Tell us a bit about yourself and how you found your way to a creative career.
Hello, WIX Playground readers! I’m Laon Kim, an illustrator based in Seoul, Korea. I draw scenes that someone once dreamed of. I've worked with clients like Vox Media, Bloomberg Businessweek, ZEITmagazin, and collaborated on the album art for Seventeen. My creative career started after I graduated from an illustration course. Though I was a design major, I was deeply interested in expressing myself through art and ended up taking just as many fine art classes. I was drawn to the freedom in creating, where as long as I have a clear intention, any medium or technique is open to me. While design was enjoyable, it felt limiting to stay within fixed guidelines, so I chose illustration as a field where I could share my own stories more freely.
How did you find your medium and style, and who and what influenced you?
Initially, my style was much more flat and geometric. I used to create with simple shapes, sometimes making collages with architectural diagrams I found in my father’s old architecture books. Later, as I began commercial work, I found the need to go beyond such a minimal style to convey more complex ideas. (I used to even restrict myself from drawing expressions on characters, but I’ve relaxed on that now; my improved skills have given me more confidence in expressing details).
Although my drawing style has varied, I think my work has a fairly consistent atmosphere. I base my backgrounds on reality, but I often include unique combinations of objects or impossibly large or small animals and objects.
When I was in university, I loved reading and writing poetry, and the way poetry conveys ideas has significantly influenced my work. Poems are full of absurd clashes—words like ‘hot ice’ or ‘melancholic joy’ might come up. The world poetry expresses is the most chaotic one, yet poetry speaks it in the calmest voice. I enjoy that kind of contradiction and aim to capture that in my illustrations.
Lately, my biggest influence has been my fiancé, who constantly supports me and provides both creative and practical insights into my work. Because of his encouragement, I created a self-portrait this year for the first time, solidifying my identity. I’m always grateful for him.
What subjects are you most fascinated with?
Right now, I’m drawn to light, stretchy materials like balloons or bubbles. In Seventeen’s FML album art, Summer Days, and Bubble Blossoms, bubbles take center stage, while balloons appear in Border Collie Syndrome for ZEITmagazin and in Life with Anxiety for a collaboration with Family Store UK.
These materials are fascinating to me because they’re light and change shape over time. When they’re hit by external forces or overinflated, they can even burst. I love that they can express both negative feelings like anxiety and emptiness, and positive ones like excitement.
When I create, I prefer not to state themes outright. I want my illustrations to allow for multiple interpretations, with layered elements that invite viewers to find their own meaning.
What illustration trend are you either loving or hating at the moment?
I’m excited to see more maximal and exquisite illustrations appearing in brand and national projects (like the Hermès campaign of Karlotta Freier and the Paris Olympics poster of Ugo Gattoni). When artists showcase their identity with an intense level of craft, I’m simultaneously envious and filled with joy as I take in their work. Also, analog techniques especially inspire me with new ideas. Through writing this interview, I’ve realized that I love art where I can feel the artist’s care and effort. In contrast, I’m less interested in “functional” AI-generated illustrations. (It’s not just disinterest—there’s a tinge of fear that my role could be replaced by “them” one day.)
How do you create characters, what inspires them, how do you use colour?
Everyday moments are my inspiration. I sometimes capture unusual scenes I come across while walking, either by snapping a photo or quickly recording my impressions in my notes. These notes often end up inspiring unexpected projects later on.
I mostly use warm and vibrant colors. In the past, I focused on strong primary colors, but lately, I’m experimenting with lower-saturation tones. I realized I was relying too much on color alone to fill the canvas.
If you had to pick a favourite project, which one are you most proud of and why?
That’s such a tough question! Out of my more recent projects, I’d say the Bloomberg Businessweek article was very satisfying. Despite the short timeline, I felt happy with the expressive choices and overall quality. My work with Eater is also memorable to me for how it captures a gentle breeze in a still image.
Describe your dream project.
I’d love to bring all the elements of Weird Wedding (WW) to life as large-scale 3D models someday. If illustrating was my way of putting my imagination on paper, this project would be a physical manifestation of my dream space.
What’s next for you?
I’m not really a planner—I just set a broad direction and go with the flow. For today, I’m planning to draw a self-portrait for 2025.
Rapid Fire Round - Quick answers! And add a few words if you like :)
Morning person or night owl?
Night owl. (I tried to be a morning person and actually was for a while, but it’s now 1 a.m. as I write this. I think I have a real owl inside me.)
Favorite word
Madeleine. (Some French words for pastry have such a cute sound in Korean. I also like “Financier” for the same reason.)
Lunch or dinner?
Dinner.
A celebrity you’d like to have a drink with
NewJeans’ Hanni (I’d probably freeze up next to her and sneak side glances.)
If you could time travel, would you go to the past or the future?
The past. (I’d go way back to Ancient Greece if I could return safely.)
Sweet or savory?
Savory!
Are you a thinker or doer?
A doer.
Go-to karaoke song
Korean songs from the 90s–00s.
City break or beach holiday?
Beach holiday.
What superpower would you like to have?
Hmm... that’s tough! I’d want the superpower to give clever answers to questions like this one.
Thank you Laon!
