Awarded Platinum and Gold in Graphis Poster 2026, Li Zhang moves between cultures, disciplines, and ideas, using poster design as a powerful visual language for connection. Drawing from urban rhythm, music, architecture, and the lived experience of teaching, her work translates sound, growth, and human values into images that resonate across borders. In this conversation, Zhang reflects on two projects that reveal how design can make the invisible felt and turn complex ideas into shared visual experiences.

Can you Share Your Creative Journey and the concept behind them?
“The Sound of Hip-hop” is a visual piece born from my experiences moving through New York City—the buildings, the blocks, the urban soundscape—and layering that with the energy of hip-hop music. I used architectural forms, street grids, and piano keys to represent the city’s physical and musical rhythms. Color, lighting, and composition stand in for beat, flow, and texture: you might see piano keys merging into skyscrapers or hear a hip-hop rhythm in the city’s angular forms. My goal was for viewers to see sound—to experience the pulse of the city visually.

“Plant, Grow, and Educate” visualizes the process of nurturing the human mind—how ideas take root, grow, and blossom through education. I used the metaphor of organic growth to express the invisible yet powerful development of knowledge. The intertwining roots and vines represent both the brain’s structure and the continuous expansion of thought and imagination. The piece is about cultivating creativity and curiosity from the inside out.

What inspired you to create this piece?
“The Sound of Hip-hop” was inspired by walking the streets of New York City: the way a building “speaks” through its shadows, the pulse of traffic, the echo of footsteps, and the rhythm of street music. The city feels like a living instrument, with hip-hop as one of its defining voices. I wanted to capture that intersection—architecture as rhythm, cityscape as melody, culture as visual form.

“Plant, Grow, and Educate” grew from my lifelong experience as both designer and educator. I’m deeply inspired by how teaching and learning transform minds and lives. The poster reflects my belief that education is an act of nurturing: as plants need sunlight and care to grow, young minds need inspiration and imagination. This work honors the process of cultivating intellectual and creative growth.

How did you translate these ideas into visual form?
In “The Sound of Hip-hop,” I translated rhythm and sound through visual language.
• Color & Light: High contrast and deep tones evoke the strong beats and layered harmonies
• Shapes & Forms: Instrument keys transform into architectural structures; the city grid becomes a rhythm track
• Composition & Movement: Layered forms and directional lines create motion and pulse, making a static image feel dynamic—like a visual score for the city.

For “Plant, Grow, and Educate,” I used roots, vines, and organic structures to embody intellectual development. The roots symbolize the foundation of learning; vines express connection and curiosity; the growing plant conveys vitality and continual evolution. The composition suggests life emerging from within—mirroring how education expands the mind.

What challenges did you face during the design process?
For “The Sound of Hip-hop,” the challenge was balancing abstraction with readability. I wanted the piece to feel musical and urban without being literal or decorative. Translating the dynamic, temporal quality of sound into a still image required finding rhythm through form, lighting, and composition.

For “Plant, Grow, and Educate,” the challenge was creating an image that felt poetic yet accessible. I wanted to convey both the delicacy and the strength of growth—something alive and evolving, yet structured and clear. Achieving this harmony between conceptual depth and visual simplicity took thoughtful experimentation.

What message or feeling do you hope viewers take away?
With “The Sound of Hip-hop,” I hope viewers feel the rhythm of the city—the beat of its streets, the echo of its architecture, and the vitality of its culture. I want them to feel sound through sight, to recognize that urban life itself is music.

With “Plant, Grow, and Educate,” I hope viewers sense optimism and the quiet power of intellectual growth. The work celebrates education as a living process that thrives with care and inspiration. When I hear from former students or fellow designers that my work touched them or sparked an idea, it reminds me why I do what I do.

Poster design, to me, is where art meets communication. It distills complex ideas into a single, powerful visual statement that transcends language and culture. Posters can provoke dialogue, inspire reflection, and capture the spirit of their time. In my work, I see posters not only as visual objects but as bridges—connecting people, ideas, and shared human experiences.

About Li Zhang

Li Zhang, Professor of Design at Purdue University and a recognized Graphis Design Master, is internationally acclaimed for her contributions to visual communication and cross-cultural design. Her work has been exhibited on six continents and honored with numerous prestigious design awards. Recognized in over 500 exhibitions and publications worldwide, Professor Zhang’s designs transcend cultural boundaries, addressing universal themes of peace, freedom, and human connection, and inspiring dialogue and social awareness across cultures. Her works are included in the permanent collections of leading institutions such as the Library of Congress (Washington, D.C.), the Zürich Museum of Design (Switzerland), the Victoria and Albert Museum (UK), the Imperial War Museum (UK), the Ogaki Poster Museum (Japan), and the Lahti Poster Museum (Finland).

Social: Website, LinkedIn, Facebook