STUDIO
Not a Type is an international studio developing conceptual and visual languages. These languages unfold through a variety of forms — visual identities and design systems, websites and publications, brand vision and strategies, texts and photography, objects and installations, art and curatorial projects. The studio exists as an evolving dialogue, not a static entity.
These languages unfold through identities and design systems, websites and publications, brand vision and strategies, data analysis and forecasting, texts and photography.
We consider design a linguistic medium for engaging with contemporary culture — shaping how it is seen, understood, and experience.
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In both commissioned and self-initiated projects, the studio does not define itself by a singular field. It engages with both niche and mass brands. The primary criterion is alignment: ethical, aesthetic, intellectual. Design, here, is not a service, but a conversation and a language.IDEOLOGY
The foundation of Not a Type is an ideology that has taken shape over years of practice. We prioritize cultural impact ¹, research, co-authorship, experimentation, and respect for expertise— principles that guide both process and outcome.
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Our practice is positioned to contribute to contemporary culture. Each commission is considered through the lens of impact — on individuals, institutions, and environments. Design has the ability to alter perception, whether at a systemic level or through micro-interventions in everyday life.2
Our methodology challenges assumptions. Research destabilizes the expected. Co-authorship reshapes authorship. Flexibility and experimentation define the process. We reject design as a picture-first practice, prioritizing ideas, words, and systems of meaning. We also do not view design as a service; our work is therefore project-focused, not client-focused. Through our accumulated expertise, we are able to distinguish more effective and appropriate solutions from those that are subjective or dictated by personal preference — ensuring each outcome is rooted in clarity and intent.TEAM
People and their ideas are at the heart of the studio. With a core team of three, our structure is fluid and project-oriented. We operate through an extended network of designers, data analysts, artists, illustrators, photographers, writers, and strategists — each contributing distinct perspectives and expertise.
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BRANDING/DESIGNKinam Kang kkn@notatype.com
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VISUAL COMMUNICATIONYujin Leelyj@notatype.com∅
DATA INSIGHTSSteve Kimskm@notatype.com
APPROACH
From the beginning, we rejected the notion of a signature visual style. Instead, we cultivated a signature approach — where conceptual language leads, and visual language follows as its method of articulation.
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This approach is shaped by key principles: non-objectivity, structure, irrationality, irony, tongue-in-cheekness, and metaphor. We seek new optics — reframing defaults, articulating the obvious through the unexpected, revealing what is seen but not yet noticed, and playing with conceptual inversions and linguistic games.2
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Our visual language is subtle and deliberate. We avoid the bright, the loud, and the ephemeral — not as a restraint, but as a strategy. Expression for the sake of expression is uninteresting; we aim for a form of intellectual resonance, where meaning reveals itself through context and layered interpretation.
Many of our visual solutions are structure- and text-driven. Typography and layout are not decorative but integral — an organic response to the text-centric nature of our conceptual practice.Every project is structured with depth and dimensionality — an architecture of meaning, where an engaged audience can navigate through layers, unearthing nuances and hidden references.
EXPERTISE
We develop conceptual and visual languages — and focus on their implementation, where theory and execution converge.
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BRANDING
DATA-DRIVEN MODELING