Beyond the sunset, a night sky full of possibilities.
HELLO, I'M HAIRUO
Finding more
in the everyday.
Small details. Human stories.
A nail design, an advertisement, an everyday choice.
I like asking why something catches our eye—and listening to the human stories behind our choices.
Visual expressionConsumer psychologyEveryday curiosity
Participant designs · Open the sketches
LOOK CLOSER↗THERE'S A STORY
PERSONAL PORTFOLIO / WORK & OBSERVATIONSScroll to explore
01 / DESIGN & SELF-EXPRESSIONGiving feelings a visual form
Stories Told on Ten Nails.
A small canvas for a big feeling.
I started exploring press-on nails at 13. My curiosity gradually shifted from “What looks good?” to “Why do we find it beautiful?” I invited participants to turn their emotions and experiences into ten nail designs.
These are their answers, expressed through colors, lines, and patterns.
Each design is a way of expressing who they are.
Showing all 4 selected designs
FROM THE SKETCHBOOK
Just as it was on paper.
Original drawings from the project.
Colors, pencil marks, and feelings in the margins.
Original handwriting, notes, and paper marks preserved.
A pattern shows me someone’s choice.— What this project taught me
It cannot tell me why they made it.
02 / EVERYDAY OBSERVATIONSAdvertising & consumer behavior
A QUESTION I KEEP ASKING
What makes me
stop and look?
The things that make us stop.
From subway stations to shopping malls, I pay attention to the ads around me. Some disappear from memory; others make me pause. I want to understand the difference.
FIELD NOTES / EVERYDAY ADVERTISING↗
Are we drawn to
the product,
or who we imagine
we could be?
the product,
or who we imagine
we could be?
01
What catches our eyeColor · Layout · Placement
↗02
What moves usCopy · Emotion · An imagined life
↗03
Why we chooseFunction · Confidence · Belonging
↗asking.
03 / RESEARCH IN PRACTICEListening to the people looking
What does the audience see?
Two projects that took my curiosity beyond observation: asking people what they noticed, what they understood, and what they might do next.
01An invitation everyone
CAMPUS POSTERS / AUDIENCE RESEARCH
An invitation everyone
can understand.
A poster can catch your eye without explaining what the event is. I asked 12 students to look at 12 campus posters and describe their first impressions, understanding, language barriers, and willingness to attend.
- 12
- students
- 12
- posters
- 4
- shared prompts
METHOD / Semi-structured interviews
- Recognizable images do not always explain an event.
- Unfamiliar names and abbreviations can exclude newcomers.
- Clear information makes participation easier to consider.
All 12 original posters used in the interviews
“The layout made me think it was a profile of a person. I didn’t realize it was an invitation to an event.”Student response to the recital poster · translated excerpt
02From feeling moved
ANIMAL ADOPTION / TWO-VERSION POSTER STUDY
From feeling moved
to knowing how to help.
Two posters tell the story of Huahua, a rescued dog looking for a home. Across two rounds, I collected 30 feedback records to explore how images and information affect emotion, trust, understanding of care, and willingness to act.
- 2
- versions
- 30
- feedback records
- 5
- shared questions
METHOD / Qualitative comparison
- Real photographs shape how people understand the animal.
- A moving story still needs practical care information.
- Clear contact details and follow-up evidence build trust.
30 feedback records across two rounds, with some repeat respondents.
Original poster artwork is preserved in Chinese. English captions and the case study explain the comparison.
04 / A LITTLE ABOUT MEStill curious
Hi, I’m Hairuo.
Always curious. Always looking.
I like starting with something small and asking a bigger question.
At first, it was about colors, patterns, and what looked good. Then it became about emotions, identity, and why. The nail art project taught me to listen to the people behind the patterns; observing advertising made me notice how visual expression shapes our choices.
I hope to keep exploring advertising, public relations, marketing, and consumer psychology—and to keep making and observing as a way of understanding the world around me.