Kyuha (Q) Shim — Portfolio

Made in 2015–2020

As a National Steering Committee Member of AIGA's Design Educators Community and Education Director of AIGA Pittsburgh, I have contributed to design education at both regional and national levels.

I initiated/directed
AIGA Design Educators Survey
a national survey to investigate the current landscape of design education from multiple perspectives, including the academic, economic, political, social, cultural, and technological spheres of design.

Computational Design Practices
a new publication series to explore the areas, concepts, skills, and perspectives of computational design through conversations with design practitioners and educators.

AIGA PGH Confluence 2021
A convening designed to build connections among design educators in the Greater Pittsburgh Area and to provide graduating students with opportunities to network with local professionals.

I co-initiated
Design+Writing Fellowship
a new fellowship focused on visual essays/narratives as a way for faculty members to build their case for tenure.

I participated
AIGA Wiki Scholar
an initiative to build and expand more comprehensive and diverse design histories, publicly available on Wikipedia.

Kyuha (Q) Shim, FRSA is a designer, researcher and Professor in the Department of Design at Korea National University of Arts, where he directs cciD (Center for Creative Intelligence Design). He was previously an Associate Professor of Design and Director of the Computational Creativity Lab at Carnegie Mellon University. He served as a National Steering Committee Member for the Design Educators Community (DEC) of the American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA) and Education Director of AIGA Pittsburgh. Recently, Shim collaborated on a National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) supported design research and publication, Code as Creative Medium (Levin and Brain, 2021), for which he also contributed an essay titled, 'Notes on Computational Book Design'. GRAPHIC #37: Introduction to Computation (ed. Shim, 2016), a collection of conversations and interviews with graphic design practitioners and researchers on the role of computation in design.
          Prior to his current affiliations, Shim worked as a research fellow (Data Visualization Specialist) at MIT's SENSEable City Laboratory in Cambridge, MA (2012–2013) and as a researcher at the Jan van Eyck Academie in Maastricht, Netherlands (2013–2014). Throughout his career, he has been awarded residencies and fellowships, including those at Frans Masereel Centrum in Kasterlee, Belgium (2017), Facebook's Analog Research Lab in Menlo Park, CA (2019), and Design Incubation: Research in Communication Design in New York, NY (2021). He also worked as a designer at LUST in The Hague, Netherlands (2011), and Vinyl-i in Seoul, Korea (2009–2010). He conducted doctoral research in Visual Communication at the Royal College of Art, holds an MFA with honors in Digital+Media from the Rhode Island School of Design, and a BFA in Digital Media Design from Hongik University.

          Shim works in the integrative and interdisciplinary realm of art, design, and technology, with a particular interest in the language of systems. Central to his practice and research is the use of computational thinking as a methodology for design in creating generative systems informed and driven by data. His work and research have been featured internationally (e.g., AIGA Eye on Design, Design Observer, GRAPHIC, IDPURE, Typeroom, Walker Art Center's Gradients, Wired) and he has received numerous honors from Adobe Design Achievement Awards, A'Design, The American Institute of Graphic Arts, core77, Graphis, red dot Design Award, iF Design Award, IEEE, International Design Awards, International Society of Typographic Designer, The Association of Registered Graphic Designers, The Society of Typographic Arts, Spark, Type Directors Club (New York & Tokyo) and Output Award. He has exhibited internationally in museums and galleries including Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum in New York, Miller Institute of Contemporary Art in Pittsburgh, National Museum of the Republic in Brasilia, National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Seoul, and ggg Gallery in Tokyo and in design festivals such as Open AGI, Beijing Design Week, Dubai Design Week, London Design Festival, Typojanchi (International Typography Biennial) and Seoul Design Olympic.
          Selected past project archives: Visibl[e]co (2012). For inquiries about current work, get in touch.

Code as Creative Medium. 2020. The first book published by MIT Press to be designed entirely through code, supported by a Media Arts grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. Shim contributed the essay 'Notes on Computational Book Design' (Levin and Brain, 2021).

De+Composition. 2019. A generative visual system created during a Designer-in-Residence fellowship at Facebook's Analog Research Lab (Menlo Park, CA), July–August 2019.

Raster. 2017. A series of generative print works produced during a research residency at Frans Masereel Centrum, Belgium (May–July 2017), sponsored by Carnegie Mellon University.

The Art of Selection. 2016. A computational installation commissioned for the Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Triennial: Beauty (2016) and subsequently exhibited at the San Jose Museum of Art (2016–2017). A new iteration was presented at LACMA's Digital Witness: Revolutions in Design, Photography, and Film (2024).

Formation. 2016. Commissioned by Alliance Graphique Internationale (AGI) for its Special Project Exhibition at the AGI Conference in Seoul. A generative system offering a critical perspective on responsive design through continuous transitions and scaling of graphic forms.

GRAPHIC #37, 'Introduction to Computation'. 2016. A special issue of GRAPHIC magazine guest-edited by Shim, drawn from his doctoral research. The issue brings together conversations with leading practitioners and researchers to examine the evolving role of computation in graphic design. Winner, Type Directors Club 63 (2017).

One Remix. 2015. Commissioned by Adrian Shaughnessy for the special exhibition at Typojanchi 2015 (Seoul). A generative recomposition of all exhibition elements—essays, posters, and graphic works—into a unified, evolving visual system. Winner, STA 100 (2016).

G50 Wall. 2014. A real-time digital installation for the Graphics RCA 50 exhibition, aggregating and visualizing all alumni submissions into a continuously evolving display. Winner, Graphis Design Annual Silver (2016).

G T: Generative Typography (2013–2015)

G T: Generative Typography
Contemporary graphic design increasingly draws on computational thinking and parametric methods, from the design of digital typefaces to the development of custom generative tools. By programming their own instruments, designers transform the computer from a production tool into a creative medium: one that translates design logic into systems capable of automating formal abstractions with precision and speed.
G T explores the possibilities of generative form-giving in typography through algorithmic and real-time processes. Form is defined by ranges of values across parameters, enabling a flexible and iterative practice. As these values respond to incoming data, typographic compositions continuously evolve, each iteration a new expression of the underlying system.

Books and Anthologies

Lupton, Ellen. Type on Screen: A Guide for Designers, Developers, Writers, and Students. New York: Princeton Architectural Press, 2014. Print, 196–97.

Richardson, Andrew. Data-driven Graphic Design: Creative Coding for Visual Communication. London: Bloomsbury, 2016. Print, 99.

Park, Y., ed. Touch Type: Research on Body and Typography. Seoul: Korea Craft & Design Foundation, 2016. Print, 396–97.

Annuals and Catalogues

Lipps, Andrea, and Ellen Lupton, eds. Beauty: Cooper Hewitt National Design Triennial. New York: Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum, 2015. Print, 240–43.

Park, H., ed. International Typography Biennial. Seoul: Ahn Graphics, 2015. Print, 224–33.

Typography 38. TDC 63 Annual. New York: Harper Design, 2017. Print.

Salvesen, Britt, and Staci Steinberger, eds. Digital Witness: Revolutions in Design, Photography, and Film. Los Angeles: LACMA / DelMonico Books, 2024. Print.

Periodicals

“The Year of 36 Young Designers in Asia.” Designnet 160. Seoul: Designnet, 2010. Print.

Kim, K., ed. “Maps and Sense.” GRAPHIC, no. 27. Seoul: Propaganda, 2013. Print, 52–65.

Jeon, E., ed. “Kyuha Shim.” Monthly Design. Seoul: Designhouse, 2015. Print, 26.

Kim, K., ed. “Young Studio Collection.” GRAPHIC, no. 34. Seoul: Propaganda, 2015. Print, 41–44.

Häusermann, T., ed. IDPURE 39: The Swiss Magazine of Visual Creation, Graphic Design, Typography. Geneva: IDPure Editions, 2016. Print, 50–61.

Jeon, E., ed. “Ten Designers to Watch in 2016.” Monthly Design. Seoul: Designhouse, 2016. Print, 94–97.

Ro, C., ed. LetterSeed 13: Technology and Typography. Seoul: Korean Society of Typography, 2016. Print, 204–5.

Shim, K., ed. “Introduction to Computation.” GRAPHIC, no. 37. Seoul: Propaganda, 2016. Print.

Kim, K., ed. “GRAPHIC on GRAPHIC.” GRAPHIC, no. 40. Seoul: Propaganda, 2017. Print.

Web Features and Interviews

Shaughnessy, Adrian. “An Interview with Kyuha Shim.” Design Observer, December 5, 2014. Web.

Stinson, Liz. “Harnessing Algorithms to Create Shape-Shifting Typography.” Wired, March 12, 2015. Web.

“Data and Logic in Type: Kyuha Shim on His Amazing Algorithmic Typographic Quest.” Typeroom, October 29, 2021. Web.

Walker Art Center. “Vocabularies of Computation: An Interview with Kyuha (Q) Shim.” November 8, 2018. Web.

Invited Lectures, and Talks (Recorded Presentations)

Hoffmitz Milken Center for Typography. “Computational Design and Generative Typography.” Spring Ahead Lecture Series, June 8, 2021. Web.

Penn State Stuckeman School. “Computational Design Practice.” Stuckeman Fall 2022 Lecture Series, November 2, 2022. Web.

Kyuha (Q) Shim's teaching spans computational and emerging media design, focusing on designing systems for interaction through both advanced computational technologies and foundational principles of design practice.

At Carnegie Mellon University (2015–2022), Shim taught both undergraduate and graduate students and developed elective courses including Computational Design Thinking and Information and Space—both using code as a creative medium to explore future opportunities in communications and interaction.

Featured Projects at CMU

Speculating Museum Futures through Interactions more details

Graduate · 6 weeks · Carnegie Museum of Natural History

Students applied human-centered design methodology to develop future-oriented scenarios enhancing visitor interactions at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History. Working in teams, students conducted research through staff and visitor conversations, benchmarked existing practices, and identified opportunities for creative interventions using emerging technologies including AR/VR, physical computing, and projection mapping.

Artifact — Choi, Conlin, Muenzer, Park

Curio — Bachiri, Herzog, Hines, Tsai

Aspen — Ali, Choi, Gouveia, Nguyen

Futurium VR — Britto, Karavdic, Krueger, Mills

Designing Personalities for Intelligent User Interfaces more details

Graduate & Undergraduate · 6 weeks

Students selected brands without voice user interface capabilities and designed multimodal intelligent interface personalities. The assignment emphasized balancing speech and visual feedback, building systems that communicate interface states through motion, and devising dynamic visual systems that maintain integrity over time.

Pia — Cho, Muenzer, Pillai, Wang

Kai & Curai — Kedia, Krueger, LeFevre

Abby — Cha, Chan, Lee

Chef — Boyle, Dixit, Huang, Khoshoo

Designing Participatory Experiences using AIGA Design Census more details

Junior · 6 weeks

Students examined yearly AIGA and Google Design Census surveys to create data-driven artifacts and interactive systems that empower users to navigate data and generate artifacts. The project explored relationships across data to identify meaningful patterns and applied graphic design principles to create clear, engaging data representations.

Glimpse Into the Future — Jiao, J. Kim, S. Kim, Lee

AIGA Monsters — Cha, Chan, Chen, Glasser

AIGA Design Census — Fang, Lee, Saik

AIGA Census — Fields, Swarstad, Chou, Mongilio, Fulop

Additional Student Work

Prior to CMU, Shim held faculty positions at the Royal College of Art (2013–2015), where he advised graduation projects in the Information Experience Design MA Programme, and at Rhode Island School of Design (2011–2013), where his course materials and outcomes earned him the first-place Adobe Design Achievement Award for Innovation in Teaching (2012).

Lectures & Workshops

2022.10.20-22 — Presentation: AIGA Design Educators Survey, AIGA Design Conference, Seattle, WA
2022.09.07-09 — Lecture and Workshop: Designing with Data, Penn State University
2022.07 — Presentation: Computational Creativity Lab, IxDA, Pittsburgh, PA
2022.04.20 — Presentation: Generative Typography, MICA, Baltimore, MD
2021.07.16 — Workshop: DETI: Computational Editorial Design, Art Center College of Design
2021.06.18 — Presentation, TypeTech MeetUp, GRANSHAN
2021.06.08 — Keynote: Spring Ahead: Shaping Typography, Art Center College of Design
2021.04.16 — Spring Lecture Series, Hongik University, Seoul
2021.04.07 — Guest Lecture, Maine College of Art
2021.02.26 — Keynote: The Future of Typography, T/SCHOOL, Seoul
2020.11.22 — Keynote: The Rise of Computational Design, Seoul
2020.11.20 — Presentation, Design Korea Festival 2020
2020.04.28 — Designer Talk, University of Georgia
2020.03.16 — Presentation, Pratt Institute
2019.12.16-19 — Workshop, Paju Typography Institute, Seoul
2019.08.17 — Presentation, International Design Education Expo, San Jose, CA
2019.07.30 — Workshop, Analog Research Lab, Facebook
2019.03.11-15 — Keynote & Workshop, Central Academy of Fine Arts, Beijing
2019.01.09 — Workshop, Samsung Electronics, Seoul
2019.01.08 — Launch Talk, KAIST, Daejeon
2018.11.17 — Keynote, Magical RISO, Jan van Eyck Academie
2017.03.15-19 — Workshop, University of Arts, Philadelphia
2016.03 — Workshop, Kingston University, London
2016.03 — Workshop, London College of Communication
2015.11 — Workshop, Central Saint Martins, London
2015.04.15 — Guest Lecture, Seoul National University
2015.04.13 — Designer Talk, Hongik University, Seoul
2014.05 — Workshop, Royal College of Art, London
2014.04 — Designer Talk, Seoul National University
2014.04 — Designer Talk, cA Conference, Seoul
2014.04 — Designer Talk, Korea National University of Arts, Seoul
2013.09 — Workshop, Jan van Eyck Academie