Otis College Illustration Senior Jada Wong on Creative Work and Achieving Her Goals
“I leaned into making designs that are true and unique to my visual world.”
Earlier this year, Otis College Creative Director Emily Carlson met Jada Wong (’25 Illustration) at Career Services’ annual Internship and Recruitment Day and kept her in mind for future projects. “Jada’s work really grabbed me when I saw her portfolio,” says Carlson. “Her work is incredibly rich with details. You can keep looking and see something new in it each time.”
When it came time to redesign new banners to decorate the College’s campus, Carlson says she “thought of Jada immediately.” Carlson’s creative challenge for Wong was to illustrate the Admissions marketing tagline “Create Your Future.” The resulting illustration has been used in a myriad of marketing and admissions materials, including on-campus banners, mailers, stickers, and orientation shirts. Read on for more about Wong’s creative process and inspiration.
What was your inspiration for your “Create Your Future” illustration?
When I think of the future, I think of something that’s unknown and full of possibilities. When I use this freehand style, I start drawing with a rough idea of what shapes and faces I want to make, but with no idea of how the finished piece will look. I think about the piece like it’s a puzzle, figuring out what shapes work with each other and what lines need to connect. It is all about deciding what the next best move is, line after line until the page is completely filled and the unexpected and intertwined piece is complete. The future is similar since we have some ideas of what we might want to happen, but we have to take it one thing at a time, and, eventually, all of our experiences will shape our future.
“My time at Otis has allowed me to fully explore how my style can be adapted to multiple ways of making and storytelling.”
How has your time at Otis influenced your design skills?
My time at Otis has allowed me to fully explore how my style can be adapted to multiple ways of making and storytelling. With encouragement and guidance from my professors and peers, I leaned into making designs that are true and unique to my visual world.
“Jada’s work is incredibly rich with details. You can keep looking and see something new in it each time.”
“It is important to have the mindset that you can achieve the goals you want even if the road there is not what you imagined.”
How did you choose the colors for your design?
I decided to choose bright colors that bleed into each other because they represent a melding of many experiences. I wanted to remind my classmates that even though we are bound to face many difficulties in our futures, there are also great successes to look forward to.
What does “Create your Future” mean to you?
What do you envision in your future? Now, how will you get there? I think it is important to have the mindset that you can achieve the goals you want even if the road there is not what you imagined. Your ideal future will also change multiple times throughout your life. To me, creating my future is all about starting and exploring all possibilities, putting yourself out there, surrounding yourself with great creative people, and making art that represents you.
Learn more about Otis College’s BFA in Illustration program, which emphasizes personal style, creativity, and professional readiness. View more student work from the top-ranked Illustration program that prepares students for roles as professional illustrators, art directors, concept artists, animators, motion graphic artists, storyboard artists, children’s book illustrators, textile and fabric designers, and muralists.
