Angela Lian has built a design playground using dance, TikTok and video art

Graphic design has developed something of a reputation on social media in recent years; memes referring to burnout, difficult clients and long, unsociable hours are all now rife. Angela Lian’s practice, however, has instead carved out a space for a more playful, and meaningful way of designing. Using the physicality of her body, video art, digital illustration and TikTok, many of Angela’s designs – both personal and professional – feature dance alongside design elements as an important means of expression. “I’m interested in movement play and the metaphysics of the body as catalysts for both commercial and personal projects,” Angela expands.

Currently working at Baggu as assistant graphic designer, one of the New York-based creatives videos for the brand shows Angela superimposed over green fields, donning her trademark daisy-like shape which frames her face, doing an interpretative dance while holding Baggu’s various bags. It’s an utterly charming and weirdly intriguing video, a way you’ll never have seen fashion items marketed before. Angela’s personal content spans to TikTok where she has built what she describes as a “playground” for herself, where she shares resources and “presents the candid life of a graphic designer”.