Making a Living by Loving Design
An interview with our Senior Graphic Designer, Judy Chun
“I’m so thankful to be doing something that I really love. I see creativity as an extension of myself, and as something I can offer to the community.”
Meet Judy Chun, Senior Graphic Designer on our Content Design Team. Judy has been with Flipp for almost a year and a half, spreading happiness around the office and partaking in very intense Mario Kart matches from time to time. A great asset to the team, Judy is always striving to innovate with her work, pioneer projects, and create practical solutions for our retail partners.
We sat down with Judy to ask her a few questions about her experience at Flipp and what keeps her inspired as a designer.
So Judy, tell us a bit about your background.
My path towards becoming a professional creative began when I immigrated with my family to Canada at seven years old. One of the main reasons they decided to move us here was so that my sister and I could have the freedom to pursue whatever we were passionate about. Because of my parents’ decision, I was able to focus on the arts, whereas in Korea that wouldn’t have been seen as a successful career.
In high school, I continued to nurture my talent and dabbled in every aspect of art. I had some amazing high school teachers who encouraged me to study design in university, where I discovered my love for art history. Three years into my studies, I refined my design skills after a prof from New York opened my eyes to new ways of designing. Then, I landed my first gig as an intern at a beauty company and learned all the fundamentals of working in the industry. My creative director was a strong mentor who taught me everything that I know today.
Can you tell us more about your experience at university?
I took a lot from studying art history, because I got to learn from professors who were working in the industry, and they introduced me to the different specializations within design. I do feel that it’s good to pursue traditional areas of study, although they’re not completely necessary in terms of coming into the design industry, or even learning how to utilize a lot of technical design programs. I enjoyed studying art history because it’s an area that I have a lot of appreciation for, and it was a great foundation to supplement my practice and stimulate my creativity.
What do you like about working at Flipp?
What I enjoy most about Flipp is definitely the culture. I feel that Flipp is a company that invests in every individual. There are so many initiatives including coaching, knowledge sharing sessions, and design critiques that help you develop in terms of career growth and other aspects of your life outside of work.
What aspect of your role do you enjoy the most?
I love the “team-first” attitude that Flipp has. It’s something that resonates with me and gives me an opportunity to work closely with designers who share my passion. This mentality is a great way to learn, teach, and bounce new ideas off each other, which has helped me grow immensely.
What do you find challenging about your job?
I think the biggest challenge as a creative individual is finding the balance between work and passion. In my day-to-day role, I have to adhere to certain guidelines and work within limitations, especially when working with retailers who have established aesthetics. I think that it’s important to stay hungry, eager, and to bring my best to work every day, which is why I actively pursue other creative outlets outside of work. I often engage in creative projects during my spare time so that I can expand my craft in different areas.
What does it mean to be a leader, and what opportunities have you had to show leadership at Flipp?
To me, being a leader means prioritizing the goals of my team. It means making decisions that are best for the team so that everyone can grow together towards a shared goal. I mentored some of our junior graphic designers through one-on-one sessions and providing tailored feedback that helped the other designers improve was a fun challenge for me. I loved having the chance to share what I had learned from my own mentors and experiences, while helping my peers grow their design skills.
If you could switch roles with anyone else at Flipp, whose job would you want?
I have always been intrigued by the arts, and my desire to create sprouted from drawing. That’s why if I were to switch jobs with anyone else at Flipp, it would be with Mary, our illustrator on the Design Team. Sometimes when I look at the more hands-on work that she’s able to do, I’m very inspired and wonder what it would’ve been like if I took that route. I’m happy with the career path that I chose, though.
What activities or hobbies do you do outside of work? How do you unwind?
I love traveling. Traveling has been an amazing new experience for me, and so far my favourite trip was to Italy two years ago. There’s something about Europe in general that I love. Being able to immerse myself in a culture that’s so different from what I’m used to is really eye-opening. When I’m not traveling, I enjoy spending quality time with my friends. I’m an extrovert, so I think being with others is what helps me turn my “work mode” off sometimes.
Where do you find inspiration? Is there something that motivates you?
I feel inspired by culture. It’s interesting to see how culture affects the different design styles of each country. When I traveled back to Korea after I’d started working in the design field, I took notice of the different elements in Asian typography, which was really cool because it’s different from traditional design. Another way that I access inspiration is through design books. It’s a good way to keep up with new and upcoming styles and to get a feel for what other artists are doing.
Having the opportunity to design and be creative is what motivates me. I see creativity as an extension of myself, and as something I can offer to the community. I feel like I’m playing my role in doing something that I’m good at, so I want to use that talent to do meaningful things.
What was the greatest advice someone has ever given you?
One thing I can recall my dad saying when I was young, directly translated from Korean is, “the scariest thing in the world is habit”. It doesn’t mean scary in the traditional sense, but it’s more about the impact that habit can have on your life. You can interpret it as “habit develops character”. I try to live with this in mind, being a little more intentional in all of my actions.
Lastly, what career advice would you give to your younger self?
Seek out your passions when you’re young. It’s a gift to be able to understand and discover what you enjoy doing. Nurture that talent or interest, and grow it into something that you can do for the rest of your life. You’ll spend a lot of time at work so it’s important to enjoy what you’re doing.
Interested in joining the Flipp team? Check out our careers page for all the positions we’re currently hiring for.
