2026

Zhou Xinqi

Hello, I’m Xinqi Zhou – a graphic and media designer originally from China, currently completing my BA at London College of Communication.

My practice revolves around one question: how do we translate the invisible into the tangible? I explore this through brand identity, cross-media storytelling, and material experimentation.

I work across both digital and physical realms – from 3D modelling and risograph printing to hand-bound books and interactive installations. I enjoy moving between techniques.

I see design as a bridge – between tradition and contemporary life, between emotion and form, between maker and audience. This graduation project represents a core part of that exploration.

Tree – A Book About Trees

A book design project about trees. In the form of a Dragon Scale Scroll, the book itself becomes a tree – rolled up like a trunk, unfolding into pages that layer like tree rings. From the anatomy of trees, tree rings, and life cycles, to trees in art, and finally to field research on four ancient trees in London, this book is a journey from reading to experiencing nature firsthand.

Hyper-Type – A Clock-Based Visual Identity for a Typography Conference

Hyper-Type is a research and experimentation-driven visual identity for an annual typography and type design conference held at the Design Museum, London. The themes revolve around time, cycle, and the evolution of typographic practice through history, the present, and emerging technologies.

The identity explores a central question: how can a brand be built on a set of rules rather than a fixed logo? Inspired by Martin Lorenz’s concept of flexible visual systems, I developed a rule-based approach – the clock.

I mapped the 26 letters of the alphabet to 26 time coordinates on a clock face. From the hand lines of each specific time (e.g., H at 03:13:51), I extracted cutting relationships and geometric fragments, and used them to construct a complete bespoke typeface. The letterforms are not drawn arbitrarily – they are generated by time itself. Each character carries its own temporal identity.

Beyond typography, the identity extends through a restrained black-white-grey palette, material experiments (gel printing, fabric textures from discarded towels), and a halftone process that bridges physical and digital media. I created a full media package that includes A1 printed posters, digital posters, billboards, a website homepage, Instagram series (Feed, Story, Profile), speaker motion stings (≤6 seconds with clock sounds), and a Private View invitation.

The result is a brand system that feels both systematic and alive.

Zhou Xinqi

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