IllustrationX - Dongkyu Lim portfolio

With a creative style inspired by the great poster art of the early 20th century, Dongkyu Lim is an illustrator who evokes a sense of nostalgia in his work, but combines it with contemporary themes and lively colour palettes that play a melody for the eyes. Based in Chicago, he works across campaigns, packaging, publishing and more, for leading brands in a wide range of industries.

Originally from Seoul, South Korea, Dongkyu has degrees in both Psychology and Graphic Design, but has followed his true passion to create illustrations. The visual ephemera of the world around him feeds that passion, and he’s a magpie for everything from newspaper and magazine layouts to packaging to innovative social media posts. Clients always appreciate his ideas, punctuality and proactive approach. From modernist paintings to product design and architecture, the Art Deco and Bauhaus movements have had a great influence on Dongkyu’s aesthetic. He has pored over the work of Roger Broders, Joseph Binder and Cassandre, as well as Kandinsky, whose use of depth and geometry have inspired his own imagery. And, based in Chicago he is always surrounded buildings by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe – a favourite architect.

Approach

When he starts a project, Dongkyu first seeks references, often from his archive of found imagery, and brings together relevant information and images. Then the sketching begins, using graphite and coloured pencils, or pastels. The imagery is scanned and taken into Adobe Illustrator where he completes the work as a vector file.

Key software

Adobe Illustrator

Style

With dramatic lighting, bold colour palettes and dynamic perspectives, Dongkyu Lim’s illustrations look and feel like old movie poster art, right down to textures that replicate 20th century printing techniques. It’s his own unique take on Art Deco image-making.