Zhuohan Shao — Not Every Mistake Is a Mistake

The coronavirus pandemic affected all our lives, but it had a particularly negative impact on students in the creative subjects, who normally progress in their studies by exchanging and jointly coming up with ideas. This was certainly the experience of Zhuohan Shao, who – after graduating among the top of his class from the University for the Creative Arts (Epsom Campus) – wanted to do a master’s degree at Central Saint Martins. As the classes were predominantly held online, he launched his free project “100 Graphic Design Diaries” to fill his spare time. Zhuohan Shao obtained his master’s degree in 2021 and has since been working as a graphic designer for a media company in Shanghai: “My aim is to set up my own design studio here one day. By then, I hope there will be more opportunities to work with people from different backgrounds.”

Zhuohan Shao in Interview with Red Dot

Red Dot: Your project is based on the concept of allowing mistakes to happen. Has this boosted your creative flow?

Zhuohan Shao: Definitely. Not all mistakes are a source of annoyance. Making mistakes in the process of crafting and designing is inevitable. What matters is one’s attitude, as mistakes sometimes lead to further inspiration.

To what extent have current events influenced the Graphic Design Diaries?

Societal events play only a minor role in this project; the only ones I referenced were the London Whitehall Parade, the LGBTQ Pride Parade and the UEFA EURO 2020. In this project, I was more interested in using 150 limited grids to engage in an experimental design dialogue through writing, collages, drawings, etc.