Email: Chenan8686@163.com
Title
Tenured Professor
Position
Deputy Director, Department of Visual Communication
Party Branch Secretary and Member of the Disciplinary Inspection Committee, Department of Visual Communication
Academic Services
Executive Deputy Director, Research Center for Ancient Chinese Character Art, Tsinghua University
Deputy Director, Han Meilin Art Research Center, Tsinghua University
Head, Brand IP Licensing Design Research Institute, Academy of Arts & Design, Tsinghua University
Researcher, Zhang Ding Art Research Center, Tsinghua University
Researcher, Wu Guanzhong Art Research Center, Tsinghua University
Executive Director and Vice Chairman, Association Fête des Caractères Chinois (AFCC)
Chairman, Department of Chinese Characters and Chinese Culture Communication Research of the Beijing International Chinese College
chennan-design@163.com
Member, China Artists Association; Director, China Overseas Friendship Association; Member, China Folk Literature and Art Association; SGDA Member; Director, Beijing Industrial Design Promotion Organization; Executive Director, Beijing Design Society; PhD and Master’s Thesis Review Expert, China Academic Degrees and Graduate Education Development Center, Ministry of Education; Review Expert, General Projects on Humanities and Social Sciences of the Ministry of Education; Member, Beijing Traditional Craft and Art Evaluation Committee; Beijing Culture and Arts Fund Review Expert; Individual Director, Higher Art Education Society, National Calligraphy and Painting Education Association; Visiting Professor, Yili Normal University; Visiting Professor, Chinese Characters Research Center, Yan’an University; Design Advisor, China Banknote Printing and Minting Corporation; Member, Expert Database for Commemorative Coin Design and Production, People’s Bank of China; Member, Stamp Design Review Expert Group, China Post Group; Academic Advisor, Zhengzhou Graphic Art Design Association; Member, Beijing Yuanmingyuan Research Association; Member, Packaging Engineering and Industrial & Engineering Design Editorial Boards; Visual Design Director, Folk Art; Editorial Advisor,Design360° Concept & Design; Associate Editor-in-Chief, High School Art Design Curriculum Textbook (People’s Fine Arts Publishing House), and Chief Editor, Reference Book Volume; Final Jury Panel, “Times Young Creative Awards,” Final Jury Panel, 26th Edition; “Golden Pin Design Award” Asian Regional Advisor; Member, Expert Committee, National Chief Judge, National Advertising Art Design Competition for College Students; Chief Organizer, Visual Communication Category, “The Beauty of Chinese Characters · Global Youth Design Contest;”
He was selected for the Ministry of Education’s New Century Excellent Talents Program and was one of the first recipients of the China National Art Fund’s Talent Creation Support. He was honored with the title of “Top Ten Designers in China” and awarded the Ministry of Education’s Second Prize for Outstanding Research Achievements. He led and conducted several national-level vertical research projects under the Ministry of Education’s Humanities and Social Sciences Research Program. He delivered keynote speeches at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris and the Chinese Consulate General in San Francisco. He received the “Contribution Award for the Spread of Chinese Character Culture” from the National Museum of Chinese Writing. He held solo exhibitions such as “Recreate · Oracle - Ancient Characters in the Context of Modern Design” and “The Rhyme of Design: A Study in Chinese Character” in China. He has also held a series of solo exhibitions on Chinese character research and art design in countries including Greece, the United States (San Francisco), France (Paris, Lyon), and Hungary.
Education Background
1995: Graduated from the Central Academy of Arts & Design (now Academy of Arts & Design, Tsinghua University) with a bachelor’s degree
2008: Graduated from the Academy of Arts & Design, Tsinghua University, with a master’s degree
2015: Graduated from the Academy of Arts & Design, Tsinghua University, with a doctoral degree
Work Experience
1995-Present: Teaching at the Academy of Arts & Design, Tsinghua University
2014-Present: Executive Deputy Director, Research Center for Ancient Chinese Character Art, Tsinghua University
2015-2019: Deputy Director, Department of Visual Communication at Academy of Arts & Design, Tsinghua University
2020-Present: Deputy Director, Han Meilin Art Research Center, Tsinghua University
2021-Present: Head, Brand IP Licensing Design Research Institute, Tsinghua University
Research Interests and Representative Works
1. Research on Design Thinking and Methods. He proposed the design concept of “Rhythmic Design,” a methodology focused on pre-constructing design formats at the early stages. He advocates for “research-based design” and has developed a “Design Thinking and Methods” curriculum system, which has been recognized as a quality course at Tsinghua University. Additionally, he has also authored two monographs in this regard.
2. Research and Practice of Chinese Traditional Design Philosophy and Aesthetics. He focuses on exploring the translation and application of traditional Chinese philosophical thought and art aesthetics in modern design.
3. Research and Innovative Practice of Typography Art Design Theory. He focuses on the research and innovative practice of Chinese ancient character art design, particularly in the area of oracle bone script. He has collaborated with institutions like the National Language and Character Working Committee, Beijing Language and Culture University, and the Research and Conservation Center for Unearthed Texts, Tsinghua University, and achieved significant research outcomes in areas like oracle bone script, bronze script, and ancient scripts of Southwest China's ethnic minorities. He has published several academic monographs, including History of Chinese Character Design and The Glamour of Chinese Characters, and delivered dozens of academic lectures. His book The Glamour of Chinese Characters has been published in Japanese, Korean, and Traditional Chinese editions abroad. The earliest domestic design work on the Naxi Dongba script, The Dongba Script of Love and Friendship, was published in Japan. After nearly 20 years of research and design, in 2017, he launched the world’s first oracle bone script font, “Hanyi Chen Style Oracle”. His projects, such as oracle bone script emojis, art installations, and interactive works created in partnership with Google AI using machine learning, have sparked considerable public interest. He has also designed the Zhangcao-specific font library, “Hanyi Chen Style Zhangcao”, and the Tsinghua Jian font library.
4. Logo and Symbol Visual Identity System Design.
He teaches core courses in his field, such as Logo Design and Visual Identity System Design. His books, Logo Design and Logo and Visual Identity System Design, are widely used as textbooks in design schools across the country. He keeps exploring how visual identity system design theory and practice evolve with technological progress and shifts in social aesthetics. His representative works include the logos or emblems for China Welfare Lottery, Beijing Gongmei Group, the Academy of Military Science of the Chinese People's Liberation Army, the Beijing Gifts Logo and Identity System, the Qingdao International Horticultural Exposition 2014, NBA Chinese New Year, the All-China Federation of Supply and Marketing Cooperatives, Tsinghua University’s 110th Anniversary Celebration Logo and Identity System, Peking Union Medical College Hospital’s Centenary Celebration, the International University of Heroes Debate Competition (formerly the International Varsity Debate), the Art and Science International Exhibition, China North Industries Group Corporation, the East Asia Marine Cooperation Platform, the Samaranch Foundation, the World Zhejiang Entrepreneurs Convention, North China Aluminum, Shanghai Sanlian Bookstore · READWAY and the “Morningmore,” Beijing Sport University, the Ministry of Education’s Master of Fine Arts Program, Shandong Port Group, and Tsinghua University’s Visual Identity System.
5. Brand IP Licensing and Cultural & Creative Design.
He was one of the designers of the “Fuwa,” mascots of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, and also served as an Olympic torchbearer. He led the creation of key design guidelines, including the Design Guide for Licensed Products of the Beijing 2008 Olympic and Paralympic Games and the Packaging Design and Application Guide for Licensed Products of the Beijing 2008 Olympic and Paralympic Games. He has headed major projects such as the “Beijing Gifts” and the packaging system for the Palace Museum, and has served as a design advisor for licensed product development for the London and Rio Olympics, as well as for NBA China. His representative works include the ICBC UnionPay Oracle Bone Script Zodiac credit card series, the Chinese Surnames pin series for the licensed product design of the 2008 Beijing Olympics, the Braille pins for the 2012 London Olympics and Paralympics, the NBA China licensed design guidelines, and the Palace Museum cross-strait cultural and creative series for Expo 2010 Shanghai. He has been granted eight design patents, including one utility model patent and seven design patents.
6. Dozens of Sets of Stamps and Philatelic Products.
The 100th Anniversary of the Founding of the Red Cross Society of China commemorative stamp, the Three Gorges Project · Power Generation special stamp, the South-to-North Water Diversion Project miniature sheet, the Chinese Dream · National Rejuvenation special stamp (collaborative), the Confucius Institute stamp and first-day cover, the 50th Anniversary of the Victory of the War of Resistance against Japan and the World War of Anti-Fascism commemorative stamp (collaborative), the 60th Anniversary of Guangming Daily commemorative postal card, the 60th Anniversary of the Founding of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, the Mascots of the 29th Olympic Games postcard series, personalized stamps for Tsinghua University’s 110th Anniversary and Peking Union Medical College Hospital’s Centenary Celebration, and China Post’s “Year of the Ox - Spring Festival Blessings” New Year stamp, etc. He has received multiple Excellence Awards in the National Best Stamp Selection.
Academic Achievements
Solo and Group Exhibitions:
In 2017, he held his solo exhibition “Recreate · Oracle - Ancient Characters in the Context of Modern Design” in Beijing. The following year, his solo show “The Rhyme of Design: A Study in Chinese Character” was presented at the Hubei Museum of Art. In 2019, his works were featured in several international exhibitions, including Design China: The Charm of Chinese Characters in Greece, the Fête des Caractères Chinois in Paris, and Chinese Characters Silk Road Journey - Chinese Characters International Tour in Lyon and Paris, France and Hungary. He also served as an art advisor for the “Inscriptions as Witness: Oracle Bone Script Culture Exhibition” at the National Museum of China. His works such as Joining the Army and Oracle Bone Script · Universe were used as key visual elements, forming symbolic connections throughout the exhibition narrative.
His works have been featured in numerous prestigious international exhibitions, including the Lithuanian Typography Poster Exhibition, the Slovakia Outdoor Poster Design Exhibition, the “Across the Divide – The Beauty of Visual Language as Art” in the United States, the 2nd Emirates International Poster Festival (EIPF), the Eco-Poster Triennial in Kharkiv, Ukraine, the Czech Poster Design of Chinese Characters, the South Korea-China-Japan Art Poster Invitational Exhibition, the 2014 NEW “FORM” International Exhibition of Graphic Design Exploration, the “Traveling Typefaces” International Exhibition in Lithuania, the China-Poland Visual Design Exhibition, the Asia International Poster Exhibition, the Florence (China) International Design Biennale, the “Words in Characters: Books as Vehicles” A Group Exhibition of Chinese and American Artists at Stanford University East Asia Library, the Asia Design Biennale, the 2nd Beijing International Language & Culture Expo, the Create for China, Create for People - Works of Academy of Arts & Design, Tsinghua University, the SGDA Typographic Design in China, and the “Consciousness of Borders” Academic Exhibition at the Guangdong Museum of Art. Additionally, his works have also been selected for 50 online exhibitions of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the China-Japan-South Korea Anti-COVID-19 Design Exhibition at the 2020 Zhuhai Design Week, the Hanyi Font Star Design Invitational Exhibition, the 3rd China Design Exhibition and Public Art Special Exhibition, the Ink at Current · 10th International Ink Art Biennale of Shenzhen, the 14th China Beijing International Cultural & Creative Industry Expo, the 100% Typography Design Exchange Exhibition in Macao, and the 13th China (Shenzhen) International Cultural Industries Fair - Pingshan International Sculpture Exhibition.
Publications: He has published over 20 books
History of Chinese Character Design, Hubei Fine Arts Publishing House, ISBN: 978-7-5394-9132-5
The Glamour of Chinese Characters, Hubei Fine Arts Publishing House, ISBN: 978-7-5394-6473-2 The Korean, Japanese, and Traditional Chinese editions were officially published in succession
Design Thinking and Methods, China Youth Publishing House, ISBN: 978-7-5153-6338-7
Regular high school textbook Art, selective compulsory module Design, People’s Fine Arts Publishing House (one of the associate editors), ISBN: 978-7-102-08347-6 Reference Book, People’s Fine Arts Publishing House (volume editor), ISBN: 978-7-102-08355-1
The Rhyme of Design: A Study in Chinese Character, Hubei Fine Arts Publishing House, ISBN: 9787539497785
The Design and Interpretation of the Ninety-two Methods of Interframe Structure, Hubei Fine Arts Publishing House, ISBN: 9787539497792
Graphic Composition, Academia Press, ISBN 978-7-5486-0418-1
Logo and Identity System Design, Liaoning Art Publishing House, ISBN 978-7-5314-4680-4
…
Papers
He has published dozens of academic papers and design works in core and professional journals such as ZHUANGSHI, Art Observation, and Art & Design Research.
“Chinese Style in Art and Design: Making the Traditional Trendy,” People’s Daily, 2021.3.16
“Viewing the Artistic Creation of Oracle Bone Script from the Sacred Status and Enduring Vitality of Chinese Characters,” China Art, Issue 4, 2019
“Building Vital Visual Identity Symbols – Mascot Design for IP Activation,” Art Observation, 2019.12, Total Issue 292
“Continuing the Jiju Zhang - The Design Significance of Standardizing the Structure of Cursive Characters,” Art & Design Research, 2018.2
“Recreate · Oracle - Ancient Characters in the Context of Modern Design,” ZHUANGSHI, 2018, Issue 5
“Examining the Development of Chinese Characters from a Design Perspective,” Guangming Daily, 2018.5.22
“Discussing the Current Situation and Trends in Logo Design from the Perspective of Logo Plagiarism Cases,” ZHUANGSHI, 2017, Issue 7
“Current Situation and Development Trends of Modern Chinese Font Design,” Ahn Graphics (턣：tǽlh), 2017, Issue 2
“Oracle Bone Script as a Source Code for Creativity,” People’s Daily, 2017.11.09
“Analysis of the Multifaceted Visual Identity System Design for the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics,” Art & Design Research, 2014.1
“The Rhyme of Design: A Methodology for Pre-Designing the Rhythmic Rules,” ZHUANGSHI, 2012.9
“Abused Creativity: A Discussion on the Misuse of Creative Ideas,” Art Observation, 2013.8
“Examining the Impact of ‘Parametric Design’ on the Development Trends of Visual Communication from the Perspective of ‘Rhythmic Design,’” Creation and Design, 2013.1
He served as a columnist for the bi-weekly Milk · New Trends for 7 years, publishing over 140 column articles.
Awards
His book The Glamour of Chinese Characters won the Second Prize at the 8th Higher Education Outstanding Scientific Research Output Awards from the Ministry of Education and was included in the “That’s China Bookshelf” program by the Import and Export Administration Bureau of the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee. In 2022, he was nominated for the Red Dot Award: Brands & Communication Design, and also received the Silver Award for Book Design at the A’ Design Award in Italy as well as the Communication Design Award at the New York TDC68.
In 2019, his books The Design and Interpretation of the Ninety-two Methods of Interframe Structure and The Rhyme of Design: A Study in Chinese Character won the Gold Award at the 28th “Jinniu Cup” Award for Outstanding Art Books. His book design and series posters were selected for the 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th, and 13th National Exhibition of Fine Arts where they received the “Artworks to Beijing” Award and the Excellence Award. His works also received multiple Golden Pin Design Awards in Taiwan in 2014, 2015, and 2016. His book The Oracle Bone Script Library won the China Red Star Design Award and was listed in the “China Design Power 100.” The Glamour of Chinese Characters also earned the Silver Award at the 23rd “Jinniu Cup” Award for Outstanding Art Books. His book History of Chinese Character Design won the Silver Award at the 30th “Jinniu Cup” Award for Outstanding Art Books and was shortlisted for the 2021 “China Books of the Year” selection. Additionally, he also won the Illustration and Cover Design Awards at the 6th National Bookbinding Art Exhibition. His textbook Graphic Composition was recognized as a “Beijing Higher Education Quality Textbook.” In 2016 and 2008, his textbooks Fundamentals of Logo and Visual Identity System Design and Logo Design won Second Prizes for Excellent Textbooks from Tsinghua University. In 2014, Fundamentals of Logo and Visual Identity System Design was included in the second batch of national-level planning textbooks for higher education under the “12th Five-Year Plan” by the Beijing Higher Education Teaching Research Center.
Teaching
Undergraduate Courses: Visual Identity System Design, Logo Design, Fundamentals of Integrated Design
Graduate Courses: Thinking and Methods in Visual Communication Design, Research on Design Thinking and Methods
Tsinghua University General Education Electives: Design Thinking, History of Chinese Character Design
Tsinghua University XuetangX MOOC: Design Thinking and Methods
Teaching Awards: Teaching Excellence Award for Young Teachers at Tsinghua University; “Academic Newcomer Award” at Tsinghua University; MOOC Teaching Pioneer Award (XuetangX); “Excellent Class Teacher”; “Outstanding Online Teaching Award during the COVID-19 Pandemic” (from the Tsinghua University, 2020). In 2021, his course Design Thinking was selected as part of the first batch of Tsinghua University’s Quality General Education Course Development Program.
His course Thinking and Methods in Visual Communication Design was recognized as a Tsinghua University Quality Course.
The student design projects under his supervision have won dozens of prestigious awards both nationally and internationally, including the Red Dot Design Award (Germany), A’ Design Award (Italy), Golden Pin Design Award, “The Beauty of Chinese Characters” Global Youth Design Contest China Star of Packaging Award, China “Star of Packaging,” CADA International Concept Art Design Award (Silver), Platinum Originality International University Students Graphic Design Competition, and Gold Award of the 7th Folk Arts and Crafts “Local Heritage Award.” The graduation designs under his supervision have won multiple university-level and school-level Outstanding Graduation Design Awards.
