We asked Min to tell us everything ATypI members could ever want to know about her. She had much to share.
Please provide us with your bio.
Min-Young Kim is a trilingual typography consultant, project manager, and researcher specializing in CJK-Latin typography. After completing her Master’s degree at Musashino Art University in the history and modern usage of CJK-Latin multiscript typesetting, Min developed her career in the font business as a type project manager at Japanese type foundries Morisawa and Fontworks. In 2020, Min founded Studio Em Dash, dedicated to multilingual type development and typographic consultancy.
Min is also an active writer and speaker on CJK typography, presenting at esteemed conferences such as AtypI and TypeCon. Her passion lies in expanding the possibilities of fonts in various products and sharing the joy of their selection and use.
Give us a sentence that perfectly describes your love for type.
Type is a bridge-maker of language, culture, race, and idea.
Before this year, were you a member of ATypI? If so, when?
Since 2020, before the website’s renewal (so on the website, it only says from 2023).
Were you previously a member of the ATypI board, or a country delegate? If so, when?
Sadly, didn’t have an opportunity yet.
Describe your experience/involvement with ATypI activities.
I attended and gave talks at ATypI conferences. Talks: ATypI 2019 Tokyo, ATypI 2024 Brisbane. Attendance: 2019 Tokyo, 2021 Tech Talks, 2023 Paris, 2024 Brisbane.
Tell us about your current and past involvement with other type and design organizations.
Giving talks: 2020 TypeLab Typographics NYC (online), 2022 Raabs conference by tga (typographische gesellschaft Austria), 2024 TypeCon Portland. Jury member for the D&AD Awards 2021 and 2023 Type Design category. Glyphs workshop with GlyphsApp in Japan and Korea 2019, 2023.
Describe your leadership experience with other nonprofits and work with conferences, workshops, publications, teaching, or other activities in the type, design, tech, and related communities.
I’ve been organizing official Glyphs workshops in Japan and Korea for Glyphs, from planning, finding, and arranging venues and companies/designers who are willing to support, getting budgets, scheduling, following up with people, setting up marketing material and social promotion, etc. Also, I’m in charge of social media assets (including writing) for Google Fonts Japanese and Korean releases from 2020—because I’m the project manager for CJK-type development at Google Fonts (as a vendor, not an employee).
Why should ATypI members elect you to represent them on the board of directors?
I decided to run for AtypI board of directors because of two reasons
- I strongly believe that as a trilingual Asian woman, I could be an important role model and bridge-builder in this type realm. I was born in South Korea, raised both in Korea and Japan, and educated at an international school. I don’t have any country or city that I can call “hometown,” and I don’t have a “mother tongue” because I’m native to all Korean, Japanese, and English. Some could say I’m no one from nowhere, representing nothing, but I say I can be representative of everyone from everywhere. Because I don’t have a specific biased point of view, I could transcreate (not translate) one type/culture/language to the other.
- I can contribute to the project management part of the board. I’ve been working as a type project manager for all my career. I’m confident at planning and managing projects/events/people, scheduling, following up, budgeting, problem-solving, and even writing and proofing contracts. ATypI is a very honored and important organization in the type realm that should be preserved and continued to the future generations of type. I’m hoping to be a part of supporting in any way to carry on ATypI’s legacy and spread the joy of type.
Answers and materials were provided by the candidate as part of their self-nomination for the ATypI board election. Candidate is a paid ATypI member in good standing and agrees to remain so if they are elected.