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2007 Confucian Culture – Six Arts Poster Design (Finalist Entry)
首届儒家文化国际视觉设计大展

This poster was created for the First International Visual Design Exhibition of Confucian Culture, themed “To Know Confucius, To Know China”. The exhibition invited designers from around the world to explore Confucian values through visual expression. Held in China (PRC), the competition received 1,862 submissions from regions including China (PRC), Taiwan (ROC), Singapore, South Korea, and Japan. A total of 211 finalist entries were selected — and my work was honoured to be among them.

My Role & Concept

  • The theme I focused on was the Six Arts of Confucius: Rites, Music, Archery, Charioteering, Calligraphy, and Mathematics
  • I created a set of custom pictograms, each derived from the Chinese character of the respective art, inspired by Tang dynasty calligraphy strokes
  • These pictograms were designed not as a functioning script, but as a modern reinterpretation of symbolic language — expressing the six disciplines through visual rhythm and cultural form
  • The icons were brought together into a circular formation, symbolizing balance, unity, and harmony in society — a core Confucian value

Design Approach

  • Cultural Reconnection Through Design: As a third-generation Chinese diaspora raised in Singapore, this project became a meaningful opportunity for me to reconnect with and reinterpret traditional Chinese philosophy
  • Modern Visual Language: Treated each word as a structural base for pictographic reinvention — exploring how ancient ideas could be reframed in contemporary graphic form
  • Visual Harmony: Used calligraphic strokes and color to create a fluid yet grounded aesthetic, linking the past with the present through form and symbolism
  • The icons were brought together into a circular formation, symbolizing balance, unity, and harmony in society — a core Confucian value

Thoughts

  • Selected as a Finalist out of over 1,800 global entries — with my piece contributing a perspective from the overseas Chinese community
  • Gained exposure to how designers and artists from across Asia interpret Confucian values in modern visual terms
  • Deepened my understanding of Chinese culture through self-driven research and symbolic creation — transforming the experience into a personal design journey of identity and reinterpretation