Student Jaeho Shin plays with styles and approaches in his self-initiated work

Graphic design student Jaeho Shin has been working hard to develop his personal taste within his designs, trying out different styles and approaches to his work. “In the past, I used to keep my layouts and font choices fairly basic. Now, I try to do work that experiments beyond that framework and see the different ways typography and graphic imagery can work together,” explains Seoul-based Jaeho. “As I make work I’m aways refining it, trying out a variety of things that suit my personality.”

Many of Jaeho’s projects have been inspired by happy accidents or jokes with friends and this positive, spontaneous approach is reflected in his self-initiated projects. One example of this is Flow & Blow an identity for an event that celebrates the nighttime culture of Korea. Thinking of the intentions behind the event and related key words, Jaeho has adopted a tongue-in-cheek tone of voice for the branding. A banana is used as the main graphic for the naughty connections it elicits and there’s allusions to neon and digital signage in the type. Combined with the colour palette of black and red it’s a fun project that shows Jaeho’s sense of humour.

Other portfolio highlights include a restaurant identity, which is much more pared back in style in comparison but just as impactful, and a pastel-sweet identity for a clothing brand. This past year, Jaeho has been focusing on designing whole identities as they can encompass various elements like posters, marketing materials and book design among other things. “Working on these new projects brings me new challenges and allows me to take another step in my development, through the process of trial and error,” says the designer. “The important thing is that these challenges make me more excited about my job.”