Design Forward
A book by Nod Young
︎
WHO AM I
A short film by Nod Young
Cinematography: Yusin Law | Music: Xing Chen | Editing: Nod Young
2025 · 5 min 05 sec
English, Chinese and Japanese subtitles available.
My name is Nod Young.
I have worked in the design field for over 25 years. My work spans finance, technology, consumer brands, publishing, and art, and has been used by hundreds of millions of people through real-world brands, products, and services. Most of this work took place in China between 2000 and 2022, during a period of rapid economic growth and major social change.
During these years, I worked largely within China’s vast commercial system, staying close to everyday users and real-life situations. I grew up in China and lived through the country’s transition from early market reforms to a fully connected, internet-shaped way of life. Being part of this process — not watching it from a distance — gradually shaped how I understand design, judgment, and everyday behavior.
I am the co-founder and art director of A Black Cover Design (ABCD), a studio founded in Beijing in 2015. I am also the founder of Details Co., a business platform based in California, established in 2025, focused on continuously exploring and developing new ideas.
I have worked in the design field for over 25 years. My work spans finance, technology, consumer brands, publishing, and art, and has been used by hundreds of millions of people through real-world brands, products, and services. Most of this work took place in China between 2000 and 2022, during a period of rapid economic growth and major social change.
During these years, I worked largely within China’s vast commercial system, staying close to everyday users and real-life situations. I grew up in China and lived through the country’s transition from early market reforms to a fully connected, internet-shaped way of life. Being part of this process — not watching it from a distance — gradually shaped how I understand design, judgment, and everyday behavior.
I am the co-founder and art director of A Black Cover Design (ABCD), a studio founded in Beijing in 2015. I am also the founder of Details Co., a business platform based in California, established in 2025, focused on continuously exploring and developing new ideas.
Over the years, I have worked with many international clients, including Nike, Apple, Disney, and Cartier, and have received professional recognition along the way. Among them, I value the acknowledgment from Tokyo Type Directors Club (Tokyo TDC) for its focus on language, structure, and judgment. Other clients and awards are part of the same long-term practice and are not listed here in full.
Design Forward grew out of these long-term observations and experiences. On the surface, it is a book about design, but at a deeper level, it reflects on how ideals are tested in reality and gradually turned into forms that everyday life can carry. From this perspective, I see myself not only as a designer, but as an artist working and moving within commercial systems and daily life.
Design Forward grew out of these long-term observations and experiences. On the surface, it is a book about design, but at a deeper level, it reflects on how ideals are tested in reality and gradually turned into forms that everyday life can carry. From this perspective, I see myself not only as a designer, but as an artist working and moving within commercial systems and daily life.
DESIGN FORWARD
In it, I reflect on my 25-year professional journey in mainland China—having lived through one of the fastest periods of economic growth, and witnessed the rise of the internet, the widespread adoption of digital payments, and the rapid development of consumer brands.
I wrote this book at that particular point in time.
I wrote this book at that particular point in time.
It is difficult to define what kind of book it is. It seems to be about design, but not exactly. What it really explores is how a designer faces choices, how one relates to the world, and how to approach the future.
Book Design: www.wangzhihong.com
Book Design: www.wangzhihong.com
This magnetic block set is based on the book form designed by Wang Zhihong for Design Forward.
The original book was translated into a three-dimensional object, keeping its structure, proportions, and visual rhythm, and turning it into something that can be held, moved, and played with. Produced as a small experimental piece, this set was made in a limited edition of 11.
- Photography by Wang Di
My approach to commercial design is grounded in long-term practice and lived experience.
Across different industries and scales, my work consistently returns to one core question: how design can maintain clear judgment within complex commercial and social systems, and truly become part of everyday life—rather than remaining at the level of concepts or visual form.
I do not see a brand as something that exists primarily as images to be viewed, nor as something confined to screens. A brand exists first in reality—in whether people can sense its presence in daily life, and understand the values and attitudes it represents.
When these values are communicated clearly and consistently over time, and gradually align with the user’s mindset, a brand begins to take on real meaning. This meaning is not created overnight; it accumulates through time and eventually becomes a reflection of a particular era. That is why, when we think of certain brands, what comes to mind is often not a specific image, but a distinct imprint of their time.
This is what a brand means to me.
Here, I present a selection of brand work developed by ABCD between 2015 and 2025 within China’s consumer market. From identity systems and color strategies to brand imagery, packaging, physical spaces, and e-commerce platforms, these projects reflect a broad and integrated approach to brand expression.
© All images are sourced from the official ABCD website.
Across different industries and scales, my work consistently returns to one core question: how design can maintain clear judgment within complex commercial and social systems, and truly become part of everyday life—rather than remaining at the level of concepts or visual form.
I do not see a brand as something that exists primarily as images to be viewed, nor as something confined to screens. A brand exists first in reality—in whether people can sense its presence in daily life, and understand the values and attitudes it represents.
When these values are communicated clearly and consistently over time, and gradually align with the user’s mindset, a brand begins to take on real meaning. This meaning is not created overnight; it accumulates through time and eventually becomes a reflection of a particular era. That is why, when we think of certain brands, what comes to mind is often not a specific image, but a distinct imprint of their time.
This is what a brand means to me.
Here, I present a selection of brand work developed by ABCD between 2015 and 2025 within China’s consumer market. From identity systems and color strategies to brand imagery, packaging, physical spaces, and e-commerce platforms, these projects reflect a broad and integrated approach to brand expression.
© All images are sourced from the official ABCD website.