Dan Chen
Dan Chen
Millicent Cho
Ien Chi
Dr. Z
Jon, Teen
Chong
Milly
Fulton
Ron
Nina
China Mac
Ien Chi
Clarence Deng
Xiao Hou
Philips Shum
Philips Shum
CJ Walker
Joyce N. Ho
Gastón Martinez Acosta
Anastasia Goldberg
Ari Garin
Evan Pritchard
I Am Not An Activist
Film Titles & Graphics
2023When director, Dan Chen, wrote me about designing titles, graphics and key art for his short documentary, it was an immediate yes. In it, he follows the ‘Dragon Combat Club’, a grassroots self-defense organization formed in the wake of brutal anti-Asian attacks in NYC. The film they made explores community solidarity, self-expression, and the fundamental right to be safe.
As a person of Asian heritage living in NYC during the pandemic and had felt the wave of anti-Asian sentiment that followed, it meant a lot to be able to contribute design to a film that resonated with me very personally.
Key art for the film was inspired by bold protest posters and wheat-pasting – a nod and connection to NYC where wheat-paste posters are ubiquitous.
The color red is prominent; red is deeply embedded in Asian culture, but it’s used here to encapsulate the rage and outcry the DCC (and the greater Asian community) felt and continue to feel.
Subtitles, lower thirds, end credits