In this Twos Talks interview, Ji Lee shares how rejected designs, personal projects, and creative curiosity shaped his journey from an unknown designer to one of the most recognizable creative directors in the tech industry.
In this episode, Ji Lee talks about:
• Growing up in South Korea and discovering graphic design
• Why personal projects became central to his creative life
• The story behind the Bubble Project
• How a simple sticker experiment turned advertising into public conversation
• Having many design ideas rejected early in his career
• How personal projects led agencies to discover his work
• Getting hired at Droga5 through the Bubble Project
• Why personal projects often reveal more about a designer than commercial work
• The difference between advertising and authentic communication
• Why brands struggle with one-way communication
• Creativity as a form of problem solving
• Helping his parents connect with their grandchildren through design
• Why designers should always make time for personal projects
• And how curiosity can shape an entire creative career
What personal project has had the biggest impact on your creative journey?

Timecodes
00:00 Intro
00:20 Ji Lee
01:28 Born in Korea, Raised in Brazil
05:00 Working in an agency
08:20 When it's not working
10:15 Starting the personal projects
16:50 Bubble Project
19:27 Finding time for personal projects
21:52 Steps to becoming a Creative Director
26:16 Ad break
27:05 Interaction with audience
30:30 Drawing for my grandchildren
35:15 Dancing
36:18 Humor in graphic design
41:08 Art in Graphic Design
44:00 History of graphic design
47:33 Finding your style in design
49:30 Current projects
52:40 Top 5 Favorite artists & designers

🎨 Design and artwork courtesy of www.pleaseenjoy.com

Intro animation by: Miray Erdeve
👉 Subscribe for more episodes of Twos Talks
👉 Merch: https://shop.twosstudio.com/
👉 Full Twos Studio video archive and exclusive articles: https://twosstudio.com/
👉 Support us on Patreon:
/ twosstudio