[ON YOUR] marc
[ON YOUR] marc
00:20
00:20
vancouver, canada [ ]
vancouver, canada [ ]
Role — Visual Design Lead, Co-Founder, Co-Director
Role — Visual Design Lead, Co-Founder, Co-Director
Role — Visual Design Lead, Co-Founder, Co-Director
Type — Nonprofit, Community Organization
Type — Nonprofit, Community Organization
Type — Nonprofit, Community Organization
Scope — Brand Design, Visual Identities, Art Direction
Scope — Brand Design, Visual Identities, Art Direction
Scope — Brand Design, Visual Identities, Art Direction
Impact — National Conference on Asian-Indigenous Relations
Impact — National Conference on Asian-Indigenous Relations
Impact — National Conference on Asian-Indigenous Relations
[ Asian Indigenous Relations Collective ]
[ Asian Indigenous
Relations Collective ]
A visual identity system dedicated to highlighting, supporting and teaching the ongoing efforts of decolonization and solidarity, creating a foundation for continuous conversation across digital and community spaces here on Turtle Island.
A visual identity system dedicated to highlighting, supporting and teaching the ongoing efforts of decolonization and solidarity, creating a foundation for continuous conversation across digital and community spaces here on Turtle Island.
AIR Collective — Cynthia Cui, Jeffery Su, Xiaolan (Yaya) Zheng
AIR Collective — Cynthia Cui, Jeffery Su, Xiaolan (Yaya) Zheng
AIR Collective — Cynthia Cui, Jeffery Su, Xiaolan (Yaya) Zheng
Foundation for Continuous Conversations and Solidarity
Foundation for Continuous Conversations and Solidarity
Foundation for Continuous
Conversations and Solidarity
The Asian Indigenous Relations Collective (AIR) is a Vancouver-based organization dedicated to highlighting, supporting, and teaching the stories and conversations that explore how shared histories between Asian and Indigenous peoples have shaped, and been shaped by, life on Turtle Island. It is not just a digital resource. It is about people, not just as an audience, but as participants. It was a living act of solidarity.
The Asian Indigenous Relations Collective (AIR) is a Vancouver-based organization dedicated to highlighting, supporting, and teaching the stories and conversations that explore how shared histories between Asian and Indigenous peoples have shaped, and been shaped by, life on Turtle Island. It is not just a digital resource. It is about people, not just as an audience, but as participants. It was a living act of solidarity.
The Asian Indigenous Relations Collective (AIR) is a Vancouver-based organization dedicated to highlighting, supporting, and teaching the stories and conversations that explore how shared histories between Asian and Indigenous peoples have shaped, and been shaped by, life on Turtle Island. It is not just a digital resource. It is about people, not just as an audience, but as participants. It was a living act of solidarity.
As lead visual designer and Co-Director of Creative Operations, my role was to build a brand that could carry the weight of the Collective's mission: supporting ongoing efforts towards decolonization and restitution across digital and physical spaces.
As lead visual designer and Co-Director of Creative Operations, my role was to build a brand that could carry the weight of the Collective's mission: supporting ongoing efforts towards decolonization and restitution across digital and physical spaces.
As lead visual designer and Co-Director of Creative Operations, my role was to build a brand that could carry the weight of the Collective's mission: supporting ongoing efforts towards decolonization and restitution across digital and physical spaces.
[ Challenge Statement ]
[ Challenge Statement ]
[ Challenge Statement ]
How might we create cohesive visual identities across key initiatives that support rather than overshadow the collective voices they were built for?
How might we create cohesive visual identities across key initiatives that support rather than overshadow the collective voices they were built for?
How might we create cohesive visual identities across key initiatives that support rather than overshadow the collective voices they were built for?
[ Designing With, Not For ]
[ Designing With, Not For ]
[ Designing With, Not For ]
Every decision started with the same question:
Does this serve the people this platform is built for?
Every decision started with the same question:
Does this serve the people this platform is built for?
Every decision started with the same question:
Does this serve the people this platform is built for?
This wasn't a project where aesthetics came first. It was about bringing history out of the margins. The challenge was designing something flexible enough to live across digital platforms, community events, key initiatives, a symposium and continued dialogues, while staying rooted in the AIR Collective's core values of education and solidarity.
This wasn't a project where aesthetics came first. It was about bringing history out of the margins. The challenge was designing something flexible enough to live across digital platforms, community events, key initiatives, a symposium and continued dialogues, while staying rooted in the AIR Collective's core values of education and solidarity.
This wasn't a project where aesthetics came first. It was about bringing history out of the margins. The challenge was designing something flexible enough to live across digital platforms, community events, key initiatives, a symposium and continued dialogues, while staying rooted in the AIR Collective's core values of education and solidarity.
We knew the collective (AIR) wanted to symbolize the intertwined histories and futures of Asian and Indigenous communities. The logo went through three distinct iterations. What we didn't know yet was how many times we'd have to unlearn our own design instincts to get there.
We knew the collective (AIR) wanted to symbolize the intertwined histories and futures of Asian and Indigenous communities. The logo went through three distinct iterations. What we didn't know yet was how many times we'd have to unlearn our own design instincts to get there.
We knew the collective (AIR) wanted to symbolize the intertwined histories and futures of Asian and Indigenous communities. The logo went through three distinct iterations. What we didn't know yet was how many times we'd have to unlearn our own design instincts to get there.
[ Iteration 01: Ribbon]
[ Iteration 01: Ribbon]
[ Iteration 01: Ribbon]
A ribbon connecting the letters "AIR"; two communities tied together. But the more we looked at it, the more it felt like the opposite: constrictive, like boundaries closing in.
A ribbon connecting the letters "AIR"; two communities tied together. But the more we looked at it, the more it felt like the opposite: constrictive, like boundaries closing in.
A ribbon connecting the letters "AIR"; two communities tied together. But the more we looked at it, the more it felt like the opposite: constrictive, like boundaries closing in.
[ Iteration 02: Ribbon]
[ Iteration 02: Ribbon]
[ Iteration 02: Ribbon]
Badges, emblems, overlapping circles reflect how braided relationalities from the past, ongoing efforts and future influences towards decolonial solidarity movements. The semantic nature of Asian-Indigenous relations.
But it gave an impression of one community existing inside the other.
A misunderstanding we did not want perpetuated.
Badges, emblems, overlapping circles reflect how braided relationalities from the past, ongoing efforts and future influences towards decolonial solidarity movements. The semantic nature of Asian-Indigenous relations.
But it gave an impression of one community existing inside the other.
A misunderstanding we did not want perpetuated.
Badges, emblems, overlapping circles reflect how braided relationalities from the past, ongoing efforts and future influences towards decolonial solidarity movements. The semantic nature of Asian-Indigenous relations.
But it gave an impression of one community existing inside the other.
A misunderstanding we did not want perpetuated.
[ Branding That Carries Both Story and Responsibility: The Collective's Language ]
[ Branding That Carries Both Story and Responsibility: The Collective's Language ]
[ Branding That Carries Both Story and Responsibility:
The Collective's Language ]
Both iterations, while potentially successful aesthetically, failed at the thing that mattered most: communicating the right message. The answer, it turned out, was simplicity. Two interconnected circles. Slightly rough, deliberately unpolished. No hierarchy, no community inside the other, just two, together. Braided histories and futures, side by side.
Both iterations, while potentially successful aesthetically, failed at the thing that mattered most: communicating the right message. The answer, it turned out, was simplicity. Two interconnected circles. Slightly rough, deliberately unpolished. No hierarchy, no community inside the other, just two, together. Braided histories and futures, side by side.
Both iterations, while potentially successful aesthetically, failed at the thing that mattered most: communicating the right message. The answer, it turned out, was simplicity. Two interconnected circles. Slightly rough, deliberately unpolished. No hierarchy, no community inside the other, just two, together. Braided histories and futures, side by side.
The Colour also went through many iterations. We wanted it to carry the same weight of intention. Orange wasn't just a palette choice. Orange is a direct reference to Orange Shirt Day and the ongoing Indigenous-led reconciliation movements rooted in Vancouver and BC. Paired with earthy, warm brown tones to express an open invitation:
"you're welcome here, explore freely."
The Colour also went through many iterations. We wanted it to carry the same weight of intention. Orange wasn't just a palette choice. Orange is a direct reference to Orange Shirt Day and the ongoing Indigenous-led reconciliation movements rooted in Vancouver and BC. Paired with earthy, warm brown tones to express an open invitation: "you're welcome here, explore freely."
The Colour also went through many iterations. We wanted it to carry the same weight of intention. Orange wasn't just a palette choice. Orange is a direct reference to Orange Shirt Day and the ongoing Indigenous-led reconciliation movements rooted in Vancouver and BC. Paired with earthy, warm brown tones to express an open invitation:
"you're welcome here, explore freely."
[ What the Collective's System Had to Do ]
[ What the Collective's System Had to Do ]
[01] Hold space without taking it: the design couldn't overpower the voices and stories it was built to platform
[02] Communicate belonging: warmth, accessibility, and openness had to be legible
at every touchpoint
[03] Resist the default: consciously pushing against how design, as an industry, has historically centred whiteness over the communities it claims to serve
[01] Hold space without taking it: the design couldn't overpower the voices and stories it was built to platform
[02] Communicate belonging: warmth, accessibility, and openness had to be legible
at every touchpoint
[03] Resist the default: consciously pushing against how design, as an industry, has historically centred whiteness over the communities it claims to serve
[ Braided Solidarities Symposium: The System, Extended ]
[ Braided Solidarities Symposium:
The Collective's System, Extended ]
[ Braided Solidarities Symposium: The System, Extended ]
In September 2025, AIR hosted The Past, Present, and Future of Braided Solidarities, the largest national conference on Asian-Indigenous relations. My role was to extend the AIR brand system into a full event visual identity without losing what made it intentional. Deliverables spanned the full event experience: visual identity, main posters, lanyards, workshop signage, and collaborating on the website's visual direction.
In September 2025, AIR hosted The Past, Present, and Future of Braided Solidarities, the largest national conference on Asian-Indigenous relations. My role was to extend the AIR brand system into a full event visual identity without losing what made it intentional. Deliverables spanned the full event experience: visual identity, main posters, lanyards, workshop signage, and collaborating on the website's visual direction.
In September 2025, AIR hosted The Past, Present, and Future of Braided Solidarities, the largest national conference on Asian-Indigenous relations. My role was to extend the AIR brand system into a full event visual identity without losing what made it intentional. Deliverables spanned the full event experience: visual identity, main posters, lanyards, workshop signage, and collaborating on the website's visual direction.
We knew early on that interconnectedness had to continue being at the forefront. The goal was a visual identity that felt distinctly its own while still living clearly within the AIR world. Because the conference was about the coming together of two communities, the design had to reflect both equally, and without flattening either into a stereotype. That required iteration, consultation with community members, and a willingness to start over when something wasn't working.
We knew early on that interconnectedness had to continue being at the forefront. The goal was a visual identity that felt distinctly its own while still living clearly within the AIR world. Because the conference was about the coming together of two communities, the design had to reflect both equally, and without flattening either into a stereotype. That required iteration, consultation with community members, and a willingness to start over when something wasn't working.
We knew early on that interconnectedness had to continue being at the forefront. The goal was a visual identity that felt distinctly its own while still living clearly within the AIR world. Because the conference was about the coming together of two communities, the design had to reflect both equally, and without flattening either into a stereotype. That required iteration, consultation with community members, and a willingness to start over when something wasn't working.
Early directions leaned too heavily on Asian visual elements; Indigenous aspects were getting lost. So we went back, consulted and iterated further.
The symposium motif: decorative ribbon knot branches. Brought both cultural threads together. Neither overpowering the other. A translation of the AIR logo's interconnected circles into a connected, living form. Asian knotwork and Coast Salish weaving are brought together without either overpowering the other. AIR's orange was carried forward as the primary colour, paired with warm brown tones to maintain the same sense of welcome and warmth that the broader Collective system was built on.
Early directions leaned too heavily on Asian visual elements; Indigenous aspects were getting lost. So we went back, consulted and iterated further.
The symposium motif: decorative ribbon knot branches. Brought both cultural threads together. Neither overpowering the other. A translation of the AIR logo's interconnected circles into a connected, living form. Asian knotwork and Coast Salish weaving are brought together without either overpowering the other. AIR's orange was carried forward as the primary colour, paired with warm brown tones to maintain the same sense of welcome and warmth that the broader Collective system was built on.
Early directions leaned too heavily on Asian visual elements; Indigenous aspects were getting lost. So we went back, consulted and iterated further.
The symposium motif: decorative ribbon knot branches. Brought both cultural threads together. Neither overpowering the other. A translation of the AIR logo's interconnected circles into a connected, living form. Asian knotwork and Coast Salish weaving are brought together without either overpowering the other. AIR's orange was carried forward as the primary colour, paired with warm brown tones to maintain the same sense of welcome and warmth that the broader Collective system was built on.
[ What the Symposium System Had to Do ]
[ What the Symposium System Had to Do ]
[01] Echo, don't repeat: its own visual voice, reinforcing AIR's message of braided histories while feeling distinct to the event
[02] Culturally honest, not decorative: every visual element had to be earned through consultation and iteration, not assumed
[03] Designed through collaboration: the final result was only possible because of constant communication with community members and external consultants ensuring cultural sensitivity at every step
[01] Echo, don't repeat: its own visual voice, reinforcing AIR's message of braided histories while feeling distinct to the event
[02] Culturally honest, not decorative: every visual element had
to be earned through consultation and iteration, not assumed
[03] Designed through collaboration: the final result was only possible because of constant communication with community members and external consultants ensuring cultural sensitivity at every step
[ Designing Otherwise ]
[ Designing Otherwise ]
[ Designing Otherwise ]
This project taught me that collaboration isn't just a nice-to-have; it is the work.
When you're designing for communities that have been historically marginalized and excluded from Western archives, the voices in the room matter as much as the decisions on the page. The result isn't just a cohesive brand identity. It becomes much more.
A foundation for continuous conversation, a visual system built to make space, not fill it.
This project taught me that collaboration isn't just a nice-to-have; it is the work. When you're designing for communities that have been historically marginalized and excluded from Western archives, the voices in the room matter as much as the decisions on the page. The result isn't just a cohesive brand identity. It becomes much more. A foundation for continuous conversation, a visual system built to make space, not fill it.
This project taught me that collaboration isn't just a nice-to-have; it is the work. When you're designing for communities that have been historically marginalized and excluded from Western archives, the voices in the room matter as much as the decisions on the page. The result isn't just a cohesive brand identity. It becomes much more. A foundation for continuous conversation, a visual system built to make space, not fill it.
[ONYOUR]Marc © 2026 | last updated 04.2026 .
[ONYOUR]Marc © 2026 | last updated 04.2026.