Lately, I’ve been thinking about sharing the inspirations that help me build that "visual library" as a designer. I’d love to bring more of that to my network, so we can explore new creative ideas together.
When I’m stuck on a page, I go back to a few pictures instead of hunting for a new one. I look at the color, and at how a body sits in the set. His work is full of the kind I actually reopen.
I want to start with Cho Gi-Seok.
Between dreamlike and visceral
His work is seriously captivating. There’s something about his photography that exists in this fascinating space between dreamlike and visceral. The way he blends surrealism with fashion creates these striking visual moments that just stick with you.
The red portrait is the one I keep reopening. The ground is a flat red. A butterfly sits right at the mouth, with more of them on the shoulders and chest. The headdress is loops of beads. It reads like a poster until you reach the hand, and the insects resting on the skin.
I come back to pictures like this when a layout needs to feel graphic and still have a body in it.
From graphic design to photography
What really stands out to me is his journey. He started in graphic design, moved through set design and art direction, and ultimately found his true medium in photography.
He wanted to use that earlier work to make his own images, so he started photographing. It’s such a cool reminder that creative paths aren’t always linear, and sometimes the most compelling work comes from artists who have explored different disciplines.
The earlier work is still visible: flat red used like a field of color, flowers and hung cloth built like a set, and a pose that looks directed.
The blue portraits still look like graphic design to me. Paint covers the face, with glitter in it, and a braid runs straight down the middle. The hair falls in long curves and covers most of the eyes. I keep looking at the one eye that still shows through.
KUSIKOHC
His KUSIKOHC brand feels like the perfect fusion of all his talents. He founded it in 2016 and still directs it. The motto is "Right to Fail."
The clothes put florals against something coarser, same as the photographs. One of them is a heavy patterned coat, the model in profile, calla lilies and dried stems around the feet, red cloth hanging on either side. Beside that, a spotted orchid with fire around the petals, on a black ground.
Allure and Vogue Korea
And those high-profile shoots with Billie Eilish and Naomi Campbell? In September 2023 his photograph of Billie Eilish was on the cover of Allure, and he photographed Naomi Campbell for two Louis Vuitton covers in the November issue of Vogue Korea. I file those with the butterfly picture and the burning orchid, because they’re the same photographer. Proof that his unique aesthetic is making waves in the fashion world.
All photographs here are by Cho Gi-Seok. More of the work is on his Instagram. KUSIKOHC is on Instagram and at kusikohc.com.