UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS CHICAGO
Jarin Moriguchi is a Chicago-based graphic designer and multidisciplinary artist from O’ahu, Hawai’i. Before attending the UIC School of Design to pursue an MDes in Graphic Design, he received his BFA with a focus in painting from the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa.
Jarin draws inspiration from speculative fiction, cinematic worldbuilding, the interplay between painting and type design, his experiences as a fifth-generation Japanese-American growing up in Hawai’i, and good books that he reads.
Current projects include challenging form and legibility through custom typography and developing typographic systems via selfgenerated prompting to design experimental letterforms. He also designs publications and cool PDFs with new and long-time collaborators for the unofficial Workers Comp enterprise, recently focusing on imagined worlds and speculative futures.
His extracurricular time is spent designing funky fonts for friends, eating tofu curry, and reading elaborate sci-fi fantasy.
During his time at the UIC School of Design, Jarin has worked as a designer for university programs, studios, and freelance clients both nationally and internationally. He has also participated in solo exhibitions, group exhibitions, and art book fairs in Honolulu, Los Angeles, and Chicago.
WHAT MAKES YOU FEEL INSPIRED?
I am inspired by design as a form of meditation and play through thoughtful and intuitive explorations of story and form.
WHAT AREA OR AREAS OF DESIGN ARE YOU HOPING TO WORK IN OR SPECIALIZE IN?
I would like to work as a type designer and work on visual identities for a studio that values having fun with design, good people and meaningful connections.
WHAT IS ONE THING THAT DESIGN SCHOOL HAS TAUGHT YOU THAT YOU DID NOT EXPECT?
Trust your intuition, reach out to those you look up to, create more work with friends, and pack more home lunches.
WHO IS SOMEONE YOU LOOK UP TO IN YOUR FIELD? EITHER TODAY OR HISTORICALLY?
CJ Dunn is a friend and type designer from Honolulu, based in New York City and Tokyo, and his generosity in sharing knowledge, enthusiasm for design, and approach to type have challenged and inspired my own practice and design thinking.
WHAT ARE YOU READING, LISTENING TO, OR WATCHING?
I’ve been slowly and steadily working through Brandon Sanderson’s The Stormlight Archive fantasy book series.
