Designer Spotlight: Ning Huang | Codrops

Hi! I’m Ning, a Digital Designer based in Taipei, Taiwan. I’m currently working at Block Studio, where I focus on web and motion design. I’m no expert in code, but thanks to AI tools, I’ve been able to bring my interactive ideas to life—especially in personal projects, where I love stretching the limits of motion and visual storytelling on the web.

AI has made it possible for m to build things I wouldn’t be able to code on my own—especially when it comes to motion-heavy, visually expressive sites. This approach lets me stay hands-on with both design and development, even as a solo creator.

Feature Work

Since my studio work is still under wraps, I’m sharing personal projects that have been key to my creative growth. These are where I get to play, test ideas, and keep the spark alive.

Veggie Taipei

A vibrant mini-guide to vegetarian spots in Taipei—my hometown and a surprisingly veggie-friendly city. This project recently received an Honorable Mention from Awwwards. I created it to share my personal recommendations and spark curiosity among international visitors.

The site features a playful and energetic identity paired with a clean, modern visual style. I brought in playful motion details to give the site a lively and memorable rhythm—from animated stickers and rhythmic scroll-based animations to a custom “reset” effect inspired by the bubbling fizz of a drink. I wanted the stickers to reset with a sense of drama and fun, and this bubbly motion gave the interaction a unique, fluid quality that I was especially proud of.

I used Bricks Builder, a WordPress-based No-code platform, for layout, and Claude AI/Cursor to generate custom code. In the past, I’d search for websites with similar motions to guide engineers. Now, with AI, I can just describe what I imagine and shape it bit by bit—no more being stuck hunting for the perfect reference.

Rather than replacing creativity, I see AI as a way to amplify it—like having a lens that helps me bring emotions to the screen. This workflow has enabled me to complete projects independently, break creative constraints, and explore more freely. It’s also deepened my understanding of development, making it an invaluable learning experience. All my personal projects follow this approach.

Generated Art Gallery

Generated Art Gallery is a minimalist photography gallery showcasing images I created with Midjourney. The visual tone is hazy and poetic, with a subtle undercurrent of unease—reflecting my complex feelings toward AI technology: beautiful, surreal, yet not entirely comforting.

AI lets me build entire projects on my own, which feels incredibly rewarding—but also strangely lonely at times. In this journey, I often find myself creating everything alone, a quiet act of creation that resonates with both achievement and isolation.

The design itself features clean, restrained typography, with cursor interactions and scroll animations using distorted shader effects to evoke a dreamlike, otherworldly atmosphere. Each generated landscape tells a story of beauty intertwined with a sense of solitude and quiet tension, as if the world is both vast and silently distant.

Ning Huang 2024 Portfolio

My first fully self-developed and designed website—this portfolio marks where it all began. Clean layouts, bold entry animations, and Flip-style transitions give the site a distinct cadence and clarity. It laid the foundation for my approach to motion-driven structure in digital design, a core element of my work that continues to shape how I create engaging, dynamic experiences today.

Concepts and explorations

Thanks to my background in industrial design, I’ve had the chance to explore more 3D resources early on. Outside of personal projects, I often tinker with experimental concepts using tools like Spline and Cinema 4D—just to see what happens. I’d love to bring more of these playful explorations into the web one day.

Background

After graduating with a degree in Industrial Design, I started my career at a digital product company. But it didn’t take long for me to feel restless—I craved work that was visually bold, creative, and full of impact. I decided to change my path and focus on web design.
Last year, I joined Block Studio, which is one of Taiwan’s leading creative studios. I’m lucky to work alongside an amazing team of designers, which has pushed me to grow quickly. In a short time, I’ve had the chance to lead exciting projects and confirm what I had only suspected before: this is where my passion and strength truly lie.

Design Philosophy

I don’t believe in rigid design rules. To me, design is a language—and having something you genuinely want to say is essential. Growing up in Asia, where children are often taught to be obedient and quiet, I wasn’t naturally outspoken either. Design became my voice. Through visuals and motion, I can say things that feel bold, loud, and clear—even if I can’t always find the right words.

Tools and Techniques

I like to think of myself as a mad scientist when it comes to tools. One of my favorite hobbies is finding ways to boost efficiency—whether it’s speeding up workflows or making the tedious parts of design feel fun. This gives me more space to focus on the creative side of things. I use Vibe Coding to build websites, and I also write custom Figma plugins to automate UI kit creation and manage Variables more easily.

Inspiration

A lot of my inspiration comes from literature and music. There’s something about the way words and sounds create atmosphere that really fires up my imagination. When I work, I like to listen to music that matches the vibe of the design—it helps me stay in the zone and lets the visual tone flow more instinctively.

Future Goals

As a digital designer still early in my journey, my main goal is to keep learning and evolving. At the same time, I’m eager to channel my creative energy into more non-commercial collaborations, working alongside other designers and developers to explore new ideas without boundaries.

Final Thoughts

I hope you enjoyed the work I shared! For me, the best part of this journey has been chasing what truly excites me—and having the guts to just go for it. I’m a big believer in sharing and connecting as ways to stay creatively charged, so if you ever want to collab, swap ideas, or simply say hi, find me on Instagram!

Big love and thanks to Codrops and Manoela for having me—it’s such a joy to be part of a platform that’s bursting with creativity and good energy. I’ve been endlessly inspired by the work shared here, and it means a lot to contribute my little piece to it.