With a portfolio spanning advertising, publishing, album covers, and children’s books, Chae’s work is characterized by colorful depictions of people, nature, and animals, exploring the delicate interplay between humans and sometimes fantastical environments.
With a portfolio spanning advertising, publishing, album covers, and children’s books, Chae’s work is characterized by colorful depictions of people, nature, and animals, exploring the delicate interplay between humans and their environment.
Chae’s impressive client list includes tech giants Google and Naver, as well as major Korean brands like Hyundai and Korail. Her versatility extends to creating NFT animations and speaking at prestigious events like the Adobe Max Creative Conference.
In our Korean Design in Focus series, Chae shares her insights on the global ascent of Korean graphic design, discussing the impact of technology, K-pop’s influence, and the unique blend of tradition and modernity in contemporary Korean aesthetics. She also offers a glimpse into her creative process and the challenges of balancing client expectations with bold design approaches in today’s fast-paced digital world.
Graphic design, illustration, and animation have long been popular in Korea. At one point, the government provided substantial support, and many people became interested in graphic design. Especially after the release of the iPad, almost everyone in Korea owns one, except for very young students (even if they are not design majors).
Additionally, the development of brushes and other tools has improved so much that people’s design skills have significantly advanced compared to before.
Meanwhile, K-pop has flourished more than ever. This has created various opportunities such as designing merchandise, album covers, and websites. As global interest in Korea has grown, many people around the world are eager to work with Korean designers.
“At one point, the government provided substantial support, and many people became interested in graphic design.”
Modern Korean design has grown rapidly since the war, creating a unique blend of tradition and modernity, particularly around the time of the Seoul ’88 Olympics. This can be seen in the beautiful lettering, typography, and Olympic character designs.
Recently, there has been a resurgence of retro and vintage designs, driven by a wave of nostalgia. This dynamic and intricate design approach is often captured by the slogan ‘What is Korean is Global,’ where traditional aesthetics are reinterpreted in a contemporary way, gaining attention in the global landscape.
“Recently, there has been a resurgence of retro and vintage designs, driven by a wave of nostalgia.”
Currently, I am designing acrylic keychain artwork for merchandise sales and preparing for an upcoming group exhibition. I am also working on a simple brochure illustration project.
I thoroughly discuss and review the desired style or direction with the client, sometimes showing references from my previous work.
Since the desired style can vary depending on the purpose, I also organize a portfolio with a variety of styles.
“Although customer preferences usually vary, when it comes to Korea, they tend to be somewhat conservative.”
Although customer preferences usually vary, when it comes to Korea, they tend to be somewhat conservative.
This is because social media and networking activities are very active in South Korea, which means that even small incidents can quickly shape public opinion, making people more cautious.
When persuading customers to adopt bold designs, I suggest combining conservative and bold elements appropriately or presenting opinions based on recent trends that resonate with the public.
Yes, that’s correct. The popularity of the ‘K-wave,’ especially K-pop, has made South Korea widely known around the world.
With numerous entertainment companies and many labels that are constantly trying new things, graphic design has become increasingly important.
I believe that the global interest in South Korean design has grown along with the popularity of K-pop. This, in turn, provides designers with more opportunities to work on various projects.
“The global interest in South Korean design has grown along with the popularity of K-pop. This, in turn, provides designers with more opportunities to work on various projects.”
In 2022, I had the experience of working on a project for Adobe that was themed around the tiger for the New Year. Since 2022 was the Year of the Tiger, I created an illustration to celebrate the Lunar New Year for the Asia Pacific region.
Along with an interview shoot, the illustration for the New Year advertisement was uploaded to the Adobe blog, where it was available for people around the world to see.
You can see more about that here.
