Yilin Hou is a talented graphic designer and illustrator whose current work centres around challenging the stereotypical views of women embedded in traditional Chinese culture. She recently completed a MA in Visual Communication at Birmingham City University, achieving a Distinction. Yilin made the decision to leave China in 2018 to study in the UK with the intention of broadening her knowledge of different design styles in the West and gaining exposure to new creative influences.
She is an innovative illustrator, whose work is evocative and powerful with a surreal edge, using vibrant colour to great effect. She loves to include hidden meaning within her pieces and the more you look, the more you find. For her final major project, Yilin investigated the theme: ‘A Dialogue Between Female Visual Artists and Designers and Time’, which explores feminist themes in relation to experiences of Chinese women. She also expresses the different experiences she has observed between women in Eastern and Western cultures and interviewed a range of female artist and designers as research to inform her practice.
Yilin believes that in China, “there is generally a low-level of respect towards women, and many designers with the labels of ‘woman’ and ‘designer’ will suffer mental health issues far more than men. At the same time, women are also under pressure from conservative views… “Time may make female artists more experienced, but it can also bring them a great deal of stress and worry about marriage, family, children, appearance and other factors which can prevent women from pursuing their career dreams.” Through her work, Yilin hopes to highlight some of these imbalances, to expose unfair treatment in society that some women experience and pass on positive energy to all women.
We chatted with Yilin to find out more about her creative influences and her thoughts on gender inequality.
Why did you decide to become a designer and illustrator, and how has that evolved over time?
I like to visually express my attitudes and opinions on different topics in this changing world. I think the use of visual expressions allows the audience to observe, think about the hidden meaning of the work and resonate. I have met a lot of outstanding artists in this field. They all hold different views, ideas and love for their profession.
When I started to study design in university, I really liked researching and exploring different styles and visual expressions. In 2018, I decided to go to the UK for postgraduate study. I hoped to broaden my horizons to see the works of a large number of outstanding and advanced thinking artists abroad. The time spent studying abroad in the past two years has a great influence on my thinking. My professors have given me great support and guidance in my study. Now I hope to continue to stick to this dream.
Where did you study and what do you know now that you wish you’d known when you started your Master’s course?
I studied at Birmingham City University. During my Master’s degree, I learned Western design methods and how to develop from a graphic designer to an illustrator. My progress is inseparable from my mentor’s encouragement and guidance. She always encouraged me to believe in myself with confidence, which has made me who I am now.
Can you tell us a bit more about the research for your final major project?
The cultural values of Chinese women are deeply influenced by traditional Chinese thinking. Women in ancient China had to learn and obey the rules from the ‘Four Books for Women’: Admonitions for Women, Women’s Analects, Domestic Lessons, and Sketch of a Model for Women. From ancient times to the present, Chinese women have to obey and assist their husbands. The responsibility of women to bear children and to take care of the family has caused gender stereotypes in contemporary society, still influenced by traditional thinking. The conservative, shy and introverted character of many Chinese women is partly a result of this too. Western cultures have advocated the values of democracy and equality since the feminist movement began to gradually change women’s social status and thoughts, however, gender inequality still exists today.
Western art and design ideas spread from the West to China in 1940, but China did not take it seriously due to conservative views. Therefore, Chinese art thinking lags behind Western countries and Chinese designers and artists are generally not respected enough. In China there is generally a low-level of respect towards women, and many designers with the labels of ‘woman’ and ‘designer’ will suffer mental health issues far more than men. At the same time, women are also under pressure from conservative views and expectations about having a family and worries about aging. Time may make female artists more experienced, but it can also bring them a great deal of stress and worry about marriage, family, children, appearance and other factors which can prevent women from pursuing their career dreams.
Do you have any thoughts on how we can challenge gender inequality?
When I researched women’s topics, I learned that gender discrimination actually originates from the patriarchal society from ancient times, and still exists in people’s subconscious minds. When I created this work, I interviewed someone and she also often encountered social stereotypes of women and gender discrimination in her work, which shows unfair treatment of women at work still exists.
I think firstly, women should be confident and find their own value. The value I mean is to find their dreams. When a person has a goal that she wants to persevere and work hard for, she can fully be involved in the field she loves. This can also make them more visible to people. When more and more women gradually become outstanding, they can make this underlying rule slowly disappear.
How has being female impacted your education and career so far?
I think being a woman plays a positive role in my research topics. It allows me to gain a greater understanding of women’s status in society and the gender stereotypes that stem from traditional thinking. This year’s research on women’s projects made me more determined to use my own visual artworks to expose some women’s unfair treatment in society and to pass on some positive energy to women.
Which female illustrator has most inspired you?
Amber Vittoria has most inspired my works, who is an artist working in New York City. Her works focus on femininity and the female form, leveraging physical traits such as overtly extended limbs and rounded features. She uses unconventional and exaggerated expressions to design female bodies in her works. Her artworks are part of my inspiration for this work.
Where do you think the design industry is heading in the next five years and how will you adapt?
I’m just starting to get involved with illustration, so I want to continue to find my own style as an illustrator. At the same time, I am studying some animation principles, hoping that the illustrations I create can be presented with animation effects.
Do you have any female role models or mentors who have shaped your career?
Yes, my mentor at Birmingham City University Rebecca Howson. She has always admired and pushed me to develop my work. I didn’t do hand-drawing for a long time, but she gave me the confidence to continue drawing and studying illustration.
Has the Covid-19 pandemic impacted your career and how have you managed this?
I think there was some influence at the beginning. I couldn’t go to exhibitions during lockdown, which was a bit frustrating. But I started to go on Instagram, Behance and other websites to see the works of some excellent illustrators. I also studied the styles of various genres and researched some masterpieces.
Who are your top five female creative crushes?
Hannah Hoch, Egle Zvirblyte, Polly Nor, Amber Vittoria and Beck Howson.