GR AP HI C
그 래 픽 디 자 인 L E E
DESI G N
J A E M I N
The Design Exchange Exhibition
DEC 5, 2019 1-5 PM
CONTENTS
Founder of fnt studio Based in Korea
The Design Exchange location & contacts
1-2 JAEMIN LEE 3-6 fnt STUDIO 7-8 INFO
Introduction of designer
JAEMIN LEE
그래픽 디자이너 G R A P H I C
D E S I G N E R
이 재 민
재민 이 graduated from Seoul National University and founded graphic design studio fnt in 2006. As an art director, he plays a key role in managing the visual aspects of many projects. He took part in several exhibitions such as Korea: Design + Poster (Munich, Germany), Typojanchi 2015: The 4th International Typography Biennale (Seoul, South Korea), Weltformat 15 (Luzern, Switzerland) and Korea Now! Craft, Design, Fashion and Graphic Design in Korea (Paris, France) and worked with clients like National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Seoul Museum of Art, National Theater of Korea and Seoul Record Fair Organizing Committee on many cultural events and concerts. He also teaches Visual Communication Design at University of Seoul. He is an AGI(Alliance Graphique Internationale) member since 2016.
그 래 G 픽R A P H I C
디 자D E 이 SI G 너N E R
fnt 스튜디오 f n t
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S T U D I
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ee’s story took a new turn in 2007 when he joined forces with designer Woogyung Geel. Three years later, Heesun Kim, now the studio’s creative director, joined the group, bringing expertise in the promotion and development of corporate branding for bigname clients. With their diverse sets of skills and knowledge, the tight-knit trio was able to broaden the spectrum of their portfolio. When asked if their friendship has been a key aspect of their lasting partnership, Kim says, “We are good friends, but also have a good understanding of each other’s professional roles, like a triangle.” Having maintained an independent design studio for ten years—a rarity in Seoul, with its many short-lived design studios—their collaborative triangle has clearly been vital to the studio’s success. Fighting against steep odds, studio fnt has built a diverse range of clients that come in vastly different sizes and specialties—from big-box chains like Hyundai Department Store and the Megabox movie theaters to national television network JTBC to cultural institutions like the Junglim Foundation and the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (MMCA) to brands like Sulwhasoo cosmetics. The studio’s client list has continued to grow, with projects for the Bucheon International
Fantastic Film Festival (BiFan), the Seoul Record Fair and Typojanchi: International Typography Biennale, all of which have a strong cultural presence in South Korea. In the process of building its ever-expanding portfolio, studio fnt maintains a compact five-member team—Lee, Geel, Kim and two assistant designers—that enables sharing long-term visions and choosing projects selectively in order to keep an innovative edge. That edge has been a great asset in attracting clients who are looking to revamp their image. When Hyundai Department Store wanted to revive its brand to stand out from other competitors, studio fnt built on the existing logotype and lilac and deep green color palette—originally designed by New York–based firm Base Design—to present new Korean logotypes, typography and patterns. A central aspect of the studio’s application of the design included an H-motif pattern and a clean, contrasting effect in color and form, which embodied the idea of interlacing the store’s traditional heritage and modern appeal. The studio’s acute understanding of cultural nuances was a huge advantage when working with corporate giant Hyundai, whose market is relatively conservative. Eerang Park, art director of the department store, says, “We
“We wanted to work with studio fnt based on our search for the perfect team that could offer an international perspective of design while having a sharp understanding of the distinct qualities of the Korean market.” We try to make design that can attract a diverse audience without having to give a difficult explanation. That way, everyone can understand our concepts easily. —Heesun Kim When the studio worked on relaunching the brand identity of BiFan in 2016, it similarly had to meet the client’s need to appeal to both Korean and international audiences. The design also aimed to communicate the story behind the festival’s creative energy and global outlook. Known for promoting international films across diverse genres, including sci-fi, romance, horror and thrillers, BiFan has been around for more than a decade and has gained global recognition despite being located in Bucheon, a satellite city of Seoul. With the goals of highlighting the festival’s consistent innovation and emphasizing its contemporary relevance, the studio created the Cell of Fantasy, which ascribed to the festival’s central theme of fantastic imagination. The organically shaped logo has curved edges, accentuated to express a flowing direction and movement. It is accompanied by a custom typeface highlight-
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ing features around the curves of the scripts, providing a cohesive visual system for Korean, Chinese and English scripts. The final composition created a distinctively unifying look that appeared to meld different languages together. Another element of studio fnt’s unique appeal has been its ability to refine and simplify complex ideas without being overly academic or dogmatic in its approach. When I ask about the studio’s distinctive qualities, Kim tells me that the central characteristic of studio fnt’s graphic design is simply kindness to others. “We try to make design that can attract a diverse audience without having to give a difficult explanation,” she explains. “That way, everyone can understand our concepts easily.” Lee’s designs avoid too many colors and visual elements; he limits them to one or two within his work. He has never felt truly comfortable with the idea of making elaborate designs to please an audience or a client. “I just want to inspire new ideas and give a cheerful and lively impression,” he says. Such an approach has earned him positive feedback from clients, who testify to the studio’s credibility and highly satisfactory outcomes.
66666 I just want to inspire new ideas and give a cheerful and lively impres- Minhee Lee, curator of the MMCA, is one such advocate, having worked with the studio sion.” for three years. “One of studio fnt’s important —Jaemin Lee strengths is its ability to convey an exhibition’s identity through an eclectic range of exhibition and promotional designs,” she states. “A majority of the exhibitions that we collaborated with the studio on have significantly influenced the museum’s visitor ratings. For instance, New Romance: Art and the Posthuman attracted record audience attendance for the Seoul museum.” In its attention-grabbing design for the New Romance exhibition, the studio juxtaposed simple point colors using blue and neon pink to express the dual notion of new romantic trends in media art. Like the equally inscrutable topics of science and technology, new media art has always been a challenging
theme for nonspecialist art audiences. Yet the studio’s uncomplicated usages of form and color provided an effective visual strategy to make this exhibition seem intriguing for a diverse audience, from all ages and backgrounds. Instead of chasing other trends, studio fnt focuses on interweaving independent ideas and thoughts so as to continue to imbue its work with the quality and genuine authenticity it has become known for. Whether the studio is creating unique and distinguished projects for new media art or big-name department stores, its designs will have a lasting impact on the public’s imagination.
The Design Exchange is a cultural organization that champions creative thinking, inspires problem solving, and celebrates innovative talent in Canada and around the world in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
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INFO 234 Bay St, Toronto, ON M5K 1B2 Toronto Dominion Centre (416) 363-6121
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