Michelle Huh
Graphic designer & Illustrator based in Bridgeport, CT
Graphic designer & Illustrator based in Bridgeport, CT
My goal is to help viewers absorb and digest information and communicate ideas by using unique and creative visuals in my work. My work explores the principles of design—balance, contrast, emphasis, harmony, pattern, contrast, movement, unity, and variety—and the elements of art—line, shape, color, form, value, texture, and space—to convey a message or purpose. For my digital work, I use programs such as Photoshop and Procreate, create vector graphics using Illustrator, and page designs (typography) utilizing InDesign.
Art has always had a huge influence on me for as long as I know. I have been creating art since I was a little girl.
Early Influences
Likes: Art, anime, and culture. I also have an unhealthy obsession for anything Ghibli and Harry Potter.
My family was full of artists—my uncle is a photographer, and my other uncle and aunt are both artists and designers. By age 5, my mother had enrolled me into ballet, cultural shows, and art classes. Around the same time, my father introduced me to me my first anime movies: Dirty Pair and Akira on VHS. Eventually, my uncle introduced Spirited Away to me for the first time and I was blown away by the visual design and story-telling. I fell in love with the whimsical artwork and how art could bring fantasy to life. Anime was a huge inspiration for my artwork growing up, and I would draw from anime shows I watched on Toonami and Ghibli films.
By the time I went to college, design and illustration became my passions that I would pursue for the rest of my life.
Through explorations of fantasy and color, my digital paintings evoke imaginary worlds for viewers to escape to or bring the viewer into my imagination. For less digital-oriented and traditional mediums, I enjoy using charcoal, ink, oil and acrylic paints. I also have a range of character concepts and illustrations done with ink that incorporate interesting shapes, patterns, and colors. Much of my work uses the combination of these mediums to create interesting compositions in design.
My artwork addresses themes and symbols of the human condition—love, grief, hope, emotion—as well as expressing my personal identity and culture as a Korean-American and daughter of immigrants. The subject matter and themes explored in my work pertain to things that I hold dearly to me. Through my art, I aim to express who I am, the emotions I experience, and the memories of life that often feels fleeting and overwhelming.
Education
Summa Cum Laude:
A.S. Graphic Design (2021)
A.A. Illustration (2021)
B.A. Graphic Design (2023)
A.A. Illustration (2021)
B.A. Graphic Design (2023)
Work
Awards & Projects
Phi Theta Kappa Honors Society
(2019-2021)
Hartford Art School Community Exhibit
Scholarship Competition Winner
Scholarship Competition Winner
5 pieces making it to the finals and awarded with a
$23,000 scholarship (Spring 2021)
$23,000 scholarship (Spring 2021)
Creative Director of Horizons Magazine
Spring 2021 Edition
Spring 2021 Edition
(view final product: link)
Awarded Academic Excellence in Graphic Design
(Spring 2021)
(Spring 2021)