Rebecca Chen: An Entrepreneur Or Just A Curious Human?
Creativity seeks a way to express itself. If one medium is insufficient, most creatives will try out multiple disciplines to achieve their vision. That’s just what Rebecca (Becca) Chen did. She’s a multidisciplinary designer and an entrepreneur. But she humbly calls herself “just a curious human.”
Humility aside, curiosity is also necessary for creativity. And it’s exactly her curious and humble nature that made her successful and good at what she’s doing.
We’re more than happy to call her a part of the .ME family. And we’d like nothing better than to tell you all about her.
About Becca Chen
Becca got a degree in Advertising from the University of Texas at Austin in 2020. She completed her education through the Texas Creative Portfolio Sequence. She also got a certificate in Innovation, Creativity, and Entrepreneurship. Just by looking at her work and career, it’s clear she put her education to excellent use.
What followed then? Internships at GSD&M and Smart Design. Becca also got the opportunity to study under professionals at IMB and Gensler. She clearly learned a lot there, and used that knowledge to start her own initiative.
In fact Becca dedicated a large part of her career to an initiative she co-founded. The purpose of that initiative is to fight against discrimination.
Becca calls herself “a multifaceted problem solver”. She merges advertising and design principles to create meaningful solutions. Her aim is to amplify authentic, diverse, and inclusive narratives.
She’s wants to tackle problems centered at the intersection of brands and society. Her focus is on research, design, creative storytelling, and social change. The ultimate goal is to help businesses expand by integrating their work to impact people, communities, and the planet.
A Multidisciplinary Designer, Entrepreneur, And More
As we said, creativity demands an outlet, and Becca found many of those. In addition to being a visual designer, she’s also a photographer, an entrepreneur, and a public speaker.
She studied under renowned photographers, including Jeremy Lock and Denis Darling. Becca’s photos show an incredible gift for color composition and framing. They’re evocative, understated, and emotional, no matter the subject. She puts a special focus on people of color and communities in the global south.
Of course, she frequently spoke and taught at various educational institutions and conferences, including the University of Texas. Clearly, she takes her duties as an alumna very seriously.
Becca didn’t even let the pandemic lockdown get her down. Instead, she used the time to create Macaroni — a modular sans-serif typeface that’s wonderfully playful and excellent for creative, light-hearted projects.
An Entrepreneur Fostering Inclusivity
We mentioned that Becca wants to foster inclusivity. So, it’s not surprising that her most important projects deal with that very topic.
The Color Complex focused on studying two things. Firstly, how to mitigate the effects of discrimination, and secondly, how to increase self-worth in university students. The Universities of Ghana and Texas at Austin helped the project. The research team conducted research in both Ghana and Texas. Social campaigns were then run based on that research. The project was recognized internationally on Ghana national television, American public radio, and awarded a TEDxUTAustin Talk.
One of the initiatives is the Museum of Color, a community-driven, interactive art exhibition. It showcases a collection of sculptures and other objects that speak to an individual history with colorism. They’re placed alongside each other to tell a story about the dimensionality of the issue. Some of these objects are interactive, some are just captivating. And they all bring the abstraction to an arresting physical form.
The aim of the project is to provide a less academic, more familiar avenue for understanding colorism, connecting its effects on self-image, and identifying its presence in people’s own lives.
An Entrepreneur’s Digital Footprint
Like with many creatives, Becca’s website is her biography and portfolio rolled up in one. She showcases her projects clearly and presents herself in a playful, not-too-serious manner.
It’s obvious she wants to show her real self, build her personal brand, and captivate her audience that way. And with .ME domain, she’s doing just that. She’s saying “that’s me, this is what I’m about, and this is what I can do for you.”
Her website is even interactive! You can play around with words on the page to learn more about her projects. The whole thing is about as fun as you’d think and it really represents both Becca’s work and her temperament.
Justice For Comic Sans!
One of the more fun parts of Becca’s site is her Save Comic Sans campaign. She wrote a manifesto (with pictures) decrying the unfair treatment the font received over the years. At the same time, she’s showing its flaws by poking fun at them:
“In this day and age, when machines rule the land, we need all the human error we can get. Our imperfection is what makes us human, and Comic Sans’s “flaws” (“unique qualities” is more like it) capture the human spirit unlike any other font.”
The whole thing is light-hearted, fun, and engaging. It proves that this entrepreneur has some great talent for storytelling and presentation too! And it probably got Becca hired on the spot more than once. She combines playfulness with a serious format in a unique way and shows just why she’s so special.
Final Thoughts
So that covers everything. Becca Chen is a young multidisciplinary designer and entrepreneur. She’s got a bright future ahead of her. Her talent is evident from her work, and it’s only a matter of time until everyone hears about her.
We’re happy to call her a .MEr, and we’re looking forward to her next project.
Wishing you the best of luck, Becca!
