Jingxiang Cui
Entertainment design concept track
I prefer you to call me Lemon! I want to focus on entertainment concept design because I think it is romantic to combine imagination with problem-solving. Logically building worlds that feel both emotionally compelling and structurally believable. My interest began with studying armor and historical details, and later deepened through exposure to games like Dark Souls, where design is grounded in research, function, and intentional shape language for world-building.
Why I want to be a concept designer
My name is Lemon. The name comes from the first English word I ever learned. I decided to take a risk and use Lemon as my name, because it felt right. That choice reflects how I approach my work: with curiosity, a willingness to take risks, and an openness to unfamiliar territories. I am drawn to challenges
that require adaptation and experimentation, where ideas are tested, reshaped, and brought to life. From
a young age, I was fascinated by armor, studying how joints connect and function. This early curiosity deepened when I encountered the design work behind Dark Souls. While the visual appeal first captured my attention, it was the research, structural logic, and intentional shape language that stayed with me. Those details made the world feel believable, as if it could exist beyond fiction.
Concept Design appeals to me because it exists at the intersection of imagination and problem-solving. To
Me, there is something almost romantic about this balance: the idea that emotion becomes more powerful when it is supported by logic and structure. I believe in developing both discipline and creative flexibility, and I look forward to courses like Dynamic Story & Concept that expand not only my technical skills but also the way I think. I value environments that provide strong foundational guidance while still encouraging exploration and individuality. My strengths come from observation, research, and interdisciplinary experience.
I am deeply interested in history and film, particularly the daily lives of people in the medieval and 16th-century periods. Understanding how people lived allows me to build more believable ideas. Often using history as a starting point, imagining how different tools, events, or decisions could reshape an entire world. In addition, my experience studying Game Design at New York University has given me insight into how game designers think and function within a production pipeline. This perspective allows me to approach concept design not only as visual creation, but as a problem-solving role that supports gameplay, narrative, and team collaboration. As I pursue Concept Design, I want to focus on building immersive worlds. I am particularly drawn to grimdark settings such as Dark Souls and Elden Ring, where decay, ruin, and atmosphere carry narrative weight. I want to develop the technical skills necessary to accurately communicate these ideas, especially in areas like perspective and advanced spatial design. I am also interested in working across multiple media, including 3D and physical model-making, to translate my ideas into tangible forms like miniatures!
My curiosity, openness to feedback, and desire to Collaboration is what drive my growth. I am seeking a
program that values research, experimentation, and teamwork, an environment where I can continue
to push my ideas further and learn how to bring complex worlds to life.