New York based graphic designer Tien-Min Liao's project Noodle & Rice Lettering was inspired by traditional East Asian Calligraphy. Her project shows a very delicate and modernistic take on traditional Chinese or Japanese characters.

This is a lettering project where I creates new forms through outlining the characters and breaking the strokes, while maintaining legibility and a sense of calligraphic features. Though the form is altered (whether it is outlined or broken apart) a native Traditional Chinese user or Japanese user would still be able to recognize the characters at a glance since they read the shape as a whole.
-Tien-Min Liao

I always start my side projects with my daily sketches. I was inspired by the traditional East Asian Calligraphy as well as my daily life. The noodle character is built based on Cursive calligraphy style(草書), while the rice formed base on Regular calligraphy style(楷書). The meaning of the word is portrayed not only by the character but also the forms:a character is formed with a single noodle, the other compassed of a rice like shapes.
-Tien-Min Liao

I tried to avoid having a style. It's good for illustrator to have a strong personal style, but it might not work for graphic designer and art director. The best advice I can give is to sketch and sketch.
-Tien-Min Liao

About Tien-Min Liao

Tien-Min is a New York based multidisciplinary designer with a enthusiasm for lettering and typeface design. After getting her Master's degree from Pratt Institute in 2013, she recently completed the Postgraduate certificate programs in typeface design at The Cooper Union. Though currently working full-time as a Senior Designer at Siegel+Gale she's always juggling lots of side projects in her spare time. Her work has been featured in many design portals, magazines and design annuals, also been profiled in “Asian Creatives: 150 Most Promising Talents” by PIE Books (Japan). See more of her works on Behance or her website.