Elwing Gao

MOTHERING NATURE:

Neri Oxman and Material Ecology

2023 / VISUAL IDENTITY, EXHIBITION IDENTITY

Speculative design of retrospective for Neri Oxman, an Israeli-American designer and architect known for her sculptural work and research exploring collaborative relationships between human construction and natural growth.

I developed a nurturing identity system featuring a warm, organic color palette and a custom, "living" typeface. With Antipol VF as a scaffold, I "seeded" the letterforms with the fluid curves of Honey, serving as a visual metaphor for Oxman’s "Material Ecology" while allowing the identity to grow into its own symbiotic organism.

Deliverables: Branding solution, logotype/custom typeface, color palette, title wall, posters/ephemera, and merchandise (honey jar, waffle maker).
*Please note: This project was developed in 2023 as a branding exercise. While subsequent academic and political controversies in 2024 have changed the public discourse around Oxman’s work, this case study remains a representation of the visual strategy designed for the bio-digital aesthetic she pioneered.

Samples from Oxman’s AQUAHOJA, SILK PAVILION II, and VESPERS.

THE PROCESS

The goal in designing a theoretical retrospective identity was to honor the collaborative relationship present in Oxman’s work without directly appropriating it. My strategy was a type-based approach, which began with reasearching existing typefaces that could reflect innovation, lab sterility, and organic growth, and then experimenting with interactions.