June Shin
Creative Director
Front endpapers of Stanford d.school: Teaching + Learning Yearbook 2021–2022
How and why did you choose to become a designer?
After studying art history, I spent my first year out of college interning at art galleries and museums. When I got to MoMA as a curatorial intern, I got so interested in what the museum’s design department was doing that I asked the Head of Design at the time to let me spend a day shadowing the designers. I had also signed up for a typography class through SVA’s Continuing Education, not knowing what typography is but intrigued. By the time my internship came to an end, I knew I wanted to learn more about this thing called ‘graphic design’ more than I wanted to continue my studies to become a curator. I enrolled at Parsons to take some introductory design courses and a year later found myself in RISD’s MFA Graphic Design program.
What are some of the challenges you encounter as a designer and how do you deal with them?
The most perennial challenge I face is figuring out the goal of the project at hand. Even when there is a brief, the real goal is often obscured or misplaced. I try to find out as much as I can about the subject matter and/or the client during the initial stages and ask questions that might get me closer to where I need to be in order to start designing.
What is your definition of an “elegant solution,” that is, good design?
Nothing can be evaluated out of context. In my opinion, good design does what it set out to do for the audience for which it was made.
Reminders, the winning design of the Noguchi Museum's 2022 Open Call for Artist Banners
From skills to values, what makes a designer successful?
A designer (or any person) is successful when they use their skills according to their values.
How do you stay motivated and grow personally and professionally as a designer?
Curiosity and humility are at the core of both my personal and professional growth.
Curiosity: What is it? How does it work? Why? Can it be different?
Humility: I don’t know enough about this, but I want to learn more.
For those aspiring to become a designer, whatever the discipline, what is your advice?
Figure out how you learn best. Tools change. Needs change. Roles change. Times change. Adaptability—your ability to pick up new skills and keep an open mind—will be crucial, especially in the coming years.
Poster for Parsons Communication Design department's Fall 2023 lecture series
What is your quest in design, from a professional practice, education or evolution standpoint?
I don’t have any grand quest. I hope to continue to evolve and develop an intentional practice.
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Wishing you much success,
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