︎
CHEN LUO                

Chen Luo is a graphic designer and educator based in Maryland. In 2026, she will join Howard University as an Assistant Professor of Graphic Design. She has previously taught at MICA, the SMFA at Tufts University, Boston University, and UMass. Chen maintains an independent design practice, collaborating primarily with artists, galleries, and cultural institutions. She is also the co-founder of Body&Forma, a collective design practice that bridges linguistic and cultural barriers through publishing and performative workshops. Her work reconfigures reading and writing gestures as bodily acts, transforming static materials into participatory, communal, and kinetic forms of publishing. She currently explores how embodied publishing can engage diverse readerships and foster communal experiences. Her work has been recognized by Communication Arts, NewOne Awards, Design 360°, Boston Art Review, and The Young Ones TDC, and exhibited in Canada, Italy, Japan, China, Korea, and the United States.
Liminality

Typeface,
Animation, creative coding
2021

Hallway, tunnel, corridor, etc. We can easily identify the shell of a liminal space. But we often neglect the carrier/passenger that moves through liminality. Unlike other common carriers, the elevator moves up and down, with limited and encapsulated inner space, resulting in a blinded sense of transition during its ride. In these countless short rides, most people simply do nothing (maybe more cell phone browsing with 5G!). But interesting attempts were made to fill the void — overwhelmed advertisement, elevator pitch, map, and signage, etc. COVID also tweaks it a bit with fewer people but more signs contained. By reiterating the visual, audible, touchable impression of my elevator rides, I hope to reconstruct such commonly ignored liminal space and explore inspiration from it with my audience.
Late update in 2025