My name is Lilian Cao and I’m a designer based in the San Francisco Bay Area. I’m currently working towards a B.Sc in Design + Environmental Analysis with a focus in urban design at Cornell Universty in Ithaca, New York. I am passionate about wielding design to make life more fun; my goal is to soothe, excite, inspire, and invigorate.
My primary design interest lies in the ways the built environment affects our social behavior and manifests sociopolitical constructs. How can urban design make us friendlier, kinder individuals? How can industrial product design promote health and normalize accessibility? How can interior design alleviate depression and mitigate mental health crises? And how can we have the most fun possible in the process?
I am also deeply passionate about graphic design, beginning in highschool when I served as editor-in-chief of Crystal Springs Uplands School’s student-run Vantage Magazine. My love for layout came with me to Ithaca, where I joined Thread Magazine and Medium Design Collective at Cornell. I have served as design director at Thread for three semesters and editorial design lead at MDC for one semester; I am actively working to diversify my style, and I am constantly looking out for and learning new techniques. On campus, I am also the president of CU Tonight Funding Commission, and I lead philanthropic sustainability initiatives with Tri Delta.
I would love to have a conversation about my interests, your interests, or anything in the world! Find me at liliancao360@gmail.com :)
Me! at the Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art in Ithaca, NY.
Photographed by Charlie McDonell.