10 Questions with Rou Jiao
Rou Jiao's expertise in graphic design extends beyond traditional boundaries, as she adeptly combines her skills in AI art, motion design, and 3D art to create a truly immersive and captivating visual experience. Based in New York, she has been honing her craft since 2016, constantly pushing herself to explore new avenues and expand her creative horizons. Rou's passion for innovation knows no bounds, as she seeks to bridge diverse mediums and cultures, injecting fresh perspectives and cutting-edge techniques into her work. Her dedication to pushing the boundaries of design makes her a standout in the industry.
Rou Jiao - Portrait
ARTIST STATEMENT
This is a font design created in collaboration with artificial intelligence. Rou takes the font understood by AI as part of a collage and reassembles it through processing. The font understood by AI is a state of consciousness, not a specific letter, yet some letters can still be perceived from it. After redesigning it, Rou uses the pen tool, a computer software drawing tool composed of 0s and 1s code, to draw it with the assistance of human guidelines used when depicting shapes. This combines the font of AI consciousness with the human drawing guidelines created by the computer drawing tool, merging the symbols of a carbon-based civilization with the understanding of symbols by a silicon-based civilization. All of these components form The New Typeface.
The New Type face 01, digital, 48x53 cm, 2023 © Rou Jiao
INTERVIEW
First of all, introduce yourself to our readers. What is your artistic background, and how did you start experimenting with images?
I started drawing in elementary school, but initially, I didn't devote myself to becoming a designer. After studying management for a year, I went abroad and realized that creating was something I loved, so I switched careers to become a designer. I believe that graphic design is essentially collage, and typography often involves manipulating text as visual elements, so you could say that I began experimenting with images when I entered the field.
Why are you an artist, and when did you first become one?
Actually, I truly believe that everyone is an artist. Sharing one's life experiences through writing, painting, or photography creates unique works, and I am no exception. Perhaps I have a bit more talent, as I have a passion for self-expression and enjoy intricate visual effects. My mother paid great attention to developing my manual dexterity, so I frequently played with assembling models from a young age. It was when I was playing with Lego, specifically a Lego set called Architecture Studio that I truly realized my love for creating. It brought me immense joy to mold strange shapes that I envisioned in my mind. From that moment, I decided to pursue a career in design.
The New Type face 02, digital, 48x53 cm, 2023 © Rou Jiao
You work primarily with graphic design. How did you choose this medium? And what does it represent for you?
Graphic design transcends the traditional realm of artistic expression, obviating the necessity for advanced drawing skills. This is largely due to its inherent element of collage, where diverse visual ideas can be melded into one. With the advent of computer technology, the process of experimenting with varied visual expressions has become not only effortless but also endlessly dynamic.
In fact, even my hand-drawn or printed artwork can be digitally scanned, enabling me to integrate and reconfigure them in an innumerable array of compositions. This aspect of graphic design underscores its boundless potential, making it a veritable playground of visual creativity. While sketchbooks may serve as the cosmos for many doodlers, my universe orbits around the digital realm of design. Here, I find my passion and creativity kindled, propelling me to delve deeper and explore the infinite possibilities inherent in the field of graphic design.
Let's talk about your work. What are the main themes behind your work? What would you like to communicate with it?
I once created a small branding design about AI when visual AI was not as advanced. So, when Mid-Journey emerged, I felt it was time to revise my previous design. Nowadays, our interactions with AI, including programs like ChatGPT, mostly rely on language, which has its limitations. On the other hand, I wanted to see if Mid-Journey could create a complete typeface, but it turned out that it couldn't. Instead, it generated patterns with typographical features and structures, which was fascinating. It felt like a cognitive process blurred by pure, intuitive consciousness. As an ultimate substitute for human beings, it should be extremely rational, but this immature AI produced font patterns that resembled pieces assembled in a dream-like manner. I find it intriguing to contrast the emotionally rich existence of humans with the logic-based language system, which serves as an interesting visual expression theme.
Can you tell us about the process of creating your work? What aspect of your work do you pay particular attention to?
After unexpectedly obtaining a series of patterns generated by Mid-Journey, which had typographical features and structures, I decided that instead of simply referencing them, I would use them as a foundation for further creative work. I pondered over what features would be relatively more human-like. The essence of being human involves an inherent uncertainty because the future holds infinite possibilities, and the errors made by humans are, to some extent, the outcomes of highly complex calculations. I believe that errors do not truly exist because they are the binary thinking results of human logic. So, visually, what can represent uncertainty? I recalled the dashed lines I used when initially sketching to establish form. Those intermittent lines outlined partial shapes. In contrast to the extreme rationality of AI, which produces a sensory understanding of the human text, I feel that using computer-drawn dashed lines in sketches is a better way to express the contrast between human and machine interaction.
The New Type face 03, digital, 48x53 cm, 2023 © Rou Jiao
The New Type face 04, digital, 48x53 cm, 2023 © Rou Jiao
In your latest series, you designed a font with the aid of an AI. How did you come up with this idea?
Everything is a beautiful misunderstanding. When Mid-Journey emerged, I wanted to see how it could potentially replace designers. So, I asked it to complete what I believed to be the most challenging task for a designer – font design. The result was a series of patterns with typographical features and structures. This sparked my contemplation on the relationship between humans and programs, as well as the interplay between sensibility and rationality.
What did you learn working with an AI? And how did you insert the product of the AI into your own practice?
Working with AI has been an enlightening experience. It has taught me that while AI can enhance productivity and aid in certain aspects of the creative process, it cannot replace human creativity at its core. This is because, as a tool, AI lacks the fundamental desire and instinct to create a characteristic innately wired into human consciousness. Without a thorough understanding of these intrinsic facets of the human soul and consciousness, AI will continue to serve as a highly efficient tool rather than a creative entity.
My engagement with AI has primarily been in the context of its utility for extensive research at the initial stages of design. The inherently eclectic and integrative nature of graphic design paves the way for a multitude of possibilities in the collaboration between AI and designers. I've come across fascinating instances where AI-generated patterns were used as rendering materials, producing remarkable outcomes. This is an area I am excited to delve into, to further expand the intersections of my practice with AI.
Incorporating AI into my practice has not altered the essence of my creativity, but rather, it has broadened my perspective and toolbox. It has supplemented my design process with data-driven insights, allowing me to navigate the vast sea of information with more precision and efficiency. AI, in this way, becomes a facilitator rather than a replacement for creative expression in my work.
Do you think that combining machine-made products with human intervention is the way forward?
Machine-made products always require human intervention. Since we cannot immediately manifest our desires in the three-dimensional world, machines become the means to help us achieve our goals with minimal effort.
The New Type face 05, digital, 48x53 cm, 2023 © Rou Jiao
Talking about the future, what are you working on now? Do you have any new projects you want to share with our readers?
Recently, I have been delving into motion graphics. I find that compared to graphic design, animation or motion graphics is a more complex medium that requires more time to learn. I appreciate the aesthetic beauty of structure in graphic design, but I am also drawn to the unique rhythm and aesthetic of motion graphics inherent in their dynamic timing and structure.
And lastly, where do you see yourself and your work five years from now?
Five years from now, I envision myself at the cutting edge of the design industry, continually pushing the boundaries of traditional graphic design to integrate and adapt to the evolving technological landscape. As a designer, while I do rely on spontaneous bursts of inspiration and innate talent, I also constantly seek to evolve my skills and knowledge to stay relevant in the rapidly progressing field of design.
I am particularly thrilled about the advancements in Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) technologies. These technologies present exciting new frontiers in the way we interact with information within a spatial environment, which I believe will have profound implications for the field of graphic design.
Currently, one might perceive graphic design as a somewhat traditional medium, especially in comparison to the dynamic fields of animation and 3D design, where I am actively involved. However, I foresee that these seemingly distinct realms will converge in the near future, and our understanding of "graphic design" will expand to encapsulate these new, immersive formats.
Thus, in five years, I see my work embodying this integration, pushing the definition of graphic design beyond its current confines and exploring the fascinating intersection of design, technology, and spatial interaction.
Artist’s Talk
Al-Tiba9 Interviews is a promotional platform for artists to articulate their vision and engage them with our diverse readership through a published art dialogue. The artists are interviewed by Mohamed Benhadj, the founder & curator of Al-Tiba9, to highlight their artistic careers and introduce them to the international contemporary art scene across our vast network of museums, galleries, art professionals, art dealers, collectors, and art lovers across the globe.
