A big congrats to May Kim, one of our 30 TDK Awards’ winners for 2018. A Maryland Institute College of Art graduate from New York, their work was chosen by Matt & Tim from Sons and Co: “It's exciting to see design that's rule-bending, energetic and a little barmy. Why? Because it points to new possibilities and a designer who isn't worried about what silly old judgy people think”. We asked May to answer a few questions for next years TDK Awards’ hopefuls.
What are some of your earliest creative memories and what lead you into design?
When I was 5 or 6, I used to always cut out scrap fabric and make shabby handbags. I think I got inspired a lot from origami classes and learning how to use my hands to create, way before the computers. Though, my father is a computer engineer so I was always exposed to technology. That must’ve helped me gain interest in coding and web design now.
Who are your top five design crushes right now globally?
My current design crushes are:
Braulio Amado @braulioamado
Actual Source @actualsource.work
Joonghyun Cho @joonghyuncho
ABC Dinamo @abcdinamo
Benoit Bodhuin @benoitbodhuin
Any passion projects/collabs you would like to share?
I made a series of poppy posters titled ‘Shit Hit the Fan’ for my thesis and it was one of the most fun projects I’ve done on my own. If any designers see this and want to collab on poster series with me please feel free DM me.
What has been some of the biggest lessons you’ve learnt along the way?
Biggest lesson I’ve learned is that design has no answer. What I thought was the best even half a year ago now seems very old-fashioned. Things change quickly and everyone has different taste, but definitely doesn’t mean I have to try to please everyone! (Unless it’s for a client, I guess that’s a different story.)
