Jiyu Park: Design = Art + Communication
Junior Creative and Art Director of The Shift
by Elizabeth Lavis
|02 Nov 2023
Jiyu Park, Junior Creative and Art Director at The Shift, was inspired to explore design by their mother. “I’ve always imagined myself working as an artist or a designer because of the influence of my mother, who is very interested in this field,” Park says. “Until high school, I was leaning more towards majoring in fine art, but after discovering the broader spectrum of the design field, I ended up becoming a designer.”
For Park, the pivotal element of any great design comes at the crux of its visual appeal and communication abilities. “Designs that really put thought into communicating with the audience have inspired me a lot,” Park says. The idea that compelling design can also help us view the world in new ways, even using familiar materials or methods, is an integral piece of Park’s design philosophy. “Personally, I think it’s very important to be widely interested in society in general and to be able to connect the dots liberally,” they say. “Sometimes being creative is not creating something completely new, but combining elements together in a different way.”
Park also believes in understanding their client’s communication style to get everyone on the same page. “Different clients have different ways of communicating,” they say. “We do our best as a team to adapt to that, as well as being very open with our skills and availability. Often, it’s about checking to make sure that we have the same vision.”
"The Shift", Garden Eight
Their design process hinges on plenty of preliminary research, collaboration, and playing with different styles. “I try to start by researching the subject or client as much as possible and figuring them out. From there, I add some characteristics and new technological possibilities to the design,” Park says. “I’ll often also research possible collaborators in order to add a new style to my design.”
To balance strategy, the creative process, and their own time, Park limits how many revisions clients can make to the design. “It’s very hard to meet deadlines when I’m constantly fielding new ideas from the client,” they say. Additionally, Park finds that a task planner keeps them focused, motivated, and on track with what needs to get done.
While the design world can be demanding, Park enjoys the variety of different projects they get to work on and continually looks for additional opportunities to open up to and learn from other people. In their spare time, Park loves fashion and cooking. “Fashion has always been part of my lifestyle. I enjoy how different brands materialize their ideas. It’s also fun to figure out my body and learn what fits me and what doesn’t,” they say. “Cooking became a huge part of my lifestyle in college. It is very fulfilling to work with my own hands as well.”
Whether in the culinary world, experimenting with fashion, or using their hands to create stunning new designs, it’s clear that Jiyu Park is going places.
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