{"id":37974,"date":"2025-04-22T09:40:00","date_gmt":"2025-04-22T09:40:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/muse.international\/?p=37974"},"modified":"2025-04-29T09:36:48","modified_gmt":"2025-04-29T09:36:48","slug":"mingyong-chengs-beyond-characters-the-unseen-labyrinth-a-journey-through-dyslexia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/muse.international\/index\/mingyong-chengs-beyond-characters-the-unseen-labyrinth-a-journey-through-dyslexia\/","title":{"rendered":"Mingyong Cheng\u2019s Beyond Characters: The Unseen Labyrinth A Journey Through Dyslexia"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\n

Mingyong Cheng is a new media artist and creative technologist based between Beijing and San Diego. Her work explores generative AI and emerging media, with “Beyond Characters: The Unseen Labyrinth” (2023-2024), in collaboration with Zetao Yu, examining dyslexia through an interactive installation.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Q1. Congratulations on winning the MUSE Design Awards! Can you introduce yourself and share about what inspired you to pursue design as a career?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I am Qianzhuo Zeng (Elaine), a freelance designer and artist based in the United States. While my expertise lies in UX and service design, I see myself beyond conventional professional titles\u2014as an artist who embraces creative independence and a multidimensional approach to problem-solving.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My design philosophy is deeply intertwined with artistic expression, prioritizing not only functionality but also the emotional and intellectual resonance of an experience. Winning the MUSE Design Awards is both an affirmation and an inspiration, reinforcing my belief that design should transcend utility to foster meaningful human connections and social impact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My creative journey has been profoundly shaped by my early immersion in art and music, particularly my years of studying piano. Music instilled in me an intrinsic understanding of rhythm, composition, and emotional depth\u2014elements that seamlessly translate into my design process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Just as a composer selects specific instruments to evoke moods, I carefully choose the most suitable medium, whether a digital interface, a service system, or an interactive experience, to convey my vision with clarity and depth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I firmly believe that creativity should not be constrained by rigid disciplinary boundaries. Instead, form should emerge organically from the essence of an idea, allowing artistic freedom to guide both conceptual exploration and innovation. By challenging conventional frameworks, I strive to craft work that is not only purposeful and thought-provoking but also deeply human at its core.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Q2. What does being recognized in the MUSE Design Awards mean to you?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Being recognized is both an honor and a validation of my creative philosophy. More than an achievement, this award serves as an inspiration\u2014a reminder to continue pushing creative boundaries and challenging conventional perspectives. It motivates me to further explore the intersection of art and design, using my work as a platform to engage, empower, and connect with people on a deeper level.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At its core, design is a dialogue between creator and audience, and receiving this award signifies that my work has resonated with others. It strengthens my commitment to innovation, encouraging me to keep refining my approach and striving for designs that are not only aesthetically compelling but also socially impactful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Q3. How has this achievement impacted your career, team, or agency, and what opportunities has it brought so far?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

As an independent designer, winning is not just a professional milestone but, more importantly, a validation of my artistic philosophy. It reaffirms my belief that design is not merely a means to fulfill external demands but a medium of self-expression, intellectual exploration, and emotional resonance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This recognition strengthens my commitment to treating design as an extension of art\u2014one that transcends functionality and engages with deeper cultural and humanistic dimensions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rather than viewing this achievement as a stepping stone within a conventional career trajectory, I see it as an encouragement to further challenge established norms and refine my creative language. It affirms that design can be deeply personal yet universally impactful, that independent artistic vision holds its own significance and that authenticity in creation will always find its audience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

More than an external recognition, this award is a dialogue\u2014one that assures me that the pursuit of artistic integrity and conceptual depth is worthwhile. It inspires me to continue pushing the boundaries of design, not to fit into existing frameworks but to expand them, allowing space for a more poetic, introspective, and meaningful approach to creation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Q4. What role does experimentation play in your creative process? Can you share an example?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Experimentation is at the core of my creative process\u2014it allows me to challenge assumptions, explore unconventional solutions, and refine ideas through iteration. Rather than adhering to rigid frameworks, I see design as a fluid and evolving discipline, where experimentation fosters deeper engagement and unexpected discoveries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A key example of this is my award-winning project Ecooter, which reimagines urban mobility for young people by encouraging the transition from gas-powered cars to electric scooters. The project itself was a continuous process of experimentation, from conceptual development to user engagement strategies. Instead of merely promoting scooters as an alternative mode of transportation, I explored ways to make sustainability feel personal and interactive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The app, for instance, doesn\u2019t just facilitate scooter rentals\u2014it visually quantifies the CO2 emissions saved with each ride, turning an abstract environmental benefit into a tangible, daily impact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The inclusion of billboards in high-traffic areas was another experiment aimed at integrating digital and physical spaces to create a more immersive, city-wide conversation about eco-conscious travel. Through Ecooter, I realized that experimentation is not just about aesthetics or technology\u2014it\u2019s about shaping behaviors and perceptions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By testing different approaches, I crafted a system that not only provides a functional service but also fosters a sense of environmental responsibility and collective action. This project reinforced my belief that design, when approached with curiosity, can go beyond solving problems to inspire meaningful change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Q5. What’s the most unusual source of inspiration you’ve ever drawn from for a project?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the most unusual sources of inspiration for my design work comes from music\u2014specifically, the structure and emotional depth found in Romantic-era piano compositions. Having studied piano for years, I\u2019ve always been fascinated by how composers like Chopin and Liszt use rhythm, contrast, and dynamic progression to tell a story without words. This idea of “narrative through sensation” deeply influences my approach to design.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, in my Ecooter project, I thought about how movement\u2014both in music and urban mobility\u2014can create an emotional and immersive experience. Just as a musical piece builds momentum and evokes feeling through its progression, I wanted Ecooter to do more than just function as a transportation service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By integrating real-time CO? savings tracking and city-wide billboard messaging, I aimed to compose an experience where users feel connected to a larger environmental movement, much like how a recurring musical theme ties together a symphony.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This experience reinforced my belief that design is not just about visual form or usability, but about evoking emotions and shaping perceptions. Drawing inspiration from unconventional sources\u2014whether it’s music, philosophy, or literature\u2014allows me to create work that resonates on a deeper level, making even functional systems feel poetic and meaningful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ecooter<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Explore the journey of Qianzhuo Zeng<\/a>, the Silver Winner of the 2025 MUSE Design Awards. She is an independent designer and artist based in the U.S., with a background in UX and service design. She embraces creative independence and a multidimensional approach, blending function with emotional and intellectual depth.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Mingyong Cheng is a new media artist and creative technologist based between Beijing and San Diego. 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