Designer Spotlight: Eileen Ahn

What are you currently working on?

At work, I’ve been working on a lot of campaign logos, social graphics, and digital ads for candidates and nonprofit organizations. I can’t share most of these images due to legal issues since a lot of them aren’t formally public yet, but I can share some graphics I worked on. These are for Reform LA Jails and Yes for Minneapolis Public Safety, which was an effort to rework and expand public safety in Minneapolis.

I’ve also been collaging a lot. It’s been nice to sit down and dedicate my time to reading, searching, cutting, and conducting physical research to work on a tangible project. I think the beauty of collage is that the craft makes itself.

What is your favorite project?

WeDream! WeDream is a curation of videos generated by translating dreamtexts into a visual form through machine learning. My partner and I envisioned this project as a collective retelling of our stories and a reproduction of a dream-like state. This project was made in hopes of transcending the intangible aspects of our dreams that manifest in our subconscious to explore the liminal space. (I also talk more about this in the question below regarding a project that made me excited!)

These are some screenshots of pictures generated using ML with dream quotes pertaining to the visual.

Tell us about who you are I’m Eileen (23), based in Orange County. I graduated from Pomona College this past May with a B.A. in neuroscience and a minor in Art. I currently work as a designer at a civic engagement firm surrounding campaigns and progressive advocacies.

What are the (design or general) topics you’re most passionate about? I’m always thinking about how I can translate my passions in cognitive science, tech, and art to find a creative synergy. I think I am really striving towards finding a balance of three that can make information more accessible to the public. I am passionate about critical design systems in education reform and hope to participate in a project related to this issue in the near future. Oh, I also really enjoy curating terribly raw aesthetics like blurry, hyper-zoomed pixelated pictures of the moon or silly license plates that I eagerly capture on my drives.

Tell us about a project that got you excited The first time I worked with machine learning to generate video art was really exciting! My partner and I wanted to create a dream-like simulation reinterpreted through machine learning. We fed texts of people’s dreams and got an output of surreal images that shared a collective narrative in a constant motion of fusion.

Tell us about a collaborative project you worked on My friend Ahana and I worked on a storybook with original writing and illustrations for a whole semester during my last year in college. I found this work to be really meaningful because 1) it was something we had promised to do during our first year and 2) this was the first time I worked with another person long-term. I loved the community we built for ourselves and that we were able to simply trust each other to pursue whatever craft we desired. I was also really happy that I was able to dedicate a good chunk of my time to writing, something I find difficult to pursue nowadays.

How was your first year after school? Frankly, it’s been...quite tumultuous. I feel like I’ve been thrown into a pit of bewilderment and I am just trying to find solid ground. It’s so strange how post-graduation works. I don’t feel any different but suddenly I am expected to know and have a good grasp on everything. I think I’ve been feeling dazed most of the days as if someone’s constantly flashing light on my face. But I guess this is just the nature of post-graduation and adulthood…?

What's the best advice you've received (and from whom)? My dad always knows how to engage in good conversations. He is also a really good listener. I don’t know if he ever shared words that were meant to be taken as advice, but he always gave me the reassurance that I have the answer that I seek and to have more confidence in the choices I make.

What do you look for in your first job? I am still figuring this out because I think it’s always a compromise. Something I learned during my job search is that I greatly value learning about the role or company’s mission and whether or not it aligns with my personal values.

With which projects did you fill your portfolio? What was your selection process? I think I tried to emphasize variety and holistic value in the project. Mostly, it was a question of whether others will find this project as intriguing as I did. I was hoping to have visitors stop scrolling for a remote second to read the intention behind my work, and I see this engagement as a sort of muted conversation that I find to be exciting.

What are you working (personal or professional) on now? I am currently crocheting a tweety bird sweater vest - it will be quite a feat once I finish.

What do you find most useful in your projects? I find the pith of any craft is to rely on understanding the intention behind the work. Simply put, why am I/you/we making this in the first place? I think generating this conversation, sharing ideas, making unexpected connections in order to have some form of creative guidance that evolves over time is important.

What book had the biggest impact on you, and why? Two books come to mind: “All About Love” by Bell Hooks and “Braiding Sweetgrass” by Robin Wall Kimmerer. I think both books gave me the gift of showing me my potency and awakening in the kind of person I can be. I also want to take this time to pay a special homage and respect to theorist and author Bell Hooks. Her legacy is infinite.

What was your key takeaway from participating in the Wix Playground Academy program? Trust the process, use the resources, find community (so important when virtual!) and lean into your intuition!

In which design field would you want to focus on in your future? I am unsure if I have a specific design field I want to focus on. I find it difficult to stick to just one for a long time since I am always eager to learn something new. But I definitely want to tinker around more with creative coding and generative art in the near future.