Today we’d like to introduce you to Yunho Park.
Yunho, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
When I was eight years old, the first fantasy/sci-fi Korean movie I ever saw was “Yonggary”. It had elements of motion design and special effects that I had never seen before. The movie left a lasting impression on me and opened my eyes to a new industry; inspiring me to want to make my imagination come to life. Since then, I began to draw, create collages, and play with a camcorder to experiment with producing/documenting videos.
After I served in the military for two years in Korea, I wanted to study abroad to broaden my artistic skills, and experience different art cultures because I believe that having a wide range of experiences is beneficial to finding my style. Shortly after, I moved to the US to study visual effects and 3D. I took a motion design class for the first time, and I found myself staying up all night to figure out how to animate and create fun motion graphics.
However, after a few months of attending, I found out that school wasn’t officially registered as an educational institution. Devastated, it became one of the most difficult times for me. But I didn’t want to throw away everything I had done so far and tried to keep a positive mindset without giving up. After long consideration, I transferred to SCAD (Savannah College of Art and Design) where became my last destination that happened to be a turning point in my life. There, I worked very hard to make up for a lost time, immersing myself in my love for motion graphics. It was grueling, but worth it in the end.
After attending “Comotion”, a student-lead motion graphics showcase and career reference at SCAD, I had my portfolio reviewed by various creative and professionals in the industry. I landed an internship during my junior year in NYC, allowing me to take part in animating graphics for several shows. After getting feedback from an art director at another studio, I can to the realization that I still had a long way to go and a lot of improvements to be made. There was still room to grow.
Returning to school, I started from scratch, working slowly from the bottom up. I focused on improving my design skills, which helped for my senior thesis. Luckily, my work was solely featured in SCAD’s 2020 catalogue and mentioned in STASH magazine. From then on, I ended up interning at a renowned animation studio in NYC, working on many commercials for big clients. While just getting my foot in through the door, I’m still eager to collaborate with many artists, and very excited to see where my paths will take me.
Please tell us about your art.
Motion graphics can’t simply be defined by just one term. It’s a big mixture of 2D/3D design, animation, live action, and stop motion- basically a multimedia product. I enjoy stylizing my work with 2D & 3D. My senior thesis was a graphic design-based 2D animated film with some 3D elements. I find pleasure in combining these two aspects. These days I post short loop animations on social media, exploring my style and new techniques.
One question that motion designers often get asked is how to find their style. I told myself that artists should be able to adapt and be able to execute many different styles of work. My long-term goal now is to create motion graphics for k-pop music videos, so being able to have my work match different styles is very important.
Tell us about you. What do you do, what do you specialize in, what are you known for, etc. What are you most proud of as a company? What sets you apart from others?
Every time I complete a project with a team is a moment I’m proud of in my career. Collaboration is an essential part of being a motion designer. Although working with a team may be both mentally and physically exhausting, coming together to look at a finished product lifts the weight off our shoulders. It’s knowing that you’ve accomplished something big together and as a whole, that makes it so fun and worth it.
I also want to be proud of myself for being me, and following my path. One of my favorite quotes that I’d like to share is from Alice in Wonderland: “You are entirely bonkers, but I’ll tell you a secret. All the best people are”. To me, this means that all the best people are purely crazy at what they do- and I believe that therefore anything we make together will make us proud.
How or where can people see your work? How can people support your work?
If you’d like to see my work, you can check out on my Instagram @yhpark326. I frequently post my work and random stuff there. For my full portfolio work, you can check out my website yunhopark326.com.
Contact Info:
- Website: yunhopark326.com
- Email: yunhopark326@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yhpark326/
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