{"id":116728,"date":"2025-01-25T21:49:00","date_gmt":"2025-01-26T02:49:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/?post_type=bu-article&#038;p=116728"},"modified":"2025-01-28T10:39:11","modified_gmt":"2025-01-28T15:39:11","slug":"inside-the-industry-jay-li","status":"publish","type":"bu-article","link":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/magazine\/articles\/2025\/inside-the-industry-jay-li\/","title":{"rendered":"Inside the Industry: Jay Li"},"content":{"rendered":"\t<div class=\"wp-block-editorial-leadin magazine-block-editorial-leadin is-style-side-by-side has-media has-box has-media-focus-center-middle has-quaternary-theme\">\n\t\t<div class=\"container-lockup\">\n\n\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-block-leadin-media\">\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<img width=\"530\" height=\"800\" src=\"\/cfa\/files\/2024\/12\/Graphic-Designer-Jay-Li-1.jpeg\" class=\"\" alt=\"Graphic Designer Jay Li\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2024\/12\/Graphic-Designer-Jay-Li-1.jpeg 530w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2024\/12\/Graphic-Designer-Jay-Li-1-421x636.jpeg 421w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 530px) 100vw, 530px\" \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"wp-block-editorial-leadin-caption wp-prepress-component-caption\">Photos courtesy of Jay Li<\/p>\n\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"container-words-outer\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"container-words-inner\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"wp-prepress-tag\">CFA Alumni<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h1 class=\"head\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tInside the Industry\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h4 class=\"deck\">Graphic designer Jay Li fuses his love of art and food in the popular L.A. supper club he founded<\/h4>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t\n<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar magazine-prepress-layout-metabar\">\n\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-date\">January 25, 2025<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-credits\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<ul data-credit-type=\"By\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/magazine\/authors\/steve-holt\/\">Steve Holt<\/a><\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-share js-bu-prepress-share-tools\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"icon-twitter\"><span>Twitter<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"icon-facebook\"><span>Facebook<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"icon-action\"><\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\t\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-editorial-introparagraph magazine-block-editorial-introparagraph is-style-dropcap-outlined has-dropcap\"><div class=\"wp-block-editorial-introparagraph-content\"><p>Jay Li grew up watching his parents run a small jewelry store in the Atlanta suburbs. The idea of becoming an artist and eventually creating, marketing, and selling his own work did not seem reachable to him.<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"is-style-default\">But today Li (\u201921, COM\u201921) is doing just that\u2014and infusing his art with the hospitality he witnessed every day in his parents\u2019 shop. In January 2023, Li\u2014a foodie and home cook who shadowed Chef Kevin Finch at Salt Lake City pop-up restaurant Arthur\u2014launched <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/doubles.la\/\">DOUBLES<\/a>, a word-of-mouth supper club in Los Angeles featuring elevated cuisine, music, and design. Li calls DOUBLES, which he hosts at his apartment, a \u201cproof-of-concept communal art project.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"is-style-default\">\u201cThe food scene here is super diverse and robust,\u201d Li says of L.A. \u201cBut I want to have these experiences where people can enjoy themselves and not break the bank to spend time with one another.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-editorial-photoessay magazine-block-editorial-photoessay alignwide wp-block-photoessay js-block-editorial-photoessay\"><div class=\"photo-row-fourths-1-2-1\">\n<div class=\"photo-1\"><div class=\"wp-block-photoessay-media\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"708\" height=\"800\" src=\"\/cfa\/files\/2024\/12\/Graphic-Designer-Jay-Li-3.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-116732\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2024\/12\/Graphic-Designer-Jay-Li-3.jpg 708w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2024\/12\/Graphic-Designer-Jay-Li-3-563x636.jpg 563w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 708px) 100vw, 708px\" \/><\/figure><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"photo-2\"><div class=\"wp-block-photoessay-media\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"530\" height=\"800\" src=\"\/cfa\/files\/2024\/12\/Graphic-Designer-Jay-Li-2.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-116731\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2024\/12\/Graphic-Designer-Jay-Li-2.jpeg 530w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2024\/12\/Graphic-Designer-Jay-Li-2-421x636.jpeg 421w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 530px) 100vw, 530px\" \/><\/figure><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"photo-1\"><div class=\"wp-block-photoessay-media\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"640\" height=\"800\" src=\"\/cfa\/files\/2024\/12\/Graphic-Designer-4.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-116729\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2024\/12\/Graphic-Designer-4.png 640w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2024\/12\/Graphic-Designer-4-509x636.png 509w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/figure><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-background has-magenta-color has-white-background-color\">Jay Li is a graphic designer for chili crisp company Fly By Jing. He also hosts a supper club, DOUBLES, which combines elevated cuisine, music, and design.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"is-style-default\">Li\u2019s day job since 2022 is working as a <a href=\"https:\/\/jay-li.org\/\">graphic designer<\/a> at L.A.- based <a href=\"https:\/\/flybyjing.com\/shop\/\">Fly By Jing<\/a>, a startup chili crisp company. There, he designs packaging, ads, and emails and works on product launches. For a year after graduating, Li lived in Salt Lake City and was a graphic designer for the NBA\u2019s Utah Jazz. In each of these roles, Li says the brand had an established identity, requiring him to adjust his own design to fit within a larger strategy. \u201cFor early-career designers, that\u2019s a learning curve to not take it so personally,\u201d he says. \u201cIf an idea gets shut down, it\u2019s not always a reflection on your style. Digest your manager\u2019s feedback and direction, and then within that have open dialogue to understand the strategic arm.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"is-style-default\">Creatively, DOUBLES is where Li gets to play. A DOUBLES supper starts with a menu, which comes from Li or one of his many collaborators. In December 2023, he hosted two seatings of a tennis-themed supper featuring five Korean-inspired courses (he called \u201csets,\u201d of course). Li announced the dinners on Instagram, asking those interested in attending to message him for more information. Attendees paid a minimum sliding scale of $55 to $100, all of which was donated (after food costs) to humanitarian agencies assisting Palestinian families affected by war. Li can comfortably seat up to a dozen or so around tables in his small apartment. When folks walk in, they\u2019ll see elaborate table settings, flowers, and printed menus of the night\u2019s offerings. It all plays into an environment Li strives to make both experiential and collaborative. The DOUBLES name refers to Li\u2019s hope that both his vision and that of his guests and collaborators show up in every supper.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"is-style-end-of-article\">\u201cI have a couple friends who do work as professional chefs, and I tell them, \u2018This supper club is for you to have a low-stakes environment to test any crazy ideas you have,\u2019\u201d Li says. \u201cEven if a workshop, lecture, or event doesn\u2019t center on food, how can food be in partnership with whatever vision you have\u2014a communal experience?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories is-style-card has-two magazine-block-editorial-relatedstories\">\n\t\t<h3 class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-title\">Related<\/h3>\n\t\t<ul class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-list\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-list-item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<article class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-image\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img width=\"600\" height=\"400\" src=\"\/cfa\/files\/2023\/10\/Satabdi-Jena-600x400-1.jpg\" class=\"attachment-post-thumbnail size-post-thumbnail wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2023\/10\/Satabdi-Jena-600x400-1.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2023\/10\/Satabdi-Jena-600x400-1-450x300.jpg 450w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-category\"><span>CFA Alumni<\/span><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h4 class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/magazine\/articles\/2024\/inside-the-industry-2\/\" class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-title-link\">Inside the Industry: Satabdi Jena<\/a><\/h4>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-date\">February 23, 2024<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-list-item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<article class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-image\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img width=\"984\" height=\"899\" src=\"\/cfa\/files\/2022\/06\/inside-industry-kat-thumb.jpg\" class=\"attachment-post-thumbnail size-post-thumbnail wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2022\/06\/inside-industry-kat-thumb.jpg 984w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2022\/06\/inside-industry-kat-thumb-636x581.jpg 636w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2022\/06\/inside-industry-kat-thumb-768x702.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 984px) 100vw, 984px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-category\"><span>Visual Arts<\/span><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h4 class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/magazine\/articles\/2022\/inside-the-industry\/\" class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-title-link\">Inside the Industry: Kat Irannejad<\/a><\/h4>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-date\">June 17, 2022<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>But today Li (\u201921, COM\u201921) is doing just that\u2014and infusing his art with the hospitality he witnessed every day in his parents\u2019 shop. In January 2023, Li\u2014a foodie and home cook who shadowed Chef Kevin Finch at Salt Lake City pop-up restaurant Arthur\u2014launched DOUBLES, a word-of-mouth supper club in Los Angeles featuring elevated cuisine, music, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14125,"featured_media":117428,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"bu_prepress_billboard":"","_bu_prepress_primary_term":"","_bu_prepress_primary_term_manual":""},"tags":[],"bu-publication":[191],"magazine-article-category":[372,379],"magazine-topic":[],"news-article-category":[],"news-topic":[],"bu_edition":[443],"media_type":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-article\/116728"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-article"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/bu-article"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/14125"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=116728"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-article\/116728\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":117258,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-article\/116728\/revisions\/117258"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/117428"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=116728"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=116728"},{"taxonomy":"bu-publication","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-publication?post=116728"},{"taxonomy":"magazine-article-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/magazine-article-category?post=116728"},{"taxonomy":"magazine-topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/magazine-topic?post=116728"},{"taxonomy":"news-article-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-article-category?post=116728"},{"taxonomy":"news-topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-topic?post=116728"},{"taxonomy":"bu_edition","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu_edition?post=116728"},{"taxonomy":"media_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media_type?post=116728"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}