In 1922, type designer William A. Dwiggins coined the term “graphic design” in his newspaper article New Kind of Printing Calls for New Design. The phrase reflected the rapidly expanding worlds of branding, commerce and advertising in Europe and the USA. More than one hundred years on, graphic design is a ubiquitous part of modern life, delivering information and entertainment to mass audiences. Rong Jia is a part of this thriving industry, working as a visual communicator across a range of cultural, commercial and digital contexts. Her extensive and impressive list of clients include Houston Grand Opera, SWA Group, Small Door Vet, Sky Zone Trampoline Park, City of Sugar Land, Vortex and more.
Her design for Porgy and Bess at Houston Grand Opera demonstrates how graphic design can function as a tool for cultural preservation, bringing historic narratives into a contemporary visual language. The campaign spanned print, outdoor and digital media, including billboards, social media assets and performance programmes. Across these platforms, Jia created a cohesive narrative that balanced tradition with modernity. Her approach to social media is particularly interesting. Each post opened with a striking visual and unfolded through layered typography, cutout imagery and structured storytelling, transforming the scrolling experience into a curated journey. The result was a campaign that honoured the opera’s legacy while making it accessible to new audiences, earning Gold at the London Design Awards.
Design for a Livable World is another example of Jia’s visually innovative approach. The project, created for SWA Group, employed abstraction to translate complex principles of landscape architecture, urban planning and sustainability into accessible visual narratives. Rather than relying on literal renderings of built projects, Jia developed a layered visual language that merged expressive typography, macro-scale natural photography and abstract urban patterning. Natural imagery plays a central role: broad green leaves symbolise ecological resilience, while a ladybird resting on blades of grass introduces intimacy and human scale. These organic elements are interwoven with patterns and structures that echo modern urban systems, visually demonstrating the integration of natural and built environments. Here, Jia elevates marketing beyond conventional corporate design to something new.
There is a playfulness to Jia’s designs, whether that be in Christmas cards inspired by the lyrics to My Favourite Things, a song from musical The Sound of Music, or a website organised around a ski slope, bringing fun for younger audiences. In particular, the artist’s social media designs for Small Door, a veterinary clinic in New York, sees still, two-dimensional photographs and illustrations into a flowing narrative. Voices are given to animals, as cats quip “nobody likes a vet visit…until now” and dogs offer the vet a high five.
Jia graduated from the Tianjin University of Commerce, China before completing a Master’s degree, in Graphic Design and Visual Experience at Savannah College of Art and Design. She’s an affiliated member of the American Institute of Graphic Arts. In 2025, she was recognised by the IDA Design Awards, Graphic Design USA, London Design Awards, DotComm Awards and Graphis Awards. Ultimately, Jia’s practice reflects the expanded role of graphic design in contemporary life. Moving fluidly between cultural institutions, commercial branding and digital platforms, her work demonstrates how design can operate simultaneously as communication, storytelling and social engagement.
Words: Emma Jacob
Image Credits:
All images courtesy Ring Jia.
