Hi! I’m Hannah (Hanlan) 🥑 - a creative who specializes in art direction and visual design.
I learn design by doing the hands-on work, and further that understanding through research and day-to-day observations. I talk to people and explore how they engage with visuals differently depending on the aesthetic styles. I also have had the honor to receive awards from the American Advertising Federation for my creative work. I started my ad journey from University of Oregon with education in advertising, design, and business, then interned at 22Squared Atlanta and designed my first real world work. Currently, I'm an art director at CDM NY under the Teva team and Coherus team.
In my free time, you can find me doing designs for different organizations, where I make bilingual magazines to promote a greater sense of cultural diversity and enforce new programs that benefit my community.
I also enjoy experiencing cultures by starting with their food🥢, so I constantly search for different recipes and try making them myself! By the way, my favorite fruit is avocado :)
01. About Advertising:
“Use your creativity to solve problems for the world.” When I first heard this line from my professor, I did not know what it really meant, but the moment these words passed into my ears, it fascinated me. Just like a bud, the idea of studying advertising blossomed in my mind.
While talking about gender identity is common in the US, the topic is sensitive and complicated in many other countries. I still remember the time when I tried to persuade my parents, who spent most of their lifetime overseas that LGBT people deserve the same respect from society as other people, what I said seemed ridiculous to them. The feeling of being too small to make changes kept lingering in my head. Luckily, a gender equality campaign project refreshed my view.
I started to realize that advertising can solve problems in a way that cannot be done in other industries: as an advertising practitioner, the meanings I created in campaigns could enhance viewers’ awareness of some controversial issues, which might correspondingly change their behaviors.
This inspired me.
To me, working on campaigns is amazing. It gave me new insights into what I can do for others and let me understand that the problem I am now solving, the idea I am working on, the meaning I am now creating, might bring a positive influence on someone’s life one day. Whenever thinking about this, I am full of energy and passion, and I’m truly proud of myself.
02. About Diversity:
The first day in classes after settling down in the US, everything was so unfamiliar: a language I could barely understand, religious customs I had never seen, skin tones that looked nothing like mine. It was my first impression of diversity-- the scary unknown.
For a long time, I shut myself inside, hoping to feel secure. Despite comfortably living in the tiny space I created for myself, I felt guilty for being timid.
Finally, after opening myself up, I gradually found that having conversations with different people was like traveling without a passport. It appears to me that diversity is the reflection of the world. It is about the cultural customs and languages that have been passed down somewhere on earth, and now people bring them to me.
I came to this realization when encountered a Japanese girl. She ignited my curiosity toward the world. A year later, I went to Singapore for an exchange experience. It is the most out-of-expected decision yet the best adventure.
For me, great things never come from comfort zones.
The more I know about the world, the humbler I become, as I realize what a tiny place I occupy on earth—compared to the all-encompassing nature, immense universe, and innumerable cultures, my existent is too inconspicuous. As an individual who has a specific career path, I might not have the chance to thoroughly know everything. Nevertheless, I am eager to learn more, and that is why diversity is crucial - it brings the world to me.