Award-Winning Design Meets Fashion at the Museum at FIT by Lily Liu

Award-winning graphic and UX/UI designer Lily (Ziqi) Liu has taken her unique blend of traditional and digital design techniques into the fashion world with her award-winning rebranding of the Museum at FIT (Fashion Institute of Technology). As an innovative graphic and UI/UX designer, Liu brought a new twist to the museum’s brand using her digital design skills and an eye for fashion. The impact of her rebrand design and the methods she used to capture the essence of our digital world today while honoring the history of fashion will have a ripple effect.

Liu was interested in fashion, so she selected MFIT and jumped at the chance to help inject youthful and vibrant energy into the MFIT brand. Her design was inspired by classic button patterns. Taking these simple buttons, Liu reimagined them into a fluid geometric framework. They became a metaphor for connection and unity, bring together people and ideas. Liu saw the button as a symbol of embracing diversity, inclusivity, and the spirit of inventive thought, all while keeping within the museum’s ethos.

Liu took her design skills and brought them together with her coding knowledge. She used Processing for a code-driven design, also called generative design. This approach allowed her to write code that can automatically generate patterns, shapes, and visual elements. Liu created unique designs by programming specific algorithms with set parameters. Using code, Liu can easily experiment with new design parameters, such as colors, shape, and movement. Signs, banners, postcards, posters, tickets, and more could be designed quickly and with a far more distinct visual style, like the MFIT rebranding. The code also allows Liu to add movement to her designs instead of merely static images, making them more engaging – using both her designer and UI/UX design sides.

The specific coding Liu used to create the designs was used for the billboards which would change designs throughout the day. 

For her rebrand, Lily (Ziqi) Liu won several awards. In January of 2024, Liu won a Gold at the International Design Awards 2023 for her Museum at FIT rebranding, as well as the MUSE Creative Awards in October 2023. More detailed information on Liu’s MFIT project can be found on her website here.

Her use of generative design indicates our technology-driven world. Instead of fighting against technology as some wanted to do, Liu took hold of that technology and made it her own. As Liu showed in her designs, the generative design is perfect for experimentation and customization. Digital billboards were programmed to change throughout the day, showing different patterns while keeping in line with the new branding. More graphic and UI/UX designers are likely to follow her lead going forward.

Liu is now looking to her future, growing her skills, and seeking challenges for her creativity and puzzle-solving. She works as a designer and continues to seek opportunities for learning, whether through formal education, workshops, or collaborations. Last year, Liu was selected to participate in a Google-sponsored workshop, DesignStorm, to work on future mobile software and user experience.

Lily (Ziqi) Liu is an award-winning graphic and UI/UX designer studying in California. She has received multiple awards for her designs: International Design Awards 2023; Gold for “When Innocence Hurts” Zine Design in January 2024. MUSE Creative Awards: Silver for “When Innocence Hurts” Zine Design in October 2023. She has been recognized on the Provost’s list at the University and was featured in the ArtCenter Student Gallery for her MFIT Branding Design as well as for “In Between” Book Design.