Email: zhaojianm@tsinghua.edu.cn

Title

Tenured Professor

Educational Background

Graduated from the Central Academy of Arts & Design (now Academy of Arts & Design, Tsinghua University) with a bachelor’s degree in June 1988

Graduated from the Central Academy of Arts & Design (now Academy of Arts & Design, Tsinghua University) with a master’s degree in January 1998

Graduated from the Graduate School of Chinese National Academy of Arts with a doctoral degree in July 2010

Work Experience

1988: Worked as a teacher at the former Central Academy of Arts & Design (now Academy of Arts & Design, Tsinghua University)

1999 till present: Worked as a teacher at the Academy of Arts & Design, Tsinghua University

Academic (Professional) Services

Member of the Academic Committee, Academy of Arts & Design, Tsinghua University

Member of the Tenured Professor Committee

Researcher at the Institute of Calligraphy, Academy of Arts & Design, Tsinghua University

Member of the Alliance Graphique Internationale (AGI)

Editor-in-Chief of the Visual Communication Design, Design Section, Encyclopedia of China (Third Edition)

Member of the China Artists Association

Deputy Director of the 4th Illustration and Binding Committee under the China Artists Association

Expert Committee Member of the Center for Chinese Font Design and Research

Research Interests

Design Research in the Context of Visual Culture

Research on Chinese Book Design and Its Culture

Research on the Visual Design of Digital Reading Methods

Research on Chinese Character Writing and Application

Academic Claims

Essentially, visual communication relies on specific texts and their reproduction. Visual communication design is the process of symbolizing and structuring the visual information of “specific texts”. It is also the result of selecting certain values or conceptual paradigms, derived from diverse sources of symbols or information. The concept of “reproduction” includes methods like handwriting, printing, and electronic and digital technologies. However, “reproductions” aren’t just about the technical side; they also refer to the more important concept of “symbolic communication”, which involves conveying ideas, values, and functional paradigms.

The cultural crisis and sense of loss that China has faced over the past century seem to have led the design community to develop an ingrained pattern of relying too heavily on technological “alignment” to relieve the “gap anxiety”. If we do not break free from the mindset that overly relies on technology, blindly wielding the power of discourse granted by the era, while neglecting the visual presentation mechanisms developed from past practices and the modern insights they contain, Chinese design will not truly reach the threshold of genuine modernization. The information age has fully arrived, and the digital society has already taken shape. Seizing this opportunity, we should focus on rethinking, practicing, and validating a shift in the way visual communication design is taught. This involves moving away from the over-reliance on technological and industry-specific thinking, and instead placing greater emphasis on clarifying and systematizing the core values of visual communication design, such as its fundamental content and structure, aesthetics and functionality, communication methods, and social relevance.

The cyclical changes in history have made it clear that even today, the conversation between Chinese traditional culture and Western modern culture, as well as between Eastern and Western civilizations, will persist. The background of early modern design in China, along with the design and cultural issues related to the formation of its concepts, technologies, and forms, still hold profound historical significance for contemporary design thinking today. It maintains a lasting tension between tradition and modernity, the past and the future.

Academic Achievements

Publications

He has been engaged in the theoretical study and practical research of visual design for many years and has published over 20 professional articles, special interviews, and academic papers.

Textbook: Traveling Through Time and Space in Book Design (Co-authored) (Baihua Literature and Art Publishing House, Jiangxi Fine Arts Publishing House)

Monograph: The Beginning of Chinese Modern Book Design Paradigm (1862-1937) (People’s Fine Arts Publishing House)

Dozens of art and design works have been widely published in numerous academic journals, magazines, and books both domestically and internationally.

Awards

His design works have won gold, silver, bronze, or excellence awards more than 10 times at international and national professional exhibitions.

In 1997, he won the Gold Award and Excellence Award at the 5th National Bookbinding Design Exhibition

In 2000, he won the 12th China Book Award

In 2004, he won the Gold Award and Excellence Award at the 6th National Bookbinding Design Exhibition

In 2005, he won the “China’s Most Beautiful Book” Design Award

In 2006, he won the “China’s Most Beautiful Book” Design Award

In 2006, he won the “World’s Most Beautiful Book” Design Award in Leipzig, Germany

In 2004, he joined the Alliance Graphique Internationale (AGI)

In 2005, he was selected for the “China’s Top 100 Young Designers of 2005”

In 2009, his design works received the Excellence Award at the 7th National Exhibition of Book Design

In 2011, he was awarded the Outstanding Contribution to China’s Design Industry Award by the China Packaging Federation Design Committee

In 2013, he won the Best Work Award at the 8th National Exhibition of Book Design

Academic Activities

In 1999, his design works were selected for the 9th National Exhibition of Fine Arts

In 2006, his design works were selected for the International Invitational Exhibition at the National Art Museum of China, and his works were collected by the museum

In 2009, his design works were selected for the 11th National Exhibition of Fine Arts

In 2012, his design works were selected for the 20th Century Chinese Graphic Design Documentation Exhibition, and his works were collected by the Guan Shanyue Art Museum

In 2011, his personal achievements in design were included in Meggs’ History of Graphic Design

In 2000, he served as the Asian representative of the image poster design studio for the EXPO 2000 Hannover in Germany

In 2002, he was a member of the teaching team for the International Training Camp at the ICOGRADA Asia Conference

In 2016, he founded the China Handmade Paper Alliance as one of the main founders

In 2019, he was the project leader for the visual identity system design guidelines for the Beijing Horticultural Expo 2019

Teaching

The main courses he teaches include undergraduate courses such as Visual Language (1), Typography Design, Book Design, and Poster Design, as well as graduate courses in visual communication design, such as Layout Design, Reading and Visual Design Research, and Chinese Character Writing and Application Research