Spatial experience designer from New York

About Me

Hello there! I'm Ai Lian and I'm an alumnus of Fashion Institute of Technology with a bachelor's in spatial experience design currently living in New York.I've studied branding, graphic design, and 3D modeling and was able to apply these skills to projects for window and pop-up displays.When I'm not designing, I like to binge on manga and play turn-based RPGs.I’m currently looking for my first full time design role
and would appreciate learning about any available
opportunities.

Capstone Project LoveMyPaws

A brand guideline book for spring 2023 capstone. I developed an identity for my brand and included mock ups of the brand's products, advertisements and website.LoveMyPaws is a pet shelter and information center regarding pet care. The goal is to recontextualize the way pet owners see their furry companions.Overview of the project. If project is fictional, use “concept for” in the overview. State the client name, industry, audience, and initial challenge/goal of the project based on the brief. Make each project a story.Do not center-align this text. Do not span the full page width. Adjust the column width and text size to get 50-75 characters per line, then center all text columns on the page.

A bright color scheme was chosen to represent the joy of pets. Photography is exclusive to cropped silhouettes of animals for a unique brand identity.

These less critical pieces can be shown smaller to reinforce the breadth of the project without overwhelming the viewer by showing too many large applications with full descriptions for each.Make each grid element a separate image so that they stack on mobile. Do the same with 2-page spreads and other multiple-up pieces throughout the project.End by focusing on real world outcomes (if applicable): client satisfaction, increase in sales, uptick in website traffic, and other measured results.For school assignments or fictional projects, end by summarizing skills, tools, techniques, etc. learned while working on the project.

Squishable Pop-Up

A collaboration between FIT and Squishable which took place Spring 2024. Each team was assigned a theme, a main color, and a list of character plushies provided by Squishable which needed to be displayed in the pop-up display. Moreover, interactive elements needed to be incorporated in the display.To keep the style consistent between each team's pop-up, it was decided to focus on the use of cutouts.

My team was assigned the theme farm and incorporated yellow as our main color. We've brainstormed which interactives we wanted include into our display; the main focus would be a photo moment where visitors can sit down on the back of the "truck". This is done by hiding the bench behind a cutout and covering the top with graphic vinyl. Both the apples on the tree and corn on the stalks are removable. Visitors can flip them to reveal messages on the back.

Auditory elements were added to enhance the visitor experience. Animals sounds commonly found in farms such as cows mooing or a rooster crow can be heard while exploring in close proximity.I worked directly with the printing staff to get the graphics printed onto adhesive vinyl which would be later be cut. I also worked on applying the graphics onto the foam board and trimming it to achieve the cutout style. The installation process took a week to complete.

AMNH Exhibition Window

In a team of five, the assignment was to create a large-scale window display promoting the American Museum of Natural History’s Davis Family Vivarium. It was up for a year at the Pomerantz Art and Design Center of Fashion Institute of Technology.

Concept, fabrication and installation was accomplished together as a group of five. The window plays around with scale. It imitates the point of view of a butterfly; the proscenium acts as a camera. The hand and the flowers are bigger than life. The mannequin is the focal point and acts as a butterfly.

Alongside my team, I fabricated eleven Hibiscus flowers using crepe paper, wire, tacky glue and floral tape. The mannequin’s translucent scales were cut out of iridescent paper. Installation took roughly about a week and a half.

Ordinary Habit Window

A student window display promoting Ordinary Habit completed in the fall of 2023. Ordinary Habit makes art both fun and functional in the form of puzzles. The display aims to capture the essence of their products: a transformative nature of something ordinary.

Concept, fabrication and installation was done alone. I did a reinterpretation of one of their puzzles, "Ramen Lunch", incorporating both 3d and 2d elements to recreate the scene without distracting from the product.Additional props, like the chair and napkins, were added to make the scene feel more restaurant-like. I worked with the technician to set up lighting for the window.

LaGuardia Community Greenway Street Mural

The mural is a collaboration between LaGuardia Community College, DOT, Open Streets, and the Long Island City Partnership (LICP). The process began in July and completed August of 2025.

I was one of the participants as part of the Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP) who worked with the lead artist with priming, sketching, painting and finalizing the mural on 29th street.