China is credited with two mainstays of graphic design – paper and movable type – yet the concept of ‘graphic design’ barely existed there 30 years ago. With China’s government beginning to replace the insular thinking of old with a more outward-reaching approach, and the Olympics making the country the focus of global attention, a new generation of Chinese creative talent has emerged, marrying traditional Oriental aesthetics with contemporary methodology and style. An entire nation’s design industry is being forged, and there’s the potential to tap into a massive and lucrative new market. But beware: many Chinese designers are starting to look outwards and thinking exactly the same thing.

Independent thinking