20 September 2023
Artist Highlight - Haotian Dong & Dexin Leah Chen
Interview and Review
Haotian Dong is an award winning multidisciplinary designer based in NYC. His expertise lies in crafting visual systems and applications that cover various areas, including Brand Identities, Editorial Content, Metalsmith, Typography, Art Direction, and Motion Graphics. Whether in the digital realm or physical media, his design philosophy centers around extensive research, experimentation, and the development of captivating stories that emphasize consistency, structure, and innovative objectives and functionalities.
Dexin (Leah) Chen is a graphic designer based in Brooklyn. She has received multiple awards, including TDC Young Ones, ADC Young Ones Shortlisted, D&AD New Blood, Design Education Awards (Bronze), etc. She specializes in creating visual systems and applications encompassing Book Production, Editorial Content, Brand Identities, Typography, Art Direction, and Web Design. Her design approach in both digital and physical media is based on thorough research, experimentation, and creating compelling narratives that focus on coherence, format, and challenging purposes and functions.
Haotian and Leah both have a great passion for font design, but each person's focus is different. Haotian excels in creating imaginative and decorative fonts, as well as dynamic visual designs. On the other hand, Leah excels in traditional and legible font design, as well as book layout and typesetting. The two artists complement each other's strengths, combining their areas of expertise to create an experimental font design that is both artistic and readable.
ARTIST INTERVIEW
1. How did the idea for your project "Temptastic" come about, and what inspired you to explore the science of the brain through font design?
The idea for our project "Temptastic" was born from a desire to blend the realms of art and science in a visually captivating way. Inspired by the intricate beauty of CT scans of the brain, we sought to explore the neural landscape through typography. The science of the brain, with its complex symmetries and structures, provided a rich source of inspiration to create something unique and meaningful.
Motivated by the desire to merge art and science in a novel way, we decided to embark on a journey of transforming these scientific images into a font design that would evoke a sense of wonder and appreciation for both disciplines. We saw an opportunity to break free from conventional font design, which often adheres to predefined shapes and styles, and instead, we wanted to craft letterforms that mirrored the brain's complexity.
2. Could you elaborate on the process of translating CT scans of the brain into the unique and artistic letterforms that constitute the "Temptastic" font?
Translating CT scans into the "Temptastic" font was a meticulous process. We analyzed the shapes and patterns within the scans and deconstructed them into their fundamental elements. These elements were then reimagined as artistic letterforms, each one embodying the essence of the brain's organic geometry. The result is a fusion of scientific accuracy and creative expression.
3. In your artist statement, you mention complementing each other's strengths. How did your individual areas of expertise contribute to the creation of this experimental font design?
Leah is an absolute expert at font design and book layout, and Haotian is more focused on the motion graphic and display font, which is more playful. So we did a thing that just let Haotian explore whatever he wanted, and then Leah could always pull him back a little bit to make the project more “realistic”.
4. "Temptastic" strikes a balance between artistic expression and readability. How did you manage to maintain legibility while incorporating elements of imaginative and decorative font design?
In order to maintain legibility, we preserved the fundamental characteristics of each letter. We then carefully incorporated imaginative and decorative elements, enhancing the aesthetic appeal without impairing the font's usability.
5. The dynamic poster you created realistically reproduces a brain CT. How did you approach this challenging task, and what were some of the creative decisions you made during the design process?
It was a fascinating challenge to design a dynamic poster that realistically reproduced a brain CT. To accomplish this, we carefully studied CT images, analyzing the nuances of shading, texture, and depth in each image. With this understanding, we were able to recreate the intricate details of brain scans while adding an artistic touch to them. As part of the creative process, the most visually appealing aspects of the CT scans were chosen and emphasized within the poster design.
6. The final zine is composed of brain science vocabulary and superimposed CT images. Can you share your process of curating and combining these elements to create a coherent and visually impactful publication?
Curating the final zine involved selecting brain science terminology and superimposing CT images. The goal was to develop a coherent narrative that would captivate the audience. The process involved pairing specific terms with corresponding CT visuals, guiding the reader through an immersive experience that seamlessly integrates scientific knowledge with artistic interpretation.
7. Could you tell us more about the use of transparent vellum paper for printing the zine and the significance of continuous exposure and superimposition in the final product?
To enhance the thematic coherence of the zine, transparent vellum paper was used for printing. By exposing and superimposing images continuously on vellum, a layering effect was created, mimicking the intricate layers of the brain. Through the use of this technique, one was able to illustrate the layers of understanding that can be attained when one explores both the artistic and scientific aspects of the brain.
8. Throughout the project, you emphasised extensive research and experimentation. What were some key insights or surprises you discovered during this process?
Through extensive research and experimentation, we gained several enlightening insights. Art and science are profoundly intertwined, and the principles governing both realms are often similar. By merging these two approaches, we were able to create a project that was more engaging and impactful than we originally intended.
9. How do you perceive the intersection of art and science in your work, and what message or experience do you hope to convey to your audience through “Temptastic"?
The original idea for "Temptastic" was not just about creating a visually captivating font design but also about conveying a deeper message to the audience. We wanted to explore the concept of temptation and challenge the common perception that it is always negative or something to be avoided. Instead, we aimed to present temptation as a natural aspect of human existence, akin to a seasoning that adds flavor and excitement to life.
In our modern society, there is often a tendency to view temptation as something to resist or suppress, associated with making bad decisions or indulging in harmful behaviors. However, we believed that there is a more nuanced perspective to be explored. Temptation can be an alluring force, capable of adding zest and excitement to life's journey. Just as spices and seasonings enhance the taste of food, embracing certain temptations can enrich our experiences and make life more vibrant and interesting.
10. As a collaborative team, how do you navigate the creative process and ensure that your individual styles and visions align to produce a cohesive and successful project like "Temptastic"?
Navigating the collaborative process was a dynamic journey of mutual understanding and compromise. In order to align our individual styles and visions, regular communication was essential, ensuring that every creative decision contributed to the cohesiveness of "Temptastic." The project was successful and unified due to the respect each of us showed for each other's expertise and acceptance of the unique perspectives each of us brought to the table.
READING THE MIND THROUGH LETTERS
Review by Chih-Yang Chen, Art Director
Temptastic sits in an unusual space. It looks like typography, but it behaves more like an image. At times, it feels closer to a scan than a typeface, something observed rather than designed.
What Haotian and Leah are working with is not just form, but translation. The starting point, brain CT scans, already carries a kind of visual logic: layered, repetitive, slightly uncanny. Instead of simplifying that complexity into clean, conventional letterforms, they lean into it. The result is a typeface that feels unstable in a deliberate way, as if it’s still shifting between image and language.
There’s a constant push and pull between readability and distortion. Some letters resolve quickly, others take a moment. You recognise them, but not immediately. That delay becomes part of the experience. Reading turns into something slower, more physical, almost like scanning.
The collaboration plays a clear role here. You can feel the tension between two tendencies. One pushes toward expression, stretching the letterform, letting it become more image than text. The other pulls it back, holding onto structure, making sure it remains legible. The work doesn’t settle neatly between the two. It hovers there, which is where it becomes most interesting.
The poster and zine extend this idea further. Instead of treating typography as something placed on a surface, they build an environment around it. Layers of vellum, overlapping images, repeated exposures, all echo the structure of the brain itself. Nothing sits in a single plane. Everything feels slightly offset, as if you are looking through multiple layers at once.
What’s effective is that the project doesn’t try to explain the science behind it too directly. The reference to the brain remains present, but it doesn’t become illustrative. It operates more as a visual system, something that shapes how the work is structured rather than what it depicts.
There’s also an underlying idea about temptation that runs quietly through the project. Not in a literal sense, but in the way the work draws you in. The eye wants to resolve the image, to make sense of it, to read it clearly. But the work resists just enough to keep you looking. It doesn’t fully give itself away.
In the end, Temptastic is less about merging art and science as two separate fields, and more about recognising that they already share a similar way of thinking. Both look for patterns, systems, and structures. What Haotian and Leah do is bring that shared logic into focus, using typography as the point where it becomes visible.