Meet Youna Jang

We were lucky to catch up with Youna Jang recently and have shared our conversation below.

Youna, so great to have you on the platform and excited to have you share your wisdom with our community today. Communication skills often play a powerful role in our ability to be effective and so we’d love to hear about how you developed your communication skills.
As an art director, effective communication is one of, if not the most important skill sets one can have, as a typical day revolves around speaking to designers, project managers, and clients on a variety of different topics. No two clients, colleagues, and people are the same which makes it all the more important to learn how to adapt your style of communication to convey thoughts and ideas in the most effective manner as it can be the difference between a success and failure.

With English being my second language, effective communication is something I value deeply, whether I am giving it or receiving it. Preparing ahead of time has been extremely helpful for me because having a good understanding of the clients wants and needs allows me to easily convey my thoughts in a clear and concise manner, which is another aspect that I believe is necessary for effective communication. I am also always cognizant of my tone and delivery given that there is always a possibility that what I say may be misinterpreted in a negative fashion. Minimizing this risk puts me in the best position to serve my clients and colleagues.

Lastly, I am always actively listening. Active listening goes beyond just listening but goes deeper in ways such as asking the right questions, providing feedback and doing what you can to foster a collaborative working environment. I find that If you are able to do this efficiently, the rest comes naturally.

With that being said, I am by no means a perfect communicator. It is a craft that I will work on for the rest of my life. Everyone makes mistakes and it’s how you learn from these mistakes that allows you to be better than you were yesterday.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
To give a little bit more about myself, currently I’m working as an art director at Pastilla, a design agency located in Pasadena, California. Most recently, I’ve worked for public sectors such as the City of Los Angeles, City of Pasadena, and City of Corona in addition to private/nonprofit sectors like the Golden Globes, Lennar, Metrolink, and Clean Power Alliance. Through these projects,The Pastilla creative team and I have produced award-winning work for a variety of branding initiatives, marketing campaigns, experience design, and more!

City branding has been one of my dream projects, and this year I have been fortunate to be able to work with the City of Corona. Although still a work in progress, it has been so rewarding and is a project I am already extremely proud of. For this project, I was heavily involved in all phases including the discovery phase where we spoke to residents, and city council members in order to learn more about the history and the people who bring life to the the city, to the brand strategy and implementation phase where we discussed then brought to life the city’s core values, and brand identity into tangible assets.

Implementing a design system for a city is no easy feat so I want to give a shout out to the Pastilla team (Kaitlin Hook, Mark McDonald, Tyron Akal, Viri Serrano, Gabriel Cespedes, Josephine Law, Mark Yoder and Rudy Manning) and I also want to thank the client for trusting us with this very meaningful project for the City of Corona.

The shape of my work can be very different depending on the purpose and goal of each project, but one unique thing about me as an art director is that I love exploring outside of what I believe is my niche. Getting out of my comfort zone and collaborating with other unique creatives not only expands my artistic skill set, but allows me to take inspiration from the outside and utilize it towards what I do best.

You can learn more about my project and creative process here:

https://shoutoutla.com/meet-youna-jang-creative-art-director/

http://voyagela.com/interview/daily-inspiration-meet-youna-jang/

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
To me, the three attributes that have helped me become the person I am today are reliability, flexibility, and hard-work.

Reliability is being trustworthy, dependable, and consistent all in one. When an individual is reliable, they can be counted on to follow through on their commitments and promises, which consequently fosters trust, a positive reputation, and strong relationships with the people around you.

Flexibility is another attribute that has helped shape who I am today. Being able to adapt to changing circumstances and situations while also being open to trying new things, will give you an advantage over those who cannot.

Lastly, hard work requires persistence, determination, and a strong work ethic. I really resonate with the saying “Luck is when hard work meets opportunity.” No matter how hard things may seem, if you keep working at honing your craft, you will eventually come out on top.

For individuals who are early in their journey and want to develop or improve on any of the three attributes above, here are some pieces of advice: set goals, learn from your mistakes, be open to feedback, practice self-discipline, embrace challenges, and adopt a growth mindset.

Tell us what your ideal client would be like?
Over the years, I’ve worked for a wide variety of clients, big and small. No matter the size, I’ve found that I have enjoyed working with clients who look to create a positive impact in their industry. The ideal client for me has motives in giving good to the world while being ethically healthy internally as well because in my experience, clients who care about their employees are also good with their partner relationships on many levels. I find excitement in working on projects that have the potential to grow bigger than intended. I also like challenges that startups and small businesses often have, such as tight budgets and timelines as it often makes me think outside the box.

Another characteristic of an ideal client would be one who values creative work and process. I want my client to be just as invested in the project as I am. Having clients that understand and appreciate the deep strategic thinking that goes into my work while also matching my energy really helps in bringing the best product forward.

Last but not least, I have a heart for women owned, minority businesses. As an immigrant myself, I am so grateful to be living what I believe is the American dream. To be in a position and have a platform to help others, it doesn’t get better than that.

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