LEFT: MESS-UP MAN, 2004. The 6-foot plastic figure promotes the mess-up service that provides “Quality Mess” for people who love to clean but have nothing left to clean. TOP MIDDLE: LOST PIGEON FLYER, 2004. This flyer was distributed all over New York’s upper east side. TOP RIGHT: POETRY FOR THE LOST PIGEON, 2004. This is Kang’s visual translation of the voice messages he had received in response to his lost pigeon notice; BOTTOM: DESIGN CAMP POSTER (FRONT AND BACK), 2005. The poster was aimed to attract high school students to attend the University of Minnesota Design Institute and Target Co. Design Camp. “Extreme mouse labor but fun,” says Kang of the experience.

Joon Mo Kang, Office of Joon Mo Kang Latin Name: Seriosulys Hilaris Age: 32 917.763.9603 | www.joonswebsite.com

Joon Mo Kang sees graphic design as a synthesis of his equal but divergent interests in art and science. Before enrolling at SVA he studied fine art and illustration and also worked as a computer technician, with the intention of becoming a scientist. The dual threads of his early career can be traced back to his childhood in Seoul, Korea, where his mother is an artist, and his father has a background in mathematics. “I think it makes sense that I am a graphic designer,” says Kang.

Today, Kang works for The New York Times as a freelance designer and for his SVA tutor Paul Sahre. “It’s a pleasure to work with good people who have common interests and views,” says Kang. “The New York Times is also very exciting—the work environment is constantly fast-paced, and the people are really talented.” Kang believes less in specialization and more in “basic design principles.” He’s done book covers, illustrations for the Times, and posters. He recently finished a promotional campaign for the Sundance Channel, and is currently working on the Society of Publication Designers’ new book. He’s also had a chance to co-curate a show called Portfolio*, featuring students of the past three years from Sahre’s portfolio class at SVA.

The project that has already attracted attention is Kang’s portfolio/ thesis work in which he explored the idea of “Nonsense.” He designed a “Lost” flyer for a pigeon and posted 1,000 of the mini-posters all over the Upper East Side of Manhattan. The flyer included a phone number to call if someone had information about the pigeon. Callers heard a message regarding the pigeon and then left their own. Kang received thousands of messages.

He designed the flyer carefully in order to balance two impulses. He wanted it “to look like it was made by an average person,” but he also wanted it to function communicatively. “I didn’t know what would happen,” reflects Kang, “but then people made sense of something that initially didn’t make sense at all.” This approach served him well throughout his thesis project. He also created a 2D chair sculpture, a mess-up service (as opposed to a clean-up service), and Punny Pop (a line of candy pops with flavors such as “sky”).

Beyond school, he also designed a nonsensical poster for University of Minnesota Design Institute and Target Co.’s annual Design Camp. The program enables teenagers to explore their creativity through workshops taught by designers. “I actually participated in these workshops,” says Kang. “It opened my eyes to the possibility of becoming a teacher some day.”
Alice Twemlow