Taiwan’s Li Li uses her artistic talents and eye for fashion to promote award-winning brands
Li Li spent her childhood fascinated by the arts. Staying up late into the night, she would work on different pieces of art, even at a young age. She was always a perfectionist and would spend however much time it required to make each project a masterpiece. However, growing up in Taiwan, she was not encouraged to pursue her passion, but rather explore avenues such as math, science, or history. It was very frustrating for the young artist to be told not to follow her dreams, but her family was supportive. As she grew and refined her skills, she began to explore how to apply them to the real world, which is when she discovered design.
Now, as an internationally sought-after art director, Li helps companies all over the world build their brands by creating artistic and beautifully designed marketing materials. She is consistently able to present a product in an unexpected way with graphics or images that attracts consumers attention. This is evident through her work with brands such as Neon Beige, Only in Beverly Hills, Light Legion, and evelynH Jewelry.
EvelynH was Li’s first time working with a jewelry line, and she achieved such extraordinary results, that she has now become a master in that line of business. At the time, back in 2015, Michael Huang, one of the founders of the company and Evelyn Huang’s business partner, saw samples of Li’s work and reached out to the art director to come on board for this emerging brand. Li believed it was a great opportunity to learn more about high-end jewelry, as she has always been a huge fan of Tiffany & CO and how it has the best marketing in the jewelry industry. She wanted to do something similar.
Established in 2006 and based in Los Angeles, Evelyn borrows from fashion, color and textiles to create her artistic high jewelry pieces. The company has won several design awards for their unique jewelry, and with a background in fashion, Li was eager to be a part of such an artistic vision.
“All the jewelry is custom made. I love how Evelyn can transform a client’s idea into a masterpiece,” said Li.
When social media started growing and becoming a vital tool for businesses, Michael Huang also asked Li to take over that avenue of the company. He brought her on board as a Digital Art Director, where her social media content brought in a large audience and many more potential clients. She created many series of content and ad materials to be distributed online, playing with typography, patterns, and colors to produce pieces of art that promoted the artistry of the jewelry. People also shared her ads online, as they were works of art in themselves.
“This project challenged my creativity. The products are high-end jewelry and it was a telecommuting job, and the company only provided me with product photos. Instead of shooting lifestyle, graphic design was my tool,” said Li.
While Li was promoting the brand, one of Evelyn's clients, JP, a well-known American singer, asked Evelyn to design her engagement ring. This was a highlight for Li, as she loved how the artwork turned out and she was a fan of the singer.
“It's one of my favorite series I ever did for the brand,” said Li.
With Li’s help, companies have seen revenue increases and start-ups have been lifted off the ground, and evenlynH Jewelry is just one example of what she is capable of. Be sure to keep an eye out for her future works. For those looking to follow in Li’s footsteps, she offers some wise words.
“Most people think an art director only works for film and advertisement, but there are so many industries that need input when it comes to color and design. For those who want to become art directors, start to look for something outside the box that needs some art direction,” she advised.
Written by Annabelle Lee
Published March 18th, 2019
