Designers in Seoul
Designers in Tokyo
Designers in Taipei
Column Four
Illustration
Kuki, born on 1985, involved in poster design, branding, and illustration. His work thrives on spontaneity, but don’t be fooled—it’s all about balance and order. With influences from Neo-Plasticism and Bauhaus, Kuki’s style leans into clean, geometric shapes that keep things fresh and modern.
He’s all about ditching realism for abstract forms, creating designs where simplicity rules. You’ll see shapes overlap, but never fully hide, keeping things visually engaging without getting too chaotic. Kuki’s design journey is all about experimenting without losing his cool.
He believes good design can come from anywhere—whether it’s branding, prints, or commercial projects. With a bit of intuition and a dash of creativity, he blends fun with functionality, proving design can be thoughtful without being overly serious.
Netflix, Warner Bros Discovery, Wordbank, Heineken, Studio, Malta
European Design Awards, China International Poster Biennale, Polish Film Festival, Oesol International Typography Award, B.I International Poster Art Biennale, Communication Arts, International China Poster Biennale, TDC Annual Awards
As someone who studied design at a university in Korea, I’ve observed that there are a vast number of design schools in the country. Considering Korea's population size, the number of design graduates is quite substantial. I find this to be an interesting fact when it comes to understanding the Korean design scene.
Taiwan's design culture integrates influences from diverse cultures, including Chinese, Japanese, Western, and indigenous elements, creating a unique and multifaceted style. Additionally, Taiwanese designers emphasize refinement and intricacy, often incorporating local cultural elements such as temple fairs, calligraphy, and traditional crafts into their designs, highlighting cultural heritage. The design industry in Taiwan is closely linked with the technology sector, demonstrating competitiveness in UI/UX design and smart product design. These characteristics may not be fully understood or recognized internationally. Furthermore, Taiwanese design is often influenced by social and political contexts, reflecting concerns about issues such as the environment and local identity.
Though this is about illustration, I think there is a tendency to prefer narrative and explanatory elements over visual (graphical ) interest. (But maybe things have changed a bit recently?)
While the most known and celebrated inspirations from the Polish graphic design history is the 1950-80s Polish School of Posters, there is also a less known history of great logo design and typography, which we only started discovering recently. Nowadays Poland has amazing and internationally renowned designers in different fields - illustration, branding, typography and more. The community of professionals - individual designers and studios - is strong and friendly, we learn from each other and give each other advice, but also consciously build market standards together.