Designing the Year of the Snake: A Celebration in Lines and Color

For CHANG HSUEH-WEN, art is more than a passion — it’s a calling shaped by years of dedicated practice. A student in the Department of Fine Arts, she has a strong foundation in Western painting and a growing interest in illustration and design. From an early age, winning awards in competitions helped build her confidence and affirmed her unique artistic voice.

Her award-winning work for the Future Art & Design Award UK 2025 Summer Season celebrates the Year of the Snake with a striking poster design that turns symbolism into visual poetry. Inspired by the flowing shape of a snake, CHANG uses the body’s curve to subtly spell out “2025,” integrating point, line, and surface to form a modern composition filled with cultural meaning.

The most challenging part? Achieving a balance between fluid motion and visual richness. From the delicate snake skin patterns and light gradients, to the warm, festive color palette, every detail is meticulously designed to invite joy, celebration, and renewal. Through the intertwining snakes, the work also delivers a deeper message — a visual metaphor for unity, diversity, and moving forward together into the future.

1. Could you let us know a bit more about yourself and what inspired you to pursue a career in creative / art / design?

Hello everyone, I am CHANG HSUEH-WEN, currently studying in the Department of Fine Arts. Painting is not only one of my interests, but also my specialty. I am good at Western painting, and occasionally draw illustrations and designs. Because I have slowly cultivated my interest and basic learning of painting, I have participated in various competitions and won awards, which made me more confident and fulfilled. I found that I am particularly good in this aspect. Later, when I officially engaged in the field of fine arts, I started in high school and have been doing it until now.

2. What was the initial inspiration behind this project? Was there a specific idea, moment, or question that sparked its development?

This year is the Year of the Snake. Thinking of the long body of the snake reminds me of lines, so I use the shape of the snake and the posture of the body to express the words 2025, and decide to use point, line and surface design for the overall picture. The creation time was close to the beginning of the year, and this New Year poster was completed to welcome the beginning of the new year.

3. What was the most exciting or challenging part of creating the work?

During the creation process, I felt what is the most challenging is the smoothness of the snake's body posture. How to express the words 2025 and make the picture look rich at the same time is the main factor I consider. There are also the pattern design of the snake skin, the main snake stretches from top to bottom to the shallow gradient, the light and shadow changes, the warm and festive colors, etc., all of which are arranged with details and ingenuity.

4. What feeling or message do you hope viewers take away when they see this New Year poster?

I hope that when the audience sees this New Year poster, they will be filled with positive energy, feel the festive atmosphere through the golden patterns and petals, and welcome the new year happily. Seeing different snakes intertwined with each other also represents the integration and mutual assistance of various ethnic groups, working together to move forward into the future.

5. How was your experience taking part in the Future Art & Design Award UK?

This is my first time participating in the UK Future Art and Design Awards in the Creative Advertising Design category. I am very glad to have won the Silver Award, because it is a large-scale international art and design competition, which is very meaningful to me. I believe it will be helpful for my future career.