By Tansy Cai
“Artists are selfish. In no way do I mean to be derogatory; artists need to be selfish. For them, it's about having a personal vision, through which to see.”
Our alumnus from Collingwood’s Graduate Class of 2008, Ahra Cho has a truly distinctive view of art. She was born in Seoul, South Korea and moved to Vancouver when she was eight. In grade ten, she started attending Collingwood and was known as the “art kid”. After graduating from Carnegie Mellon University with majors in Communication Design and Human Computer Interaction, she became a User Experience Designer at Microsoft.
“Artists are selfish. In no way do I mean to be derogatory; artists need to be selfish. For them, it's about having a personal vision, through which to see.”
Our alumnus from Collingwood’s Graduate Class of 2008, Ahra Cho has a truly distinctive view of art. She was born in Seoul, South Korea and moved to Vancouver when she was eight. In grade ten, she started attending Collingwood and was known as the “art kid”. After graduating from Carnegie Mellon University with majors in Communication Design and Human Computer Interaction, she became a User Experience Designer at Microsoft.
“I think I'm more influenced by things and people,” Ahra explained. She often turns to magazines and museums as a source of inspiration. Also, fashion editorials and runway photos allow her to have a sense of colour combination to create digital pieces. Sometimes, she enjoys spending time in cafes, where she can absorb the ambience and simply feel a spark of creativity.
In high school, Ahra already knew she enjoyed structure and thought about it in an analytical fashion, which would be beneficial to her pursuit in design. Currently, she works as an experience designer to foster our interaction with smartphones and apps. Dan Saffer, Design Director at Smart Design in San Francisco summed it up nicely: "I design how technology works. When you push a button on a website or app and something happens? I design what happens."
In high school, Ahra already knew she enjoyed structure and thought about it in an analytical fashion, which would be beneficial to her pursuit in design. Currently, she works as an experience designer to foster our interaction with smartphones and apps. Dan Saffer, Design Director at Smart Design in San Francisco summed it up nicely: "I design how technology works. When you push a button on a website or app and something happens? I design what happens."
Ahra believes that artists and designers are quite different. According to Ahra, artists use their paintbrushes and pencils to express themselves in a somewhat solitary process. However, designers use visual ways to communicate an idea. It’s not about “me”, but about “how others interpret the information that I have laid out”.
When Ahra first entered college, she focused on the pure aesthetics. Now that she reflects upon her interests, she explains that it is an “incredibly shallow and superficial point of view”. Her professor repeatedly reminded her, “Design has the potential to change the world”. Although at the beginning, Ahra believed that the statement was much too ambitious, she gradually realized that her professor had been right all along. Ahra finds it truly surreal and thrilling that millions of people will be using her designs. Not only does she yearn to use her artistic talents to communicate her ideas, but she also focuses on making her designs more creative and beautiful.
When Ahra first entered college, she focused on the pure aesthetics. Now that she reflects upon her interests, she explains that it is an “incredibly shallow and superficial point of view”. Her professor repeatedly reminded her, “Design has the potential to change the world”. Although at the beginning, Ahra believed that the statement was much too ambitious, she gradually realized that her professor had been right all along. Ahra finds it truly surreal and thrilling that millions of people will be using her designs. Not only does she yearn to use her artistic talents to communicate her ideas, but she also focuses on making her designs more creative and beautiful.