I Am An Anxious Graphic Designer
Editorial, Personal
"I am an Anxious Graphic Designer（身為一個焦慮的平面設計師）" is a bilingual self-published zine, part personal portrait, part professional one. It turns ten common creative anxieties, impostor syndrome, procrastination, burnout, fear of public speaking, the guilt of resting, and more, into bold visual narratives. Each spread pairs original typographic and graphic interpretations with short quotes from mental health experts, alongside mental health resources for both Belgium and Taiwan.
Institution
Sint Lucas Antwerpen
Location
Belgium
Year
2024-2025
The visual language moves between order and disruption: grids meet rough textures, clean type gets interrupted by irregular composition or distortion. This tension mirrors the balance between inner unrest and outer structure, the same push and pull the zine is trying to put into words.
The aim was never to "cure" anxiety, but to give it a shape, something visible and discussable. Through this work, the project hopes to normalise open conversations about mental health in creative culture, and offer a small moment of recognition for anyone navigating both passion and pressure in the design field.
The zine is paired with a fold-out flyer, "But I'm Totally Okay with It（但這樣也沒什麼不好）", a kind of pocket wunderkammer. It archives personal artefacts, books, posters, tools, playful odds and ends, that sustained the designer's growth and joy through the work. Together, zine and flyer form a dialogue: one holds the inner turbulence of working in design, the other grounds it in tangible, affirming memories.
Credits
Graphic Designer
Visual Researcher
Project Coach
Thesis Coach
Technical Coach
Cross-coaching
Print Studio
Typefaces
Photography
Language Support
Jian-Xin Wang
Jian-Xin Wang
Reg Herygers
Ann Laenen
Clare Noonan, Gerard Leysen
Hugo Puttaert, Jan Baert, Sam Vanbelle, Sebastiaan Van Doninck
Zwartopwit, Zeefdruk Werkplaats, Sint Lucas Antwerpen
Diatype, Diatype Semi-Mono (Dinamo)
Jian-Xin Wang
ChatGPT (OpenAI), Grammarly