Bangkok Illustration Fair 2023 (BKKIF 2023) attracted participants from 10 different countries. One of the prominent applicants is Infographics Lab 203, an infographic design studio from South Korea. The studio's founder, Jang Sung-hwan, attended the event in person. The BKKIF team invited him to join a discussion alongside other international artists, including Emen Lo from China and Tonia Tkach from Israel. Together, they shared their experiences and perspectives on the art scene in their respective countries. The full discussion is available on the Bangkok Illustration Fair Facebook page.

     When the happening team met Jang Sung-hwan at BKKIF 2023, we were struck by his approachable personality and open-mindedness as a designer. However, due to his tight schedule, we had to arrange a follow-up interview afterward, where we learned about his interesting story featured in this interview.

     Let's explore the meaning behind infographics from a designer committed to communicating valuable information that is accessible to everyone. Especially when viewing the works of Infographics Lab 203, you will have a deeper understanding of the world of infographics.

     My name is Jang Sung-hwan, and I am currently the CEO of 203 X Design Studio. I earned my bachelor's and master's degrees in Visual Design from Hongik University, a prestigious art university in South Korea. My master's thesis was A Study on Non-Textual Information Transmission Systems. After graduating, I founded the graphic news team of Yonhap News, a major Korean media outlet, and served as the art director for Weekly Donga and Science Donga at Donga Ilbo Newspaper.

     In 2003, I founded my own company, Design Studio 203, located in front of Hongik University. Then, in 2009, I founded the neighborhood local magazine Street H, where I recorded cultural news and people around Hongik University. In 2012, I founded Infographics Lab 203 and organized Korea's first infographic group exhibition.

     Since 2018, I have had opportunities to present my work at conferences in Hong Kong, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Germany, and have held infographic workshops in Beijing, Shenzhen, Xi'an in China, and Augsburg in Germany, receiving very positive feedback.

     So far, 203 has also received gold and silver awards from famous international awards such as Red Dot, Graphis, PRINT Magazine, and Asian Media Awards.

     The 203's infographic workshop is held for 4 days. As mentioned, we have conducted workshops in Beijing, Shenzhen, and Xi'an in China, as well as at Augsburg University of Technology in Germany and several universities in South Korea. Typically, for a 4-day workshop, if we spend 6 hours a day, splitting between the morning and afternoon, participants can create impressive infographics by learning the infographic-making process from 203. The 203's infographic process is a reasonable and effective method that goes beyond language, letter, and cultural barriers. It would be a good opportunity to hold a workshop in Bangkok as well.

     We have 4 designers, 3 writers, 1 editor, and Momo the Manager. Momo was rescued from my apartment in 2016. Since then, he has been living in our office - attending design-related meetings, and directing. He likes to get involved, is curious about everything, and has a lot of affection for people.

     The 203 staff members are all in their 20s. So they are young and have a strong spirit of challenge. Before joining the company, they had never received any professional training in infographic design. After joining the company, they have grown into professional infographic designers.

     Steve Jobs said in his commencement speech at Stanford University in 2006 that when he connected many different dots from his past experiences, they became lines, and those lines led to his current self.

     I am the same. I also took many dots of my experiences. At one point, those dots led me to a path of magazine design. However, when I connected other dots again, they led me to infographics. I was interested in media such as magazines and newspapers, it was not just about design. As a designer, I was not satisfied merely with designing; gathering information, structuring it, and deriving insights is an exciting task for me. Moreover, the work of making it visually and intuitively was really exciting for me.

     In 2003, I quit my last job at Dong-A Ilbo and started my own business. I wanted to create my own design studio and work on the projects that I was passionate about. However, reality was not easy. When I first started my business, I wanted to position it as Korea's first infographic company, but at that time, there were no Korean clients interested in infographic work. So, I continued to do graphic design as a design editor, as I had done before. However, client work often left me feeling unsatisfied, and there were many situations where I disagreed as a designer.

     By around 2010, infographics began to gain recognition in Korea. So in 2012, I held an infographic group exhibition with my juniors who were in charge of infographics at a newspaper company. And that is when I founded Infographics Lab 203 but I still wasn't given many infographic projects. So in June 2015, I started making one infographic poster every month as my own project.

     At first, even my acquaintances were worried. They were concerned about how I could produce such difficult work every month. However, we managed to create one piece each month without missing a single month. Now, there are over a hundred infographic pieces. This poster series has brought us many opportunities, allowing us to participate in international conferences, hold infographic workshops, and receive numerous awards from prestigious international platforms.

     I would like to talk about our design work, which is not limited to just infographics. It is "Context first, Design next." We start by gathering information, categorizing, analyzing, and structuring it. The structuring of information must come first, then we visually structure that structured information.

     Most graphic design projects go through planners, writers, and others first before the design is finalized. However, infographic design is done by designers — at least that's how it works at 203. Our design team takes the lead in selecting topics, researching, and analyzing the data themselves.

     The big difference is that the designers, who have thoroughly studied the content, are the ones organizing that information into the optimal visual form. The information is always thorough, and the final visuals must be designed to match that quality. It is similar to how Apple handles both the OS and hardware themselves.

     Language and writing are acquired through education. Most of the information and knowledge in the world is conveyed through language and writing. However, people who do not learn reading and writing, even if they speak the local language of their country, may still find it challenging to understand information through such format. On the other hand, images and visual information have the advantage of being universally digestible without requiring any prior education. I would say that an infographic is effective in democratizing information and a very good communication method that can communicate beyond language and writing.

     When I teach at universities, students really enjoy drawing. They had developed this skill since they were young, so their drawing abilities have greatly developed. However, when doing assignments or projects, they often start drawing without having enough research or proper analysis beforehand. Many of them rely on references from platforms like Pinterest or Behance. This approach has a very negative impact on the process of all design fields, not just infographics. That is why I always emphasize: "Context first, Design next."

     On the contrary, infographic designers should prioritize reading, categorizing, and analyzing text, character, and numeric information first. They should set aside their desire to design and concentrate on their analytical thinking skills to absorb the information. This is often a challenging step for many students and young designers.

     If you trace the beginning of infographics, you will come across the Altamira Cave in Spain. It was a time before language and writing. Even then, information was recorded, but it was done through pictures and images. As time passed, the development of languages, the invention of writing, and regional differences caused global communication to drift apart. For example, the letter "A" and the Chinese character "牛" originally came from the shape of a cow's head, but now they are pronounced and used differently.

     What is interesting is how icons have become a means of global communication, thanks to the Graphical User Interface (GUI) of Apple's Macintosh. In addition to icons, pictograms, like those seen at the Olympics or in public places, have made visual communication more accessible.

     If icons and pictograms are like words, then infographics are more like sentences or bundles of information. They reduce the reliance on text and turn information into something visual and easy to understand. In other words, they make understanding intuitive. This is our motto at 203 and the ultimate goal and value of infographics.

When 203 started in 2003, it was called Design Studio 203. Over time, I noticed that the word "design" in Korea had lost its original, positive meaning. I felt the meaning had shifted from solving the world's problems to only meeting client demands. So, in 2016, I removed "design" from the company's name, so we were just 203. As we focus on our infographic work, we now call it Infographics Lab 203.

203 was the room number of the semi-basement space I used as my studio before I graduated from university. I wanted to keep that name as a reminder of where I came from. I will not forget what 203 stands for, and I will continue to visually record positive information and wisdom about life and society.

Through our work, we also want to produce and share a variety of content while growing into a sustainable business. Additionally, we will continue to develop programs to teach teenagers who want to learn infographics — regardless of their language or background.