Let’s continue with the subject of brand typefaces. The Tamburins project was praised for creating a logo that visually expressed the texture of scent. What approach led to the final result?
The original Tamburins logo was serif-based and had a firm presence. It was clean, but it also felt rigid. The sensation of “scent” described by the brand, however, was much lighter—something that spreads and drifts through the air. The central challenge was how to bridge that gap. I therefore curled the ends of certain strokes very slightly and separated some of the joins between strokes, creating serifs that felt like fragments drifting apart. Those details alone produced an impression similar to the movement of air. I also wanted to reduce the overall visual weight by setting the word in lowercase. Its delicate and gentle quality was better suited to the texture of scent. In the end, we were able to align the sensation the brand wanted to communicate naturally with the formal qualities of the typeface.
— Hanwha Signature Library, 2025
How do you approach designing a typeface for two different writing systems?
From the beginning, human beings have never been satisfied with exploring only their immediate surroundings. We have always longed to discover places unknown to us, whether the Americas encountered by Christopher Columbus or Jupiter explored by Pioneer 10. Today, the world has become much more closely connected. We understand one another better and have become increasingly curious about each other’s cultures and ways of life. One means of connecting people is writing. Understanding writing systems that developed in different places and designing their forms is a fascinating challenge for contemporary type designers, including myself.
— It's Nice That, 2019
What is the most practical issue you have encountered recently?
My health. I do not especially enjoy exercising, and because I barely move when working on typefaces, it feels as though the free trial period for my body has ended. Things are beginning to ache and hurt here and there. I have reached the point where I can no longer put off exercising. I think I need to work out. Everyone, please exercise and look after your health!
— BE(ATTITUDE) Magazine, 2023
What have you most wanted to emphasize through your recent work?
Its use. In the past, I wanted to create typefaces that had meaning simply by existing, like works of art. Now, I prefer typefaces that gain meaning when they are used by someone other than myself. I also may not yet have enough mastery to create a work of art. So rather than making “good artworks,” I want to make more typefaces that can exist as “good products.”
— BE(ATTITUDE) Magazine, 2023
Can there really be such a thing as an absolutely good or well-designed typeface?
My position is that no one can make an absolute judgment about design. I would ask whether something can simply be declared bad because its form looks childish or old-fashioned. A font is the “voice of a text.” We do not say that one kind of voice is correct and another is wrong, do we? Every voice simply has a context in which it belongs. Rather than judging it purely as design, I think we should examine its degree of completion as a product. For example, if a user types “가” and “나” appears instead, that is a technical defect and clearly an error.
— Hyundai Livart Magazine (Hinge), 2022
What have you realized since establishing the studio or beginning to work independently?
One thought that has occurred to me frequently recently is that I cannot do everything alone. It would be wonderful if I could perform every role myself, but I clearly feel that there are limits. The era in which a single medium could complete every aspect of a project and fully satisfy a client has passed. As the boundaries between design fields and media have weakened, even a single project may need to extend across editorial design, illustration, video, web, social media, and various other applications. I have come to think that when a project involves areas beyond my abilities or requires specialist advice, I need to work actively with people I trust. Take an illustrator, for example. No matter how much I enjoy drawing, I could never match the amount of time that illustrator has spent thinking about and investing in their field, just as they could not replace the time I have devoted primarily to letters. I believe that good design and good collaboration begin by acknowledging and respecting one another’s fields.
— GRAPHIC #29: New Studios, 2014
What first drew you to type design?
I first made a typeface sometime between mid-2001 and early 2002. At the time, making bitmap webfonts was very much in fashion, and members of the public as well as designers would create and distribute their own typefaces. I happened to come across a type design program, so I made a complete webfont set as a hobby. I named it Bareun Geulggol, but looking at it now, I find it incredibly embarrassing. In a word, it is crude and full of flaws. Back then, I never imagined that I would become a type designer. I did it simply because it was fun. There was so much I did not know, from how to convert it into a webfont file to all sorts of other things, so I studied by asking experts here and there for advice over instant messenger. Each new thing I learned gave me a sense of accomplishment.
— Typography Seoul, 2015
Is Hangul a good writing system for designing typography? Why?
Half and half. I have said that Hangul is difficult for a Korean designer to approach formally because Koreans perceive its meaning before its shape. Turned around, however, this means that Hangul can appear as an intriguing form to people who cannot read it. Good design involves seeing letters as compositions made from points, strokes, and planes, and handling those compositions well. The word “handling” includes many things: adjusting their scale, drawing them, arranging them, and so on. Whether typography is good or not is determined by these details. Every writing system in the world is equally difficult to design and, at times, equally easy. I do not think Hangul is uniquely different.
— GQ Korea, 2019
You work in both type design and graphic design. What is that process like for you?
This may be something every type designer thinks about, but type design is a process that goes beyond the microscopic and into the nanoscopic. You consider even the minute position of a single point forming the shape of a serif. By contrast, I think graphic design requires an eye that sees things on a larger and broader scale. It is about how far you can extend your field of vision—the spectrum within which you are able to move, perhaps. So I try not to keep my perspective fixed in one place. Rather than immersing myself only in type design and looking solely at the smallest details, I also want to work on graphic projects that require a broader perspective, so that I can consider the typeface’s applications, character, and expression together.
— Typography Seoul, 2015
I am curious about what kinds of typefaces type designers themselves use. Between Myeongjo and Gothic styles, which do you prefer?
That is a refreshing question. I actually like Myeongjo very much. I also find serifs more enjoyable to draw than sans serifs.
— Hyundai Livart Magazine (Hinge), 2022
What characteristics and beauty distinguish Hangul typefaces from those of other writing systems?
If you look at the original Hunminjeongeum from the period when Hangul was created, you can see that its forms are highly geometric. They are made from the basic elements of all shapes: horizontal lines, vertical lines, diagonals, and circles. Because we have been familiar with the appearance of Hangul since birth, it can be difficult for us to perceive its formal beauty. To people unfamiliar with Korean, however, Hangul can appear as a very simple yet visually compelling graphic system. The fact that it functions as a kind of “graphic” also means that it is relatively easy to write and learn, even for people who do not know Hangul. Writing an unfamiliar foreign alphabet may be difficult, but anyone can easily copy the human-shaped symbol used for a restroom sign.
— Conceptzine Vol.65, 2019
Does the functionality of a typeface still matter during your experiments? How can innovations resulting from experimentation be applied more effectively to actual projects?
Because I see myself as 70 percent type designer and 30 percent graphic designer, I always consider a typeface’s function and legibility, even when experimenting with type as a graphic form. At the same time, I hope that concern does not become an obstacle when I design type. This is both a personal ambition and a personal hope. Beyond being satisfied with designing good typefaces, I would also like to present work as a graphic designer. Because Hangul has a relatively short history, Hangul typefaces still lack variety and diversity. I hope that these different visual experiments with Hangul forms will inspire other Hangul typefaces and Hangul type designers, including myself. I believe that this experimental approach is appropriate to the creative spirit of a relatively young writing system like Hangul.
— Design360°, 2020
You received your master’s degree from ECAL in Lausanne, Switzerland, for your work in bi-script type design, designing Hangul and the Latin alphabet together. How did that experience influence your practice?
We have our own writing system, Hangul, but in actual text we use it together with the Latin alphabet, numerals, punctuation, and other characters. As a result, bi-script work involving both writing systems is essential when designing a typeface. I naturally came to feel that I needed to learn how to design the Latin alphabet properly, so I went to study in Switzerland. At first, because English was not my native language, I hesitated when designing Latin letters. But my professor told me, “It is all right if the alphabet you draw feels slightly unusual. Because it is not your native writing system, you may actually be capable of new ideas and interpretations.” That gave me a great deal of courage. It felt like a kind of liberation. That was when I understood clearly that Hangul and the Latin alphabet do not need to share exactly the same details or formal characteristics. What matters is the harmony between the two scripts when they are used together. I therefore often bring qualities that are important in Hangul—the handling of space, the rhythm of strokes, and a sense of balance—naturally into my Latin designs as well. The two writing systems do not need to be structurally identical, but I believe the mood they create when read should be unified.
— Hanwha Signature Library, 2025
What is your favorite aspect of designing type?
I am a type designer born in South Korea, with Hangul as my primary writing system, and I am particularly interested in designing bi-script and multiscript typefaces. A complete typeface cannot be made with well-drawn Hangul alone. In actual use, Hangul appears alongside the Latin alphabet, numerals, symbols, and sometimes Hanzi and Kana. The most important concept for me when working with these diverse writing systems is harmony. But true harmony does not mean making everything look alike. To me, harmony is not a group of people who all look the same, but people with different skin tones and eye colors coming together and moving in a shared direction. The same principle applies to multilingual typography and multiscript type design. Michael Jackson and his music are remarkable not only because the music was beautifully crafted, but also because it crossed boundaries and brought different cultures together.
— It's Nice That, 2019
What motivates you to continue working as a type designer?
The people who use my typefaces. Because I also work as a designer, I see many graphic design projects around me that use my typefaces. Sometimes, when I visit a bookstore, I find books designed by people I do not know using my fonts. Those moments make me genuinely happy. I find it rewarding to see someone reinterpret letters I created with care and redesign them through their own perspective. At the same time, I receive a kind of feedback. By seeing real examples of use, I can learn which parts of which characters I should refine next and what kind of expression a new typeface might need. Designing Hangul, a writing system familiar to every Korean, can sometimes feel burdensome. But because its actual use can itself suggest a direction, I find Hangul type design to be an especially compelling and clear field of design.
— Conceptzine Vol.65, 2019
How do you understand Ahn Sang-soo’s influence on Korean typography and design? Has his philosophy affected the way you approach your own work?
Ahn Sang-soo’s design and his philosophy regarding Hangul and King Sejong provided new stimulation and inspiration for Korean designers who, at the time, were largely following Western design. After Ahn Sang-soo, we began to consider what fundamental advantages we might possess specifically as Korean designers. I also believe that familiarity with one’s native writing system can sometimes obstruct creative design. The writing system of any country may appear as a new graphic form to an outside observer. Hangul, too, may feel more like a graphic system than written language to Western designers. From Ahn Sang-soo, I learned to approach Hangul not merely as writing, but as “graphics.” He also emphasized to me the idea of gyeok: a sense of dignity, appropriateness, and bearing. His teaching that we should always consider the gyeok appropriate to a particular situation and create design with gyeok was advice about attitude. No matter how small or seemingly insignificant a design may be, it should be approached seriously and with dignity.
— Letterform Archive, 2019
Letters carry meaning. How much, and in what ways, can their visual form—the lettering or typeface—participate in that meaning?
This is probably one of the reasons designing Hangul is difficult for a Korean designer. Because Koreans can read Hangul, meaning is perceived before form. Even apart from the linguistic issue, however, it is important to understand whether the typeface being designed is intended to be read or to be seen. Whether the influence of the letterform is large or small, what ultimately matters may simply be the tone or mood experienced by the person reading and viewing it.
— GQ Korea, 2019
How does your attitude toward life reveal itself in your work?
Drawing a typeface is a long-breath process. Hangul typefaces in particular contain an exceptionally large number of characters, so they can take as little as six months or as long as several years. Because of that, it seems impossible for me not to appear in the typeface. I might be able to perform as someone else while drawing one or two characters. But when I draw around 2,000 characters, even if I begin by deceiving myself, every small tendency and habit eventually becomes visible throughout the entire set. So even without consciously trying, I think I work in a field where my thoughts and concerns are revealed very clearly. That can also be a little frightening. It makes me continually ask myself whether I need to be a good person in order for a good typeface to emerge.
— BE(ATTITUDE) Magazine, 2023
It may be difficult to explain in words, but what kind of creative process do you go through when you work?
I tend to view my work rather dryly, so I do not think of myself as creating anything extraordinary. The simple idea of “the typeface needed by the person who needs it” is everything to me. That person might also be myself. I simply try to make a typeface that someone genuinely needs, and a typeface that I genuinely need.
— BE(ATTITUDE) Magazine, 2023
The term “type design,” meaning the design of typefaces, may be unfamiliar to many people.
“Type design” is an abbreviated form of “typeface design.” In Korean, the most familiar equivalents would probably be *seochae* or *hwalja*. Various terms are used, including font, typeface, and letterform. Put simply, it is the work of designing typefaces that can be installed in a computer environment and used as material for expressing written language.
— Hyundai Livart Magazine (Hinge), 2022
Where do you think you currently stand as a designer, and what kind of designer would you like to become?
I do not really know where I currently stand. I am not sure whether I am doing my work well or whether I should continue doing it in the future. Whether by choice or circumstance, I simply regard type design as the “work” I happened to choose in life and continue doing it. There is a well-known line in Philip Roth’s novel *Everyman*: “The amateur looks for inspiration; the rest of us just get up and go to work.” I think I am similar. I do it because it is my job. Rather than thinking, “I must become a certain kind of designer,” I would like to approach my work with the idea that if I simply continue doing it, I may eventually find that I have become some kind of designer. I worry that this might sound slightly irresponsible. But life rarely unfolds exactly as we expect. It is like beginning a typeface with Hangul’s first syllable, “가,” without knowing how the design will have changed by the time you reach its final syllable, “힣.”
— Conceptzine Vol.65, 2019
What do you think makes a good typeface?
A typeface that is visually clear and beautiful, works properly, remains faithful to the function of written language, and is easy to use. A typeface ultimately becomes language. I think a good typeface must be made with sufficient consideration for the people who will read and write with it.
— Hyundai Livart Magazine (Hinge), 2022
How would you describe your working style? The more we talk, the more it seems that a typeface carries the attitude and personal texture of its designer.
I am not someone who rushes decisions. When I become impatient, the flow of the work is more likely to break down. Even when there is a character I cannot resolve, rather than forcing it into place, I tend to put it aside for a while and draw other characters, waiting for a possible solution to emerge naturally. Far more things are resolved naturally over a longer period. I am similar in life. Rather than thinking that I must choose only one of two possibilities, I first ask whether there is a way to retain both. In my work as well, I tend to spend a long time looking for forms that can preserve both sides. I think that accumulated time becomes consistency.
— Hanwha Signature Library, 2025
Why did you choose this particular typeface for a project on the theme of “autumn”?
YMG Yoonseul Batang has restrained serif forms and many sharp strokes extending diagonally. Perhaps for that reason, users often say that it feels more like distinctive handwriting than a conventional Myeongjo typeface designed for body text. Although I did not have a particular use in mind when designing YMG Yoonseul Batang, after its release I noticed that it was frequently used for personal writing, poetry collections, and essays. I therefore thought it would suit the theme and text of autumn well. I briefly considered using a new typeface I am currently developing, but decided against it because it has not yet been officially released.
— GQ Korea, 2019
Typeface design is still a relatively unfamiliar field to the general public. How did you come to work in this field?
My first typeface project was when I was in middle school. This was before blogs and personal mini-homepages had become widespread, and teaching myself web design and building my own websites was a small hobby of mine. Then I happened to come across something called a “webfont.” At the time, the fact that a typeface could appear directly on screen without the user having to install it felt truly revolutionary. I was fascinated by the idea that I could make a font myself, and I remember creating webfonts by placing the pixels one by one. It was only after entering university and taking formal classes in typeface design that I realized, “Oh, this is an entire professional discipline in itself.” I think that was when I began to immerse myself in it seriously.
— Hanwha Signature Library, 2025
The Latin alphabet included in a Hangul font must also have required a great deal of work. Is there still value in deliberately pairing it with a different Latin typeface?
As I mentioned earlier, the Latin alphabets included in early Hangul fonts were not particularly strong in terms of design quality. For that reason, many designers recommended typeface pairing, and creating good pairings was also taught in schools as a fundamental part of typography. The situation has changed considerably. As the standard of Korean type design has risen and more Korean type designers have studied abroad, the overall quality of Latin-alphabet design within Hangul fonts has improved significantly. Hangul fonts now include Latin alphabets that have been “properly” drawn. The purpose of typeface pairing has therefore moved beyond simply “mixing” a good Latin alphabet with Hangul. It has taken on a new role in giving typography its own character, expression, and individuality. In principle, the most naturally compatible solution will often be to use the Hangul and the well-designed Latin alphabet already included in the original font. Pairing different typefaces has instead become a way for designers to express their individual aesthetic preferences. Rather than merely making Hangul and the Latin alphabet harmonize, I think the important purpose of typeface pairing or composite fonts today is to ask, “How can we create a more varied and richer typographic voice?”
— Adobe Koreans Font Release Series, 2022
Could you tell us how you usually spend your everyday life?
I am quite self-centered. I try to live in a way where I go somewhere if I want to go, eat something if I want to eat it, work if there is work to do, and do not work if there is not. My colleagues say I always look busy, but perhaps I appear that way because, rather than actually being busy, I want to live as though I am busy even when I am not. When I have work, I wake up early, but when I do not, I sleep late, sometimes stay at home all day, and always drink at least one cup of coffee. Like anyone else, I live an ordinary everyday life. And I also play games for about an hour every day!
— BE(ATTITUDE) Magazine, 2023
What aspects of your recent work are you satisfied or dissatisfied with?
As I mentioned when I described my approach as dry, once a project is finished, I try not to look back at it without a reason. Whenever I draw a typeface, I always do the best I am capable of at that moment. Because of that, I am neither particularly dissatisfied nor especially satisfied with previous work. Of course, if I examine it closely, there may be forms that now feel lacking, but I do not think they were wrong, because I believe they were the result of how I wanted to draw them at the time. I simply hope that, in the next project, a more developed version of myself will draw a better typeface.
— BE(ATTITUDE) Magazine, 2023
What kinds of sentences do you use for typesetting tests? Language is inevitably influenced by context as much as by form.
When developing a custom typeface for a brand, I test it using sentences that the brand frequently uses. What matters is the expression the typeface produces in actual typesetting. For personal projects, on the other hand, I use a mixture of emotionally neutral sentences. As you mentioned, when a particular sentence carries a strong emotional charge, it can cloud your judgment. I think of a typeface as a product that should work across all kinds of writing. It is therefore important to confirm that it fits naturally with any subject matter or tone.
— Hanwha Signature Library, 2025
What does the ideal future you currently imagine look like?
Becoming “a good person who is good at doing what they love.”
— BE(ATTITUDE) Magazine, 2023
If Hangul is a core symbol of Korean identity, what else would you put alongside it?
It’s difficult to define “Korean identity” as a single thing, but the words that come to mind for me are flexibility and adaptability. I think Korea is exceptionally good at taking in unfamiliar influences from outside and digesting them in its own way. Put simply, trends move quickly here and there’s a strong sensitivity to what’s current, and that attitude shows up in design as well. Being open to change and absorbing the new is a real strength, but it also has a downside: things can be consumed quickly and disappear just as fast. So I think what’s needed is a stance that keeps that active openness to change, while also spending longer with a piece of work and accumulating an identity more calmly over time. When you can hold both at once, it can lead not only to better design, but to denser cultural value more broadly.
— Multi-Scriptual, 2026
I understand that you currently teach type design at universities. You must have experienced designing writing systems that were not your native script during graduate school. When teaching at a Korean university, have you also taught type design in languages other than Korean, including Latin? Are there opportunities within your classes to design a second or third language?
Because I studied the simultaneous design of Hangul and Latin during my master’s program, designing Hangul and the Latin alphabet together is also a fundamental part of my classes. Chinese students, for example, were allowed to replace a Latin-alphabet design assignment with Han characters. Japanese students were encouraged to work with kana as well, while French students were encouraged to design a complete Latin character set that included the characters required for French. When necessary, I also arranged separate online sessions in which professional designers specializing in the relevant writing system could provide external review and feedback. Fundamentally, I believe that looking again at the writing system of one’s native language through the eyes of a designer is the best starting point for studying multiscript type design.
— Adobe Koreans Font Release Series, 2022
Could you explain more specifically what you mean by “the mood they create when read”?
I often use the stage concept of an idol group as an analogy. Each member has a different body type and a different atmosphere, but once they stand together on stage, it is immediately clear that they form a single team. A typeface works in the same way. Even if Hangul wears clothing suited to Hangul and the Latin alphabet wears clothing suited to Latin, the overall impression received by the user should ultimately be unified. That consistency is determined by elements such as stroke contrast, the logic behind changes in weight, the proportion of curves to straight lines, and formal tension. That is why I do not judge a typeface by looking at a single character. I always set it in sentences or paragraphs and examine whether the typeface’s overall atmosphere remains intact. A typeface is ultimately evaluated not by its individual characters, but by the impression they create when combined.
— Hanwha Signature Library, 2025
You’ve collaborated with international type foundries such as ABC Dinamo and Lineto. How did these collaborations come about? When designers from different cultural backgrounds work together on a single typeface family, how do you share and align design direction and criteria? And how do you see these different perspectives and approaches shaping the final outcome?
I first met Johannes Breyer from Dinamo in Seoul in 2016, and I remember being impressed by each other’s work. Then we met again in Switzerland in 2017 and exchanged ideas around ABC Favorit Hangul. At the time, Dinamo was exploring how to expand a Latin typeface into a multilingual type system, and that aligned well with my research, so we were able to build a genuinely interesting project together. In multilingual expansion work, the approach shifts depending on which writing system is structurally leading the project. In the case of Favorit Hangul, a Latin design already existed and the task was to add a Hangul set, so it was crucial not to damage the original concept. That meant asking what kind of Hangul should stand next to an already-finished Latin design. Here as well, rather than matching specific shapes directly, I rely on overall impression and attitude. Every foundry has its own atmosphere and working method, so understanding that character is also important. Some foundries work with a playful, experimental attitude; others prefer a restrained, structural approach. The people at Dinamo are genuinely friendly and upbeat, and at times we tried to let that impression inform the typeface as well. What I find especially interesting in this process are differences that come from different language backgrounds. Suggestions from designers who didn’t grow up reading Hangul can sometimes look unfamiliar, or like a strange experiment, but I often discover new possibilities inside them. Ideas can emerge that I wouldn’t arrive at precisely because I’m Korean. Rather than dismissing those proposals as “too different,” my role as a collaborator is to realize them as far as possible within what the project can support. Ideally, the result doesn’t collapse into a single voice too early. It becomes something where Hangul and Latin, and multiple design lineages and attitudes, can all be present and still resolve into a coherent overall impression.
— Multi-Scriptual, 2026
Because Hangul is a combinatorial writing system, designing a Hangul typeface seems more labor-intensive than designing one for the Latin alphabet. What difficulties are involved?
Compared with the Latin alphabet, which has only 52 uppercase and lowercase letters from A to Z, Hangul produces an exceptionally large number of characters through combinations of consonants and vowels. Creating a single Hangul typeface can take several months or even several years. The length of time required is one of the main difficulties. In addition, the Latin alphabet has a long history and a substantial body of established design methodologies, whereas Hangul has a shorter history and still has relatively few clearly defined design theories. That is another obstacle we need to overcome. But viewed from the other side, it also means that the possibilities for the future development of Hangul design are limitless.
— Conceptzine Vol.65, 2019
Could you tell us a bit about your type foundry and your overall practice? What kind of design philosophy or approach guides your work today?
YMG Type Foundry is a studio that designs multilingual typefaces, with a focus on Hangul and the Latin alphabet. We develop custom typefaces for brands in Korea and internationally, and we also propose typographic directions that fit the language environments those brands operate in. What matters most to me is how a typeface is drawn, and the attitude you bring to the work. Visible style can shift from project to project, but a typeface’s standards and order—a kind of system—should remain consistent. Even if you explore many formal options within one project, you still need a clear criterion for why the typeface has to take this form. That criterion might come from the designer’s intention, from context, or sometimes from a personal narrative or sensibility. What matters isn’t which criterion you choose, but that the one you establish at the start is applied consistently all the way to the end. At the same time, you have to keep checking whether that system works naturally in real use. Typeface design also means ensuring the type remains readable and usable even in situations you cannot fully predict.
— Multi-Scriptual, 2026
When designing custom typefaces for brands, how do you translate a brand’s identity into type design? And in a multiscriptual context, what do you consider most important in maintaining a consistent brand voice across different writing systems?
Custom typefaces for brands start, inevitably, with understanding the brand. It matters how the brand arrived where it is, and where it wants to go next. The most important question for me is: why does the brand want to make a typeface? Because a typeface is the brand’s voice, you need to be clear about the tone the brand wants to speak with. More than designing the typeface, it’s even more important that it can be used well after it’s made, so I spend a lot of time talking with the client about how the typeface will be used. Once that understanding is in place, the design decisions tend to follow more naturally. The part that often requires the most effort is persuading and explaining how the design stands in for the brand. To communicate direction and impression, you need to explain what makes the design specific: its history and context, cultural characteristics, and trends. In a multiscriptual context, it’s especially important that the writing systems read as the same voice. It’s not about making them the same style. You tune them carefully so that each system keeps its own structure while still speaking in one brand voice. When building an entirely multilingual type system isn’t feasible, another approach is to combine existing typefaces by selecting combinations that work well together.
— Multi-Scriptual, 2026
What did you learn about Hangul type design during your time at AG Typography Institute? Are there lessons from that period that you still carry into your work today?
As the word “Institute” suggests, AG Typography Institute is not simply a foundry that designs and distributes typefaces. Drawing on valuable materials left by earlier generations of designers, we spent extended periods researching, studying together, and designing typefaces. Before beginning the design of a typeface, developing a methodology and rationale specific to that project was an essential part of our process. Through this, I learned not only how to work as a type designer, but also how to approach the field as a researcher. Because the institute operated as a small organization, I was also required to take on a wide range of responsibilities. In addition to type design and research, I was able to direct graphic design, book design, exhibition planning, merchandise production, and other activities connected to type. That breadth of experience was extremely valuable to me.
— Letterform Archive, 2019
What are you most interested in these days?
Probably the ordinary-looking everyday life I just mentioned. To live a truly peaceful daily life, you need to be much more diligent and mentally healthy than you might expect. It is a little like a duck floating calmly on the water while paddling furiously underneath. I do not simply mean working hard. Lately, the ironic question I think about most often is how hard I need to live in order not to live too hard: what kind of everyday life I want to share with the people around me, what conversations I want to have, and how I can spend healthier time with my cat for many years.
— BE(ATTITUDE) Magazine, 2023
Do you closely follow the work of other designers?
I intentionally try not to seek out other design work. However, when I teach at universities, a few particularly talented students always stand out. As I mentioned earlier, type design requires a great deal of time, but class time is short and limited. I often felt disappointed when students produced strong sketches but were unable to complete their projects. To address that frustration, I have been gathering interested students and running weekend workshops for about a year. Most of them are now close to completing their work. Thankfully, some of the students’ typefaces were also released through Google Fonts.
— Hyundai Livart Magazine (Hinge), 2022
What inspired the typeface, and what kind of lettering did you want to create?
The original YMG Yoonseul was a very heavy display typeface. The central challenge was to make it light enough for body text while preserving the defining characteristics of the family. With YMG Yoonseul Batang itself, I wanted to create a typeface with a more distinctive expression than a conventional body-text Myeongjo, while remaining comfortable to read at small sizes.
— GQ Korea, 2019
What are the three things that determine good typography?
Balance, quickly giving up excessive ambition, and realizing that people are not nearly as interested in my work as I may think.
— GQ Korea, 2019
How much influence do you feel Latin script typography has had on your script? How do you imagine reducing or rebalancing that influence, and where should we begin?
Older generations of type designers often had a negative view of Latin influence. They insisted on “Hangeulness,” meaning references found only within Korean culture. However, I think it is natural to draw inspiration from the Latin alphabet, because it has a much longer history than Hangeul and has had a huge influence on type design and typography. Nowadays, young Korean type designers often look to the Latin alphabet for new inspiration and create experimental Hangeul designs. I enjoy this movement because it also means that Latin type design can be inspired by East Asian scripts. The world is not divided into Latin and Hangeul; we all live together. All scripts are equal. The important thing to remember is not hierarchy or influence, but the genuine love we have for each script and how we reflect that respect in design.
— Words of Type, 2024
What typeface trends do you see today, and what kinds of typefaces do you think will become popular in the future? How does your typography respond to or resist those trends?
I honestly do not know. I deliberately avoid seeking out fashionable typefaces. Trends now move especially quickly, so I gave up trying to keep pace with them from the beginning. When a particular typeface is packaged online and becomes fashionable, it suddenly appears in nearly every editorial project and advertisement of that period. After being consumed so explosively, people quickly grow tired of it. I do not think that is necessarily a positive phenomenon, and because becoming fashionable is ultimately a matter of timing, I think you simply have to be lucky.
— GQ Korea, 2019
What does the name of the typeface mean? If it has no particular meaning, how did you choose it?
YMG Yoonseul Batang was planned as a body-text weight within the family of YMG Yoonseul, which I drew in 2012. I therefore added the word “Batang,” which refers to a Myeongjo-style typeface for body text. The Korean word “Yoonseul” means “small ripples shimmering as they reflect sunlight or moonlight.”
— GQ Korea, 2019
What is the most practical problem currently facing your studio, and how are you trying to overcome it?
Identity. I am considering what else I can do, and what I can do better. Finding an identity seems similar to designing a typeface. It may take months or years, and you simply have to sit down, continue thinking, and keep working. There is no single moment of “completion,” but as you steadily refine and revise the work, it gradually develops an expression of its own without your realizing it. Like a typeface that is improved little by little over several decades and becomes increasingly complete, I think that if I simply remain seated, study, think, and work, something resembling an identity may eventually emerge without my noticing. A one-person studio is essentially the individual themselves, so the significance of its identity is extremely important. I sometimes wonder whether there is any reason to operate a one-person studio if it has no identity. There is also another issue: as increasingly intelligent tools capable of designing better than designers are being developed, what qualities should contemporary designers bring to their work? There is still an enormous amount to consider.
— GRAPHIC #29: New Studios, 2014
What do you think is the most important thing when making a typeface?
Attitude. I think that applies to every area of design: revealing your own attitude. A typeface truly reveals the personality, thoughts, attitude, and character of the person who made it. There is something remarkable about a typeface in which a designer’s philosophy takes visible form. To have even one such typeface as a designer would be a genuinely happy achievement. When I make a typeface, I would like something of myself to come through. I do not yet know exactly what that quality might be. Perhaps it would feel somewhat rigid and dry? I feel the same way when I look at Latin-alphabet typefaces. There are typefaces that make you think, “This designer thought this way and lived this kind of life, and that is why they made a typeface like this.” Even after the person who made it dies, an excellent typeface remains. I want to create a typeface that lasts, that carries traces of its maker’s life, and that is worthy of bearing my name. I am still studying continuously in order to reach that point.
— Typography Seoul, 2015
2002? That’s surprising. Did you naturally find your way into doing what you wanted to do?
I originally wanted to become a web designer. But like many people my age, my ambitions kept changing, and I happened to enter art school. I took a type design class during my first year at university, but it was not until my third year that I began thinking seriously about Hangul and type design. For one class assignment, I used a Latin-alphabet typeface, and when my professor asked why I had designed it in English, I could not answer. Looking back, I simply had no reason for choosing English. It was an enormous shock to me personally. I was also embarrassed that I had no rationale for the choice I had made. After that, unless I had a very specific reason not to, I completed all my assignments in Korean and Hangul. As I kept doing that, I realised how difficult it was to design with Korean and Hangul. I began studying in search of answers to why, despite being Korean, I found it so difficult to use Hangul in design, and why there were so few good Hangul typefaces. That study has continued to this day. As is true for anyone, once I began studying, I gradually came to see the qualities of Hangul and the things it has that other writing systems do not. I think that led me to consider Hangul type design more deeply.
— Typography Seoul, 2015
Which of the typefaces you have created are you most attached to? Could you introduce it and explain why?
Personally, I like YMG Yoonseul because it was the first typeface that allowed me to experience the pleasure of type design. More recently, however, I have felt most attached to YMG Yoonseul Batang, which I designed as part of the same family. It was also the first typeface I commercialized after beginning my career in type design, and it became an important turning point in considering what kinds of typefaces I want—and need—to create as I continue living as a type designer.
— Conceptzine Vol.65, 2019
Which aspects do you find most challenging when working on multi-script projects?
As I mentioned earlier, it is most important to understand the natural background of each script. Scripts are like living organisms. They all have different birthplaces, and through cultural influence they develop their own personalities and forms. Multi-script type designers should respect these organisms, because every living thing on earth has its own beauty. When designing multiple scripts together, you need to research each script’s background deeply, understand it, discover its own beauty, and refine the scripts so that they harmonize with one another.
— Words of Type, 2024
How do the writing systems differ, and what do they have in common?
Many people assume that type design is concerned only with shape and form. Letters, however, are like living things influenced by the environments in which they were born and developed. Hangul, for example, has serif-like features comparable to those of the Latin alphabet. In Hangul, this element is called a “beak,” and its form and angle differ because of the influence of East Asian writing tools, particularly the brush, as well as the tradition of vertical writing. If the Latin alphabet can be compared to dominoes standing at regular intervals along a baseline, Hangul is more like leaves floating on a square pond. Just as leaves move freely with the waves, the positions of Hangul consonants and vowels shift according to the structure of each syllable, settling into the most comfortable arrangement for reading. Type designers do more than draw beautiful forms. When designing multiscript typefaces, they must also develop a deep understanding of and respect for the different histories and ways of life embodied by each writing system.
— It's Nice That, 2019
We’re curious about your workspace. Could you introduce it to us?
I use a small space in Seogyo-dong, Seoul, as my studio. Type design does not require storing inventory or having an especially large space, so I arranged it in a way that allows me to concentrate comfortably on my work. There are framed works by artists I like, as well as shelves and a table where I keep books I often read. It faces south and receives plenty of sunlight, making it a pleasant place to work during the day alongside my plants.
— BE(ATTITUDE) Magazine, 2023
How did you break Hangul down in order to experiment with it? “Crotalaria,” for example, manages to resemble Hangul, numerals, and Latin letters all at once.
“Crotalaria” is an experimental type design project inspired by the crotalaria, a plant whose flowers resemble hummingbirds. Visually, the Hangul forms mimic Latin letters or numerals, raising questions about what form a letter must take in order to convey a particular “meaning” in our consciousness. Conceptually, the project also incorporates various methodologies used by type designers. For example, “크” establishes a relationship between the Hangul consonant “ㅋ” and the Latin letter “a.” “로” demonstrates the process of simplifying strokes as the width narrows, while also exploring the relationship between the Hangul consonant “ㄹ” and the Latin letter “z.” In this way, forms that may appear meaningful on their own, even without a linguistic function, acquire another layer of meaning when form and function interact. These forms mimic Hangul, Latin letters, or numerals, gathering together to create meaningful characters. The resulting letters organically alter their individual parts to fit different widths, flexibly adapting to their environment in the way that the stems and leaves of a plant grow within the available space.
— Design360°, 2020
Is there a sentence or word you would like to leave behind in one of your typefaces? Why?
It is enough for me that the typefaces I have made remain in the world. I would like to leave the choice of what sentences are written in them to the people who use my typefaces.
— Hanwha Signature Library, 2025
The processes of creating lettering and a typeface must be quite different. Could you explain the difference and introduce the process of designing a typeface?
If lettering is defined as designing a relatively small number of words or sentences, a typeface differs in that it requires designing at least 2,350 Hangul characters and, in some cases, as many as 11,172. Naturally, it demands much more time and effort and can occasionally become extremely repetitive. In lettering for a sign or a film title, it is important to express a strong impression and distinctive personality. In typeface design, where several thousand characters must be created, the harmony and balance among the characters are more important. A typeface is a form of “software” that anyone can download and use as a font, so any text set in it must appear to belong to one consistent typeface.
— Conceptzine Vol.65, 2019
Could you talk us through the process of designing the type specimen for Super Black Gothic?
I wanted to present Super Black Gothic from the perspective of a graphic designer rather than solely as a type designer. Conventional type specimens often focus simply on sample sentences, type sizes, and font specifications. I instead wanted the specimen to function as a readable book with substantive content. After determining a size at which Super Black Gothic could be read effectively, I typeset and designed the text introducing the typeface in Super Black Gothic itself. This was a particularly bold decision. I also added an introduction to Choi Jeong-ho, the first-generation Hangul type designer who drew the original artwork, along with a complete glyph list as an appendix. The pages demonstrating different type sizes used excerpts from Choi’s own words, allowing readers to engage naturally with the content while simultaneously observing the typeface. For the binding, I selected a black hardcover format that complemented the exceptionally heavy character of Super Black Gothic. Rather than using cloth for the cover, however, I chose a slightly textured paper so that the book would appear appropriately modern without becoming excessively classical. This approach corresponds to the design process of Super Black Gothic itself, which reinterpreted Choi Jeong-ho’s classical original drawings in a contemporary way.
— Letterform Archive, 2019
How do you overcome a creative slump?
Do we necessarily have to overcome a slump? I do not think a slump is especially unusual or something that must be defeated. Work is something we naturally do not always want to do, and it would be a little sad to think of every day as a slump. Whether it is work or a personal project, there are times when you want to work hard and, naturally, many times when you do not. But the moment you force yourself to think that you must overcome it, overcoming it becomes another task in itself. If I already do not want to do something and I am in a position where I can postpone it, I delay it as much as possible. If I have no choice and simply have to do it, I accept that and do it even though I do not want to.
— BE(ATTITUDE) Magazine, 2023
Could you describe your usual working process for client commissions and personal projects? What have you come to think about the process of working?
Whether it is a client commission or a personal project, I need to gain something from it in some form. With personal work, I am free from other people’s opinions, so I try to make projects that are as experimental as possible, that allow me to ask myself questions, or that help me confirm what I have studied. It feels somewhat like reviewing what I have learned. After completing the work, I ask people around me for their opinions and find satisfaction in discovering what still needs improvement or further study. In client work, income is of course the most obvious thing I gain, but I also place great importance on simply sitting down with the clients and talking about the project. I show them the work, listen to their opinions, and that ultimately becomes something I carry with me. Of the entire working process, I probably spend the greatest amount of time sitting and talking at length. Clients who choose to work with an independent designer like me usually do not expect something enormous or spectacular. They simply want their stories, thoughts, and emotions to be sufficiently reflected in the design. To fulfill the designer’s role of translating an invisible “emotion” into a visible “form,” it is naturally necessary to understand the client and think carefully about them. I believe that most people who inspire designers probably work in fields unrelated to design. Exchanging ideas with them from different perspectives therefore provides me with a great deal of learning and nourishment, even beyond the professional aspect of the project.
— GRAPHIC #29: New Studios, 2014
I understand that you also participate in exhibitions with typographic works. What kinds of projects can audiences encounter in these exhibitions?
I tend to think about how letters can be applied to the theme or concept of an exhibition. For example, in the work I presented at Typojanchi 2015, I focused on finding images of letters that coexist with us in the city. I paid particular attention to neon signs, which were disappearing as they were replaced by LED signage. The work reinterpreted the impression of older lettering made by people bending each tube by hand, rather than precisely drawn letters produced on a computer.
— Hyundai Livart Magazine (Hinge), 2022
There must be occasions when a brand’s direction conflicts with your own sensibility as a type designer. How do you reconcile the two?
I think the key to coordination is conversation. A brand’s identity ultimately comes from the people who create it. The language used by the founder or working team, the images they prefer, and the areas in which they feel confident can remain vague unless you meet them directly. That is why I prefer face-to-face meetings whenever possible. When feedback is exchanged only through email or documents, it can sometimes be difficult to understand the intentions or nuances behind the brand’s decision to create a typeface. When the conversation with the brand goes well and the planning is solid, there is no need to produce several different proposals. If the direction is clearly aligned, a single proposal can be enough. Conversely, brands that send an excessive amount of reference material often do not fully understand their own preferences. In those situations, rather than beginning with details, I first spend a long time discussing what the intention and core of the typeface should be. We then adjust the forms without allowing that tone to become unstable.
— Hanwha Signature Library, 2025
During your Master’s studies at ECAL in Switzerland, you explored bi-scriptual type design. What was it like developing this research in a context where Hangul isn’t part of everyday language? Did that environment influence the way you approach your work or think about type design?
My interest in working with Hangul and the Latin alphabet developed quite naturally. In Korea, Hangul and Latin often appear side by side in the same spaces and even within the same sentences, so as a Hangul type designer, I felt it was essential to design and handle both at once. Paradoxically, I also believed that to design better Hangul, you need to be able to design Latin just as well. That’s why I wanted to study type design in a context where Latin is central, and I went to Switzerland. My research into biscript type design started with noticing a subtle misalignment between the two writing systems. In many biscript typefaces, even when both scripts are designed to match formally, elements such as rhythm, density, center of gravity, and the overall image a reader perceives do not quite sit together. That slight discomfort led me to a question: can two writing systems be handled under a single set of criteria? Living in a place where Hangul isn’t used in everyday life also had a big impact. In an environment where Hangul isn’t the default, I could look at it not as “my own” writing system but as form, and I could approach other writing systems, including Hangul, more objectively. At the same time, thinking through the relationship between the two, I came to accept their differences not as something to forcibly solve or “fix,” but as a basic condition of designing a typeface. That became an attitude: rather than giving one system priority, you set and tune criteria that allow the strengths and character of each system to work simultaneously. Biscript type design isn’t about making two scripts identical. It’s about placing them side by side.
— Multi-Scriptual, 2026
Do you have a particular way of maintaining consistency as a designer?
Because typeface design involves drawing strokes, it is close to drawing. You begin by establishing criteria and a system during the planning stage, but the designer’s personal preferences inevitably emerge during the process. I think preference is ultimately the accumulation of experiences through which we judge certain forms as “good” or “bad.” To make those criteria clearer, I constantly ask myself questions such as, “Why do I like this?”, “Why do I dislike this?”, and “How would it be different if I did it myself?” Those questions become both the points of reference and the details that sustain consistency in my work.
— Hanwha Signature Library, 2025
You studied type design abroad and learned about designing writing systems other than Hangul. The Latin alphabet is also an essential part of designing a Hangul font, despite having a structure very different from Hangul. Could you tell us about creating harmony between the two? Also, how do you feel when the Latin alphabet you worked so hard to design is ultimately left unused and replaced with another Latin typeface through a composite font?
As the quality of Hangul fonts has steadily improved, people have become increasingly attentive to and discerning about the multilingual characters included within them. The Latin alphabets in earlier Hangul fonts often contained many poorly resolved elements, so, as you mentioned, pairing Hangul with a well-designed Latin typeface was regarded as a basic rule of typesetting. Today, however, Korean type designers devote considerable effort to designing Latin alphabets to the same high standard as Hangul. Designing a Latin alphabet that harmonizes with Hangul seems both easy and difficult. If the structure of Hangul is appropriately applied to the concept of a Latin-alphabet design with relatively clear guidelines, it is not especially difficult to discover a degree of harmony. But design is a discipline that always asks us to consider more than what everyone already expects. Finding the point at which the inherent forms of two different writing systems are respected while also achieving character and refinement—or balancing letters intended to be seen with letters intended to be read—is a demanding and painstaking process.
— Adobe Koreans Font Release Series, 2022
What led you to begin designing typefaces?
In 2002, while working as a freelance web designer, I became interested in the “webfonts” that were popular at the time and created my first complete typeface. I later began studying graphic design, and when I started working as a type designer at the institute founded by graphic designer Ahn Sang-soo, who is well known for Ahn Sang-soo Typeface (1985), type design naturally became the work through which I made my living.
— Conceptzine Vol.65, 2019
Did you encounter any unexpected but interesting deviations during your experiments? In the “Korean Experiment Series,” for example, the typefaces begin by looking conventional but are gradually distorted until they are barely recognizable, which is very interesting.
As I mentioned earlier, letters eventually lose their function as carriers of “meaning” as their forms change. In this Hangul experiment series, however, I wanted to question what that “meaning” actually is. The word “꽃” (flower) gradually changes its form until it becomes the image of a blooming flower. Ironically, at the same moment that it loses its function as the written word “꽃,” it visually conveys the same meaning through the form of a flower. It is also interesting to see how a tree becomes a forest in the word “숲” (forest). I find the point at which letterforms begin to distort especially compelling. Beyond that, I am curious about what this means for humans who use writing systems as tools, and how it challenges the type designers who create them.
— Design360°, 2020
Which script marked the beginning of your type design or typography education and experience?
When I was a student, I felt strongly that there were not enough good Hangeul typefaces for typographic work. Hangeul is one of the youngest scripts in the world, and it requires a very large number of characters to be drawn in order to make a font. For these reasons and more, there were not many type designers specializing in Hangeul. As a native Korean speaker, I naturally came to pursue the goal of adding more variety to the Hangeul type library.
— Words of Type, 2024
Could you share some advice for other creators who want to continue doing what they love?
I hope they do not doubt the things they love. When someone asks what you like, do not feel embarrassed to name the first thing that comes to mind. I like what people commonly call *otaku*, and I am also an otaku of certain things myself. What Koreans call *deokjil* could also be described as “digging,” or as complete immersion. I think the best and most authentic things can emerge only when you love something almost obsessively and dig deeply into it. It does not necessarily have to be design or art. It could be dinosaurs or plants. Once you have dug deeply and discovered and understood something, I hope you share it with others. It is incredibly enjoyable and fulfilling to work with someone who says, “This is this way because of this. That is that way because of that. Isn’t it wonderful?”
— BE(ATTITUDE) Magazine, 2023
Although we have never met, reading your interview gave me the impression of someone who crafts typefaces with the spirit of an artisan. You must have firm personal criteria when designing typefaces. What is the most important one?
Every type designer has their own criteria. In my case, type design feels closer to “product design” than to the realm of “art.” A typeface is a kind of tool used by people, so I believe my job is to make a good tool that fits comfortably in anyone’s hands and can be used conveniently and beautifully. Some work clearly reveals the designer, while in other work the designer is barely visible. I am closer to the latter. It is like air: always around us and essential to us, yet invisible. I think letters are similar. People use them without much conscious thought, but as someone who considers the beauty of letters, I want them to encounter, read, and write better and more beautiful forms, even unconsciously.
— Conceptzine Vol.65, 2019
You design typefaces yourself and must encounter a great many fonts. Do you still search for new ones, or do you tend to return to the ones you have always used?
When I work on editorial design projects, I often return to typefaces that I already know well or have used frequently. Of course, I occasionally look for new fonts. Apart from regularly visiting a few foundry websites, however, I am not someone who puts an “enormous” amount of effort into discovering new fonts. Because I am a type designer myself, I usually draw what I need and use it directly. When I do search for fonts, I tend to look first at Latin typefaces, since they already exist in such a wide range of styles. I am also already familiar with most Hangul fonts, and I generally draw the Hangul portion myself, which is probably another reason.
— Adobe Koreans Font Release Series, 2022
So you look for new possibilities outside your work.
The purpose of all design, including typeface design, is to propose something better. Whether that is a letter, a product, or even a new method or system, design is a field that strives toward a more beautiful and better life. That is why, rather than remaining entirely inside my work, I try to look for new and good things in the life that exists beyond it.
— Hanwha Signature Library, 2025
Where do you find inspiration for your designs?
People often describe inspiration as something they “find,” but I do not think of it that way. If you simply wait for it, it may never come. There is a line attributed to Philip Roth: “The amateur waits for inspiration. We get up and go to work.” That fits my attitude toward work perfectly. I simply continue working as part of my profession. If I had to name something else, I would say that I find help in the world outside my work. My formal sensibility often expands through things that are not directly connected to design: the movement of animals, the forms of plants, the proportions of architecture, or the rhythm of music. Good conversations with fellow practitioners and colleagues are also a great help.
— Hanwha Signature Library, 2025
It was unusual to see dinosaurs on your website. You must like dinosaurs.
People around me tell me not to turn it into some kind of “concept gimmick”…. They are not entirely wrong. Concept or not, it is a kind of diversion for me, because I have loved dinosaurs since I was young. I used to memorise their scientific names and collect figures and posters. Some of the typefaces I have made even contain custom dinosaur-shaped symbol glyphs. I was feeling bored while working on a design one day, and I happened to open a dinosaur book that had been sitting on my bookshelf. It was so much fun. You know how everyone has one or two fields of study, entirely separate from their profession, that they would like to explore further? My friends tell me that I should get a job as an in-house designer at a natural history museum and make as many leaflets introducing dinosaurs as I want…. Honestly, I think I would be very happy if that happened.
— Typography Seoul, 2015
You have collaborated with various brands and artists. How do you identify their distinctive qualities and translate them into a typeface?
The best method is to have many conversations. You need to understand precisely what direction and purpose the brand or artist is pursuing. Once that direction is clear, it is not particularly difficult to incorporate different design elements and visualize them as a typeface. It is also important to spend time talking, share one another’s tastes, and build mutual trust.
— GQ Korea, 2019
Looking at the Hangul font industry as a whole, what do you think it currently lacks?
The need to develop Hangul fonts in a wider variety of styles is such a fundamental point that I will leave it aside. Beyond that, I think we need a more culturally open-minded attitude toward Hangul fonts. There still seem to be many Koreans, including designers, who recite as though from a textbook that “Hangul is a beautiful and superior part of Korea’s cultural heritage.” It should go without saying that all writing systems, including Hangul, are equal and that each has its own distinct formal beauty. The important question is not why Hangul alone is beautiful, but how it can coexist and live beautifully alongside other writing systems.
— Adobe Koreans Font Release Series, 2022
What issues or questions are currently important in typography?
There are many issues involving multiple languages, culture, and technology, but I would like to talk about resistance to established culture. Hangul type design has traditionally been an extremely conservative field in Korea. There were very few people working in it, and the atmosphere required newcomers to follow, almost as apprentices, the paths already established by that small number of designers. Today, however, younger generations are pushing back against the structures created by older generations across every field, including design. More designers are gaining broader and more varied experiences in different countries and producing strong work with youthful confidence. Typography and type design are no different. I hope to see more typefaces that are young and experimental and that suggest possibilities for newly changing environments.
— GQ Korea, 2019
How is the studio doing financially?
I have not yet seriously considered how I might make a living through the structure of a studio. Perhaps I am less mature than other people. From what I hear, income is usually inconsistent for a one-person studio. Irregular income may sound far removed from stability, but there are both advantages and disadvantages. Even if it is relatively less stable than working for a conventional company, being able to use one’s time more efficiently while sustaining a life is also a significant benefit. My thinking is no different from that of many other designers: a life in which you can do the work you want without worrying about money. That is an ideal desired not only by designers but by almost everyone, so I think finances are ultimately a matter determined by each person’s individual values.
— GRAPHIC #29: New Studios, 2014
Is there a particular project that remains especially memorable?
Rather than feeling attached to one specific project, I remember each one because I learned something different from every project. When working with YouTube, for example, I learned a great deal about the advantages and disadvantages of coordinating online with a long-distance client. When all feedback is exchanged through screens, the result can feel different once it is actually typeset. As those experiences accumulated, I developed a separate set of criteria for coordination in digital environments. My work with Eulyoo Publishing Company, by contrast, gave me the opportunity to experience an extremely ordinary and familiar typographic environment in its entirety. Since body-text typefaces in books are among the forms of lettering most frequently encountered by the public, I was reminded of how important structurally comfortable combinations are. Because it is an area that should never draw attention to itself or interrupt the reader, it actually required even more delicate adjustments.
— Hanwha Signature Library, 2025
What do you wish more people understood about Hangul type design?
I would like people to know that Hangul, a very young writing system, is actively living and evolving in the world. For many people in the West, Hangul is probably still a highly unfamiliar script. Yet the world we live in is becoming increasingly interconnected. The world’s many writing systems now coexist, influencing one another as they develop. I am interested in connecting different writing systems through type design. How can they be brought into harmony, and how can bridges be built between them? This is also why I work as a multiscript type designer. Hangul has a very short history, and for that reason the range of existing Hangul typefaces is still relatively limited. Viewed differently, however, this means that the possible directions for Hangul type design are almost limitless. I hope that more people around the world will pay attention to the new possibilities, experiments, and beauty of Hangul type design.
— Letterform Archive, 2019
Typefaces were once static, but they are now expanding to incorporate motion and variability. Fluid screen compositions and presentations can also be created through techniques such as 3D animation. How broadly do you define typography?
Under the concept of typography, I think every activity involving letters can be included. I understand graphic design as being composed of two major elements—image and text—and typography is the axis responsible for the textual element. If we limit the discussion to typeface design, however, I personally define the field more narrowly. I consider a typeface to be a kind of product. Lettering consisting of only a few characters that is not generated as a completed font file belongs to typography, but I do not consider it typeface design.
— GQ Korea, 2019
You may have seen incorrect or unsuccessful adaptations from one script, often Latin, to your own. Could you tell us about these? What can be considered common mistakes, and what impression do they give you?
Generally, CJK scripts are placed within square boxes and drawn to fill that space, so they appear visually larger than the Latin alphabet. Therefore, the Latin alphabet used together with CJK scripts often needs to be enlarged. This is usually done by increasing the x-height. However, this needs to be handled carefully because it can disrupt the original design of the Latin typeface. Punctuation also sometimes needs to be enlarged or repositioned for better readability when typeset with CJK scripts. Of course, the ideal solution is for all of these elements to be specifically designed to work across all the scripts involved. But when a project is an expansion, meaning that additional scripts are added to an existing typeface later, we need to approach visual sizing and repositioning with deliberate care and detail.
— Words of Type, 2024
Could you introduce your workspace? How is the identity of the studio related to its physical space?
I do not maintain a dedicated studio and mainly work from home. Personally, I prefer the feeling of a formal office to that of a freely arranged artist’s studio. I usually spend most of each day sketching or creating letters, because type design is not something that can be completed quickly simply by sitting down at a desk. It is an intensive process that requires persistence and a long span of time, ranging from several months to several years. As a result, what I see and experience during the process can completely alter the direction of the work or even send me back to the beginning. Like many other designers, I also find that determining a project’s concept or direction is not tied to a particular place or time. I therefore try to work with greater freedom, moving among my home, cafés, libraries, and other places, seeing and studying as much as possible while continuing to work steadily, almost as though it were a hobby.
— GRAPHIC #29: New Studios, 2014
Looking at your work, I often get a sense of quiet elegance.
Someone once told me that my work felt dry. I did not think so myself, but perhaps it is quite dry after all. As I thought about why, it occurred to me that one reason might be that I do not use a wide range of colours. To tell the truth, it is not that I choose not to use colour; I simply do not know how to use it well. I have very little talent for choosing colours or decorating things. I usually work within a palette of roughly two tones, with the simple idea that white is paper and black is type. At some point, I began to feel that the moment too many other elements—such as colour and form—are introduced, the power of the letters, which is what really matters, becomes weaker. I think a truly accomplished typeface should be sufficient on its own. I also find that more compelling. That is the kind of design I want to create. The letters I draw now still have many shortcomings, but I am hardly such a great designer that I should already be trying to conceal them with stylistic affectation. I would rather reveal them in their raw state, so that people can say what is good is good and point out what seems strange. That, in turn, becomes a form of feedback for me.
— Typography Seoul, 2015
It sounds as though there must be a great deal for everyone to learn from one another, not only because of what is being taught but also because the students come from different cultural backgrounds. At the same time, that must make teaching more difficult. Could you tell us about some of the challenges you encounter in class?
In classes for lower-year students, many were unfamiliar with font design itself. We often had to begin with very basic and detailed questions: where to find fonts, what the different parts of a letter are called, and how particular details shape and influence the overall impression of typography. Because I believe good design begins with developing a good eye, I ask students to search for, use, and closely examine a wide variety of fonts. One thing I found interesting while teaching was how accustomed today’s students are to mixing different writing systems. Even the Latin alphabet, which has characteristics completely different from Hangul, is something they have seen and used since childhood. As a result, they do not find it especially unfamiliar when they encounter it as material for design.
— Adobe Koreans Font Release Series, 2022
I understand that you worked on redesigning the Leesang and Mano typefaces in 2013 and 2014. What challenges did these projects present, and what distinguishes the two typefaces?
Leesang was created by deconstructing Ahn Sang-soo’s iconic Ahn Sang-soo Typeface and rearranging its components at regular intervals. It was inspired by Yi Sang, a modern Korean novelist and poet known for his avant-garde and surrealist work. Each consonant and vowel follows a distinctive diagonal arrangement. Mano was created by Ahn Sang-soo in 1993 through a series of experiments with non-square Hangul typefaces. Its Hangul components are constructed from modules in which lines of consistent length and weight divide a grid and form a repeating system. The original versions of Leesang and Mano each had only three weights. For the redesigned versions, I needed to add two more, expanding each family to a total of five weights. With Leesang, I devoted a great deal of attention to maintaining and optically adjusting consistent spacing between the individual components. Mano required extensive discussion, particularly when designing its heaviest Extra Bold weight. Mano’s concept is based on character forms constructed from a single thin line as a module. If the line became too heavy, the typeface could begin to resemble Myrrh, another typeface by Ahn Sang-soo that uses a square as its basic module. One of the central challenges was therefore to preserve Mano’s distinctive identity across the expanded range of weights while clearly differentiating it from Myrrh. We also completely redesigned the Latin alphabet and numerals. This involved proposing new Latin and numeral forms suited to Mano’s concept and carefully determining a line structure that would harmonize with the Hangul.
— Letterform Archive, 2019
How would you describe Blanc, and what kinds of uses is it best suited to?
Blanc is a Hangul display typeface characterized by strong contrast between its horizontal and vertical strokes. In the Latin alphabet, highly contrasted Didone typefaces are widely and effectively used for display settings. East Asian typography has a comparable style known as Mincho, and I applied its distinctive stroke characteristics to Blanc as a contemporary Korean typeface. Jieun Kim, who collaborated on Blanc, proposed soft curves as a second design concept. By incorporating this idea, we created a typeface that feels both sharp and soft. We first designed 2,575 Hangul characters and then added a basic Latin character set, numerals, and symbols. We also created a separate set of glyphs for vertical East Asian typesetting and made them accessible through OpenType features, allowing Blanc to be used in both horizontal and vertical settings. This considerably enhances the versatility of the typeface.
— It's Nice That, 2019
Of all the projects you have worked on, which one are you most attached to?
YMG Yoonseul, a typeface I made recently. At first, I drew only ten characters as lettering for an exhibition, but I later developed them into a typeface. Lettering places value on the beauty of each individual character as a standalone form, whereas a complete typeface requires you to consider how all the characters work together. Before that, I used to put everything I could into drawing impressive-looking letters. But as I worked on the typeface, I realised that there were things I had to give up despite wanting to include them. I found it interesting to organise and refine the elements that had to be abandoned or restrained for the sake of making choices and establishing the work’s value as a typeface. It was also the first project that made me feel I had truly designed a “typeface.”
— Typography Seoul, 2015
Typeface design has a particularly slow rhythm, even among the visual arts. What attitude do you consider most important when working on a project over an extended period?
I would say consistency. Typeface projects often last a long time—at least a year, and sometimes more than four years. When you work over such an extended period, you inevitably develop different feelings and standards from day to day. If you revise the design every time you notice something you want to refine, the result can begin to look as though several different typeface styles have been mixed together.
— Hanwha Signature Library, 2025
Which project has remained the most memorable, and why?
The 2017 exhibition “In Limbo: The Plant Room,” created with designer Song Minho, and the typeface of the same name. Until then, I had mainly designed typefaces intended to be read. With Limbo, I focused entirely on what a typeface intended to be seen might look like. I also experimented with ways of creating a systematic typeface from the natural, irregular forms of plants, moving beyond commonly accepted rules and conventions of type design. The project gave me an important opportunity to reset my mindset shortly before leaving to study abroad.
— GQ Korea, 2019
Is there a reason you named it YMG Yoonseul?
Yoonseul is a Korean word referring to the small ripples that glitter when a river or the sea catches the light. It is also a name I would like to give to my child someday. Because it is a word I personally like, some people told me that I should not use it already and that I should save it until I make a true masterpiece. But I thought it would not be a bad idea to give it to the first typeface that felt meaningful to me. It was also a kind of commitment. And I had the feeling that if I did not use it now, someone else might….
— Typography Seoul, 2015
How have you been?
Three years ago, my work as a researcher at AG Typography Institute, where Ahn Sang-soo served as director, led me to join Ahn Graphics, and I have continued working there as a type designer and researcher ever since. Because they support and encourage not only my work at the institute but also my independent studies and type design projects, it is the ideal workplace for me to balance work and study. Given the nature of a research institute, thoroughly studying and learning before beginning any task is fundamental. And because everyone around me is a researcher, working with them still often makes me aware of how much I have yet to learn. Outside the company, I also participate as a member of the planning team at 17717, an art space in Seongbuk-dong, together with several others.
— Typography Seoul, 2015
In recent years, Hangul has gained increasing international attention. How do you see its current position within the field of type design? And where do you think Hangul typography is heading in the future?
I think the growing international attention around Hangul is less the result of a single reason, and more an extension of the broader rise of Korean culture as a whole. More international brands are now including Hangul when they develop multilingual custom typefaces. Type isn’t only being used as a marketing surface; it’s increasingly functioning as a medium that carries a brand’s voice. In Hangul type design itself, a wide range of experiments is happening. Beyond simply modifying existing typefaces, more designers are drawing new forms directly, and many graphic designers are also lettering short words or sentences. Going forward, I think what will matter more than sheer expansion in quantity is a focus on quality and finish. We’re entering a phase where it becomes more important not only to try new things, but to make them well.
— Multi-Scriptual, 2026
People say that handwriting reveals a person’s character and personality. What part of your own style appears in your typefaces? Please express it in one word or phrase.
In an earlier interview, someone described my work as “dry.” At the time, I spent quite a while wondering what they meant by that. In typeface design, I believe a good typeface should reveal as little of the designer’s personality as possible. But if something of that personality must be visible, I would like it simply to be “dryness”: “A dry but well-made typeface.”
— GQ Korea, 2019
In recent years, many brands—including Burberry, Saint Laurent, CELINE, Balenciaga, and Balmain—have rebranded with minimal, restrained sans-serif logos. Some argue that these logos have become standardized and have lost their identities, while others see them as minimal and modern designs suited to contemporary trends. What do you think about this change?
After many brands renewed their logos in sans-serif styles, there was a great deal of discussion about why they had done so. So what if they lose some individuality, and so what if they are minimal and modern? I assume they had their own reasons and logic for making those changes. The simple binary distinction that serif means traditional and sans serif means modern is no longer meaningful. Today, there is an abundance of typefaces created through diverse interpretations and new concepts. If the direction sought by a client and myself were well suited to a sans-serif typeface, I would recommend one without hesitation.
— GQ Korea, 2019
How would you assess the recent direction of the Korean graphic design scene?
It is difficult to answer because I do not think I am in a position to evaluate it. There are many designers around me who produce truly excellent work. In recent years, the development of social media and communication platforms has made it easy for anyone to encounter strong work by good designers. As a result, the general standards and abilities of designers and students have risen, and the methods available for promoting oneself have also become much more diverse. There are so many highly capable designers, and they actively present themselves, that it is no longer enough simply to be good. The difficult part is being good while also having a distinctive identity of your own. The designers and groups producing strong work today all have clearly defined individual voices, and younger designers also seem to spend more time considering how to find their own identities rather than merely following trends or becoming technically proficient.
— GRAPHIC #29: New Studios, 2014
What kind of creator would you like people to remember you as?
A good person who is good at doing what they love.
— BE(ATTITUDE) Magazine, 2023
What do you consider your particular strength?
Rather than having a particular strength, I think it is more a matter of attitude—my attitude towards the work. If I decide that something is within my ability and can be made to work, I work hard at it. If it seems outside my area, I do not touch it. There are certainly people who are good at everything, but I am not one of them. I tend to concentrate my effort and time on the things I can do well—in other words, the areas I have worked in over the years. I think I have a fairly clear understanding of what I can and cannot do. I also consider myself very fortunate to have found what I wanted to do at an early age. As an aside, one phrase I like is, “I do it if it can work.” If something is possible and I think I can make it succeed, I do it; if not, I do not. To put it positively, I have very clear likes and dislikes. Put negatively, I suppose it could sound irresponsible. It is all relative anyway.
— Typography Seoul, 2015
Could you describe the identity and concept of your studio?
I would not really call it a studio. I am simply an independent designer who enjoys working on small projects. At first, I began with the entirely personal thought that I should do the work I wanted to do, so naturally I did not think about making money through studio work. Working independently allowed me to select projects that better suited my interests and that I could enjoy, while also distributing my time more efficiently. Embarrassingly, I am not an especially diligent designer, so I may also have thought that if I adopted the form of a one-person studio and started various projects, I might become slightly less lazy. Once I actually began working, commissions occasionally came in, and now I try to approach the work I receive as enjoyably as possible, with gratitude. While studying typography at university, I became very interested in the formal characteristics and aesthetics of letters, particularly Hangul. I am especially attracted to how architectural and geometric its forms are. Some designers feel burdened by the cultural specificity that Hangul carries as the writing system used to represent the Korean language. As a designer rather than a linguist, however, I try to focus solely on the pure formal qualities of Hangul. This naturally led me to work mainly on editorial design centered on Hangul typography, and I am also independently developing several Hangul typefaces. I collaborate with other designers using my typefaces and also work on lettering intended for titles, although I still have a great deal to learn.
— GRAPHIC #29: New Studios, 2014
What is your approach to multi-script work?
Embrace the differences. For example, if you cut a serif element from Hangeul and apply it directly to a Latin serif, it will feel very awkward, and vice versa. Some designers may think that simply unifying serif shapes and stroke thickness is multi-script type design, but that is a mistaken approach. It is like making people wear the same clothes even when those clothes do not suit them. Instead, each person should wear something that suits their own style, while sharing certain common traits in pattern and nuance. That is the ideal approach to multi-script type design. They look like “one” precisely because they are “different.”
— Words of Type, 2024
Conversely, the “newtro” trend in Korea also made retro and decorative typefaces popular on products and signs. How do you view this phenomenon?
Newtro, retro type, and lettering were already trends in Korea several years ago. I do not know whether they still are. As I mentioned earlier, trends in Korea change very quickly and are difficult to predict. The fact that one particular trend became a notable phenomenon does not give it any special meaning for me. I am not particularly interested in the next notable phenomenon either. I simply want to continue making the typefaces that I want to make and that I or someone else may need.
— GQ Korea, 2019
In addition to your offline practice, you also teach Hangul typeface design through online platforms. How do you introduce the structure and design principles of Hangul to students from diverse backgrounds? And have there been any particularly memorable approaches or interpretations from designers with different cultural perspectives that stood out to you?
Hangul is a writing system whose forms can be explained relatively clearly. We know who created it, when, and how, and its basic design and structure are grounded in geometric principles. You can explain Hangul through basic shapes: points and lines, squares, triangles, circles. Because those elements can be understood intuitively regardless of cultural background, students from many countries tend to grasp Hangul’s structure quite quickly. In particular, Hangul isn’t limited to the typical square-frame model often associated with East Asian typographic conventions. It also has what’s called 탈네모틀 (tal-nemoteul) styles, forms that step outside the square frame. Tal-nemoteul Hangul typefaces, where consonants and vowels combine in consistent modular ways, have the advantage of being easier and more intuitive for readers who aren’t familiar with Korean. When designers outside Korea draw Hangul for the first time, it’s interesting how their interpretations differ depending on the typographic environments they come from. Writing systems differ in tools, writing direction, how strokes distribute space, and how text is typically composed, so naturally designers end up drawing Hangul through the lens of what they’re used to seeing. That can feel unfamiliar at times, but it can also reveal formal possibilities you don’t often encounter in existing Hangul type design.
— Multi-Scriptual, 2026
Your work extends beyond Hangul and Latin to include Chinese, Japanese, and Korean (CJK) scripts. How do you approach applying a consistent style across writing systems with such different structures? Could you also talk us through your process, and how do you achieve coherence without flattening their distinct qualities?
As I mentioned earlier, when you work across different writing systems, what matters most is an attitude of respecting where each one comes from. By “respect,” I mean not forcing forms into a single, uniform shape. No matter which system you’re designing for, you start by understanding its historical background and cultural context, so you can see why it developed the way it did. Hangul, the Latin alphabet, and other writing systems differ in structure, history, use, and the environments they have lived in, so trying to make them obey one rule can make the result feel unnatural. Instead, I begin by understanding each system’s particular character and structure, and then I design by reading the overall situation and atmosphere those systems create. In the past, you could often see one-directional approaches, like simply taking a Latin serif and attaching it to Hangul. Rather than mapping a specific element one-to-one like that, I use more abstract criteria: the sense of weight, spatial volume, and mood you feel in each system. The goal is that even when you read a sentence set in different writing systems, it still feels like it belongs to one tone. Even with “the same style,” a typeface can feel completely different depending on cultural background. In the end, it’s less like putting everyone in the same outfit, and more like each system wearing what fits its own body while sharing an overall atmosphere.
— Multi-Scriptual, 2026
How would you redesign the GQ KOREA logo?
First, I would move KOREA outside the G. The way the G and Q are ambiguously joined also bothers me. I would also like to refine the subtly tilted upper and lower ends of the diagonal stroke, or tail, that crosses the Q. There are many other things I could mention, but I think I could explain them in greater detail if there were a design fee involved.
— GQ Korea, 2019
It is a relatively uncommon field even within design, isn’t it?
I studied graphic design at university, and early in my career I worked across a variety of areas, not only typeface design. Over time, I naturally began receiving more commissions for typeface design, and today I run YMG Type Foundry and introduce myself as a type designer. Whenever someone asks what typeface design is, I describe it as “creating the face of letters.” It is referred to by various terms—letterforms, type, fonts—but ultimately it is the work of creating a typeface: the “expression” and “structure” of letters. Rather than simply pursuing beauty, I think it is a discipline that requires an attitude of understanding the long history, context, and background of a writing system while developing its forms.
— Hanwha Signature Library, 2025
Could you introduce some of your recent projects?
I recently had a great time designing a custom variable typeface for NoPlasticSunday. Until now, most brand logos and typefaces have maintained static forms. Inspired by the physical qualities of plastic, which change depending on its environment, the NPS variable typeface allowed me to explore the point at which letters themselves appear to have changing material properties, so I enjoyed the entire process. The Hangul typeface for SONGEUN, the new cultural space opened by the SONGEUN Art and Cultural Foundation, was also particularly meaningful because it allowed me to explore the formal translation between Hangul and Latin, which is something I especially enjoy. I have continued collaborating with the Swiss type foundry Dinamo on this kind of formal translation within multilingual typefaces. In a similar vein, I also recently completed a Hangul typeface for YouTube. Together with colleagues, I run a small design workshop called JAMO for people who need more in-depth type design education.
— BE(ATTITUDE) Magazine, 2023
We scroll through font menus almost every day while using computers, but it is easy to overlook how much time goes into making them. Could you explain the process of creating a typeface?
Broadly speaking, the process follows the sequence of planning, research, sketching, expansion, revision and review, and generation. It begins with planning, which considers the purpose, style, and reason for making the typeface. This is followed by a detailed analysis—or research—of existing examples and materials related to its intended environment and use. In my case, the sketching stage begins with a single character and gradually expands to words, sentences, paragraphs, and texts of more than 500 characters. Once I decide that the direction has been established, I move into expansion, drawing the additional characters needed to complete the full typeface. But the process does not end there. I revise and review the work while considering numerous variables, such as whether any characters are incorrect and whether the spacing is appropriate. After all these stages, the typeface is generated as a TTF or OTF file that users can install and use, and is then distributed.
— Hyundai Livart Magazine (Hinge), 2022
This seems deeply relatable not only to type designers, but also to contemporary creators more broadly. A great deal of content now exists within a cycle in which users reinterpret, recreate, and consume it. What attitude do you consider important for a creator?
There is a saying: “Design is attitude.” It means that design goes beyond being a simple visual result and contains the creator’s fundamental philosophy, aesthetics, and attitude. Attitude ultimately means one’s own way of approaching something. Of these qualities, I consider consistency the most important. During the design process, there are moments when you must decide whether something should or should not be changed, and I think the criterion behind those choices is ultimately attitude. The next quality is honesty. I like designs in which the designer appears clearly and honestly. In typeface design, it may be possible to imitate another style almost like an actor for the first hundred characters or so. At first, you can conceal some of your own tendencies or follow an established style. But once you continue drawing 2,000 or 10,000 characters, your original habits inevitably begin to appear. The way you bend a stroke, the amount of space you leave, and where and how you adjust the weight all ultimately return to “your attitude.” I find that point extremely interesting. Eventually, a moment arrives when the performance is no longer possible, and at the end of it you encounter your original self. Continually reminding yourself of that fact is, I think, the most important attitude a creator should have.
— Hanwha Signature Library, 2025
Finally, as a type designer and graphic designer, what would you like to work toward?
There was a time when I wanted to become a famous and influential type designer. I also wanted to make a lot of money through type design. But when I concentrated exclusively on type design, there were many other things I failed to see, missed, and allowed to pass by. It is similar to how, in type design, if you focus only on drawing the syllable “가,” you can make the mistake of overlooking how it relates to another syllable such as “힣.” Ultimately, you need an eye capable of seeing things from a larger and broader perspective. I think life is like that as well. Now, I hope type design can simply be one of the good attitudes through which I approach my life. It may sound slightly irresponsible, but I hope that good letters will emerge because they were drawn with a good attitude. After all, attitude can be applied to anything—design, life, letters, or human relationships. That is why I think I need to become a better person and design with a better attitude.
— Adobe Koreans Font Release Series, 2022
What are the characteristics of Hangul? What makes it so special?
Hangul is the only writing system in the world for which the “who,” “when,” “why,” and “how” of its creation are clearly documented. King Sejong designed the new writing system so that his people could read and write more easily. Hangul’s geometric structure, composed of dots, lines, circles, and squares, also offers a great deal of inspiration to graphic designers. In the Latin alphabet, letters stand along the same baseline with spaces between them, like a row of dominoes. By contrast, Hangul consonants and vowels are arranged within a square frame, creating an intriguing balance that constantly shifts depending on the combination. It is similar to leaves floating on a square pond. In Western cultures, where individualism is often more highly valued, each letter occupies its own space, defined by its metrics. East Asian writing systems, including Hangul, generally use a fixed square width, within which the forms and positions of consonants and vowels constantly change to fit. This may relate to East Asian cultures, where communal values have traditionally been more strongly emphasized. I do not believe that Hangul is the one and only special writing system. Every writing system is equal from the perspective of a type designer, and we should respect the differences among languages and cultures, as well as the environments in which each writing system was born.
— Design360°, 2020
Could you explain your design process and how you approach the creation of a typeface?
I generally begin with extensive research in order to understand the nature and characteristics of the relevant writing system. This research brings together materials from various perspectives, including historical references, images, interviews, and essays. Through this process, I look for a single keyword or clue that can serve as the central concept of the design. A theoretical design rationale is important, but theory alone does not always lead to a good design. Research must therefore be accompanied by hand-drawn sketches and formal experiments. My role is to discover the point at which these two processes meet and transform that discovery into a useful typeface.
— It's Nice That, 2019
It may vary depending on the writing system, but how long does it usually take to create a complete typeface?
A basic Hangul typeface consists of 2,780 characters. This number includes the characters needed to express the standard Korean vocabulary used in everyday life. However, there are also characters that are not commonly used but can still be produced when a user types Hangul. If we include all theoretically possible combinations of Hangul consonants and vowels, including combinations that can be formed but are not normally used, the maximum number is 11,172 characters. Since a designer must draw anywhere from a minimum of 2,780 to a maximum of 11,172 characters, the process can take as little as six months or as long as one or two years. Some designers spend several years drawing a typeface before releasing it.
— Hyundai Livart Magazine (Hinge), 2022
Do you have any favorite brand logos? Please name one fashion brand and one brand from another field, such as Google, and explain why.
DANSE LENTE and tamburins, simply because I worked on them. Apart from those, my current personal preferences are LOEWE and BOTTEGA VENETA. My tastes are easily influenced and continually change, so there is no particular brand that I consistently favor.
— GQ Korea, 2019
Where do you usually find inspiration?
“There is no such thing as waiting for inspiration. The amateur waits; the rest of us just get up and go to work.” It is a line from Philip Roth’s novel *Everyman*. I used to think that inspiration could be found through effort, but I see it differently now. It is not something you can obtain simply by trying hard. I once came across the Korean word *chalssak* in a comic book, and I liked that word too. Very occasionally, my current situation, values, thoughts, condition, health, conversations with people around me, and things I have recently seen all fit together with a sudden *chalssak*. If that moment does not come, there is no point struggling, and you simply have to wait until it does. I do not think I need to force myself to go out searching for inspiration. I just wake up in the morning and keep working, and occasionally, if I am lucky, inspiration arrives.
— BE(ATTITUDE) Magazine, 2023
How do you understand the concept of “typeface experimentation”? What do designers expect from this kind of experiment?
Typeface design is fundamentally concerned with letters intended for reading. Although many display typefaces with distinctive characteristics have been developed in recent years, most typefaces still prioritize legibility as much as possible. For me, however, “typeface experimentation” means testing how far I can move away from that value of legibility. I experiment with letterforms not only as things to be read, but also as things to be seen. Once we free ourselves from the assumption that letters must always be readable, we can explore much more visually interesting forms. These experiments may involve emotion or play with different writing systems. Humans have evolved by conducting and studying various experiments driven by curiosity and the instinct to survive. This experimental spirit, which is part of human nature, has laid the foundation for the cultures, languages, writing systems, and fields of design we have today. That is why we need to continue experimenting with new letterforms, and I believe that through these experiments, we may discover “something” that no one has imagined before.
— Design360°, 2020
What is your vision of an ideal future for the studio?
I once read a line in a comic book saying that being a comic artist might be a happy profession because even after the artist dies, the characters continue living in their place. Some time ago, type designer Ryu Yang-hee said something similar: letters are like living children, and at a certain point they begin to live well on their own. In the end, people who make things may all feel similarly. I hope that the things I have made, and those I will make in the future, will continue living well. Of course, producing good work so that this can happen is important. This may be a personal view, but to me the visible and tangible “work” is more important than the temporary and intangible space called a “studio.” I want to create enjoyable, highly resolved work that can have a long life. Many typefaces from other countries have been refined over decades or centuries and have continued to pass through people’s hands and remain in use. I cannot imagine anything better than people continuing to seek out and use what I have made even after I am gone.
— GRAPHIC #29: New Studios, 2014
What do you consider most carefully when designing a new typeface?
I consider form, proportion, and other elements together. In the past, I drew typefaces inspired by distinctive or entertaining forms, such as Japanese Edo lettering. Over time, however, I have come to place greater importance on how a typeface is used rather than on its form alone.
— Hyundai Livart Magazine (Hinge), 2022
Could you tell us about the attitude and philosophy you consider important for a creator?
I see “attitude” itself as philosophy. People often think that creation means making something visually appealing or presenting a new achievement. But good creation means approaching a subject with a good attitude. It does not matter much whether the subject is letters, products, or photographs. If I first develop a good eye, try to see good things, speak about good things, and try to make something with a good attitude, then whatever I create cannot help but be good. I think that maintaining a healthy state of mind, considering aspects that are easily overlooked, and carefully thinking about whether what I make might cause discomfort to someone are themselves both good work and a philosophy. That is why I try to become a good person first, though it is not easy haha.
— BE(ATTITUDE) Magazine, 2023
What led you to become the creative practitioner you are today?
As an undergraduate, I began thinking that I wanted to draw the Hangul typefaces I needed myself. I then formally learned type design at AG Typography Institute, and the work I started there has continued to this day. I was broadly interested in graphic design and worked across a variety of areas, but I have since established an independent type foundry and am now focusing more closely on type design.
— BE(ATTITUDE) Magazine, 2023
What did you find most challenging when learning about typography, either in your own script or in general?
The most challenging part was understanding the unique background of each script and developing a trained eye for creating high-quality fonts. In the Latin alphabet, for example, ascenders and descenders are among the important principles that help create consistent and beautiful typefaces. Hangeul, on the other hand, does not have a baseline in the same way, so we need to identify the visual center within the em box and maintain it consistently throughout the typeface. Each designer has their own methodology for working through this, and it took a long time for me to find my own approach and develop the skill to refine it beautifully.
— Words of Type, 2024
What is typeface design to you?
A typeface is a unique medium. It is seen as form, while its “meaning” is read at the same time. Because it is a medium in which the visual and the linguistic operate simultaneously, its expression can change completely depending on the environment in which it is used. That is why I find it so enjoyable to see a typeface I designed being used in someone else’s hands in a different way. Even when it is used differently from what I originally intended, that becomes valuable feedback in itself. It can even provide clues for my next project. That is also why I sometimes compare a typeface to rice. I am someone who cultivates good rice, but whether the user cooks it as steamed rice, makes porridge, or turns it into a dessert is up to them. It feels as though letters come alive in a variety of forms through the user’s interpretation and application.
— Hanwha Signature Library, 2025
What is it that makes typography so appealing?
I suppose it is the fact that you are working with letters as your material. Drawing letters and then making things happen with them really appeals to me. It is a very familiar analogy, but it is like making good food from good ingredients. If the letters themselves are excellent material, I think they can produce excellent work without much additional decoration. Another appeal is being able to fill gaps in the range of available typefaces. Thinking, “Could there be letters with this kind of feeling? If there aren’t, I’ll make them myself,” is another part of what makes lettering and type design so compelling.
— Typography Seoul, 2015
Is there a brand logo you would like to design, and why?
I have not thought of any particular one. There are, however, many that I would like to change because even I think they are quite bad. Recently, I have been working especially often with fashion and cosmetics brands. The field is unfamiliar and difficult, but also enjoyable. Perhaps I am interested in the paradoxical point where typefaces and logos—with their strongly fixed and enduring qualities—meet industries that are highly sensitive to popular trends and changing currents.
— GQ Korea, 2019
Could you tell us about your experience teaching at PaTI, the Paju Typography Institute? What do you think makes the institution distinctive?
PaTI, the Paju Typography Institute, is Korea’s first alternative design school, founded by designer Ahn Sang-soo. As its name suggests, typography forms the central framework of its design education. In that sense, the type design course I taught was one of its important classes. Knowing how to design a typeface is closely connected to understanding and working with letters themselves. While teaching, I was often surprised by the fresh perspectives and approaches demonstrated by students who had not received conventional design training. For example, a typeface designed by a student who had worked as a carpenter carried an impression similar to traditional Korean woodblock type. Watching students create diverse and unexpected typefaces shaped by their individual backgrounds made me realize how deeply a designer’s experiences and prior knowledge can influence their work. This is closely connected to one of PaTI’s most distinctive qualities. As an alternative school, it brings together students from a wide range of backgrounds. Drawing on their own particular knowledge and experiences, they develop individual design philosophies. They also influence one another and learn about diversity through that exchange. I am convinced that this diversity will become an important strength in the future of design.
— Letterform Archive, 2019
Whereas typeface pairing was previously used to make text even slightly easier to read, I also think there is now a stronger tendency to use it as part of a more individual and varied design approach. Perhaps as part of that development, I have heard that deliberately pairing Hangul with a Latin typeface that looks completely different has become a trend in Korea. Is that actually the case?
Yes. I have been seeing it frequently in recent years. There are more cases in which Hangul is paired with Latin alphabets, Han characters, or kana in completely different styles. Personally, I greatly enjoy seeing these different script styles brought together. Just as we cannot impose a single aesthetic standard on other people, I think the era in which it was considered inherently “good” to typeset every country’s writing system in styles that simply looked “similar” has passed. Typography in which writing systems with distinct personalities coexist appropriately—and sometimes even oppose one another while asserting their own voices—can provide a healthy form of visual pleasure. Rather than using only a particular kind of font, perhaps what deserves attention in contemporary Korean design is the willingness of designers to boldly explore styles they have unconsciously avoided, as well as the way different scripts and typefaces are being allowed to coexist within the same era.
— Adobe Koreans Font Release Series, 2022
What is your ultimate goal as a designer?
I am a very practical person. I sometimes wonder whether I should give a more impressive answer, but honestly, my goal is simply to continue doing this work. I hope I will not be forced to give it up because of financial pressure, and that I will still be able to design typefaces when I am in my sixties or seventies.
— Hyundai Livart Magazine (Hinge), 2022
While sending you emails and preparing the interview questions, I found myself thinking seriously about the typeface I was using for the first time. I wondered whether Malgun Gothic, which I normally use, was really the best choice. It felt a little like paying extra attention to one’s outfit before interviewing a fashion designer. Do you have any amusing occupational habits as a type designer?
My occupational habit is that whenever I see anything containing letters, I notice their forms before I register the meaning of the word or sentence. I imagine all type designers are the same. Before doing this work, I would simply read television subtitles or signs on the street without much thought. Now, the design and appearance of the letters catch my eye first: how the giyeok is shaped, where the final consonant is positioned, and so on. It has become an incurable lifelong condition. Perhaps some readers will begin experiencing similar symptoms after reading this interview.
— Conceptzine Vol.65, 2019