Using a comprehensive process that combines the rigor of the researcher with the intuition of the designer, Melbourne- and Taipei-based designer Hao Wei Tu targets a blend of semiotics and the visually unpredictable to create truly memorable work. “If I had to describe my work in one sentence, I’d say I try to make design that is conceptually clear but emotionally and visually sticky,” he says. “I’m less interested in pure decoration and more interested in designs that contain a strong idea, often through metaphor, symbolic motifs, or a deliberate play between what is real and what is implied.” Fascinated by the ubiquitous design that surrounded him as he grew up in Taichung, Taiwan, Tu graduated from the National Taiwan University of Science and Technology (NTUST) with a master’s in design in 2022, working with Ken-Tsai Lee at his design lab. During his time at NTUST, Tu designed for the 2021 D&AD Exhibition in Taiwan, and he garnered recognition for his work from the Adobe Awards, Communication Arts, Red Dot Design Awards and The One Club’s Young Ones, becoming the first East Asian portfolio winner in the latter. Now, while working on his PhD at Swinburne University in Melbourne, he works on contract projects with design studio D&D Creative and mentors graduates through the Australian Graphic Design Association. “Since 2024, I’ve also been running online workshops for designers in Taiwan to share overseas experience and help younger creatives grow with confidence,” Tu says. “I care a lot about passing experience on to younger designers—not only by showing final outcomes, but by sharing the thinking and decisions behind them. That’s how the next generation learns to build their own voice.”