Daily Inspiration: Meet Jaiwon Lee

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jaiwon Lee.

Jaiwon, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
My name is Jaiwon, and a lot of people call me J1. I was born in L.A. but grew up in Seoul, South Korea. As a kid, I was an imaginative and introverted kid who liked drawing and daydreaming. I dreamed of being a cell phone designer and vividly remember sketching cell phone designs and logos from companies like Motorola, Anycall (Samsung’s earlier cellphone brand), and Cyon (LG). I didn’t know at the time but I think my interests were somehow in graphic design.

I moved back to America after graduating high school in Korea. My first college was in Wisconsin, where I learned a little bit of everything: fine art, painting, sculpture, and graphic design. It was during my first typography class there that I discovered my interest in letterforms and logos. My professor recommended that I transfer to ArtCenter College of Design to study deeper about graphic design, and here I am. My time in Wisconsin was cold and moody, with lots of snow and cheese, but L.A.’s breezy air in the Fall makes me miss it sometimes.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
As all the characters from movies and novels do, I think there are always moments of uncertainty and frustration. In that sense, I respect anyone who chases their dreams. I myself had many nights of self-doubt and questions, trying to figure out what it means to pursue graphic design and how to balance my life with many hours in front of notebooks and computers.

It’s been a fun journey to find myself and my voice in my work. As I admire the rationality and simplicity inherent in graphic design, I find it equally fascinating when an expressive brushstroke or paper cut evolves into graphic design. During my education in design, the emphasis was often on the clarity and structure of graphic design, and being in that environment (which I really appreciate) I had a lot of doubts about myself and thinking of my own path. But I came to be more flexible with it; that there can’t be one graphic design. I feel a lot of joy being true to myself and my voice in the right moments and context.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I create visual identity (branding) through strong messages and visuals: typography, images, colors, texture, drawings, etc. Aside from trying to become a perfectionist working with grids and letter spacings with Chet Baker’s music on, I enjoy drawing and making expressive marks with Sheena Ringo’s crazy rock music using oil paintings and ink to transform into my graphic design practices. I was lucky to be around April Greiman to learn her practices on art and design. I remember she would bring photos she took with her phone over the weekend and it just struck me. Also, all my mentors at ArtCenter helped me to understand how to communicate through clear branding, form, and typography. All those experiences made me who I am today.

I get a lot of inspiration by walking on the streets of Seoul and L.A., observing peculiar street signs, graffiti, and stickers. In those moments, I realize all of those little things are graphic design because everything has its own way of communication and function. I like seeing those free, expressive moments in graphic design.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://jaiwon.work
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_jaiwon/

Image Credits
© Jaiwon Lee Image credits: Magic Strawberry Sound, Sunwoojunga, The Volunteers