand-drawn 2D frame-by-frame animation

Duration: Short looping animation

Soft Moment is a short hand-drawn animation built around the simple gesture of petting a cat. The sequence uses a small number of frames that move forward and backward in a continuous loop, focusing on the movement of the hand, the cat’s response, and the subtle changes in posture between them. Although the action is brief, changes in line, timing, and spacing give the motion a gentle rhythm and a sense of touch. In this project, I used frame-by-frame drawing and simplified forms to keep the interaction clear and expressive. Through this work, I wanted to explore how a small movement can communicate warmth and character through animation.

Title: Misunderstanding and Trap

Medium: Modeling clay, digital video, sound editing

Format: 1 min 4 sec mixed-media animation

Misunderstanding and Trap is a short mixed-media animation built around transitions between drawing, clay, physical space, and digital video. The sequence uses a simple narrative to connect these different forms, allowing the character to move from one medium into another. Rather than relying on a single animation technique, the project combines stop-motion, drawing, live-action footage, and sound editing within one continuous piece. The project focuses on using transitions between materials and media as part of the animation itself.

Education

2026
University of California, Davis
B.A. in Art Studio, College of Letters and Science

2026
Sociology Minor
University of California, Davis

2024
Diablo Valley College
Coursework in Digital Media and Studio Art
Transferred to University of California, Davis

Awards and honors

Spring Quarter 2025
Dean’s Honors List
College of Letters and Science, University of California, Davis

Fall Quarter 2025
Dean’s Honors List
College of Letters and Science, University of California, Davis

Selected Exhibitions / Art Events

2025
Art Walk
Department of Art and Art History, University of California, Davis
Davis, CA

2024
Art Walk
Department of Art and Art History, University of California, Davis
Davis, CA

Liam

Liu

VISUAL

PRACTICE

ULTRAIST MANIFESTO

Liam

Liu

visual

. practice

ULTRAIST
MANIFESTO