Tobi Designs is a San Francisco Bay Area graphic design firm, specializing in publication and brand design. Founded in 1995, we have ridden the dot-com boom and bust, expanded and contracted, moved from small office to large industrial space to backyard studio. What hasn’t changed is our commitment to using design to create better understanding, whether that is a spread in a book or a page on a website.
With a background in magazine design, founder Hae Yuon Kim creates pieces that are meant to be read.
Born in Korea, I moved to the midwest with my family when I was six. I came to California to go to college and have remained in the Bay Area ever since.
I have a real passion for understanding my clients’ goals and creating communications pieces that help achieve them. To me there’s nothing more powerful than the synergy of marrying image and text.
A graduate of Stanford University (BA in Art), Hae Yuon spent seven years as an award-winning designer for Macworld Magazine (1988–1995) prior to founding Tobi Designs in 1995.
Click to download 1-page resume pdf file
Okay, we don’t actually hypnotize, but we collaborate enthusiastically and actively with our clients to create powerful and effective tools in persuasion.
We believe that content and design are equally important—by addressing your goals and the needs of your target market, our work not only communicates, but gets a positive response.
So there’s really no trick here, unless it’s about putting our collective imaginations and vision into the hat and saying, “Presto!” Plus, our clients tell us that we’re fun to work with. Maybe it’s because we love what we do.
In a world full of visual and informational noise, we help our clients stand out by delivering their message as simply and as effectively as we can.
Publications can take the form of annual reports, magazines, books or newsletters. They share essential characteristics: multiple pages and editorial content. Design-wise, they also share the challenge of engaging the reader. This is where we shine—we excel at the design and organization of pieces that contain a variety of content and images. We design things that are meant to be read. There are a great deal of communications published online, but we feel that print is still the preferred medium for conveying permanence, import, and authority. Our job is to use design to ensure that a reader of one of our print publications has an experience that is pleasing, powerful, and productive. Although we are experienced in both online and print media, we champion the strengths of print. In fact, our motto is: “If it has pages, turn to us.”
First thing’s first: get wet. We learn about the purpose and goals of the publication and how the new piece fits into your existing communications and branding. The design process begins by defining and agreeing on clear objectives for the look-and-feel, tone, design, technical specifications, and message or theme that is the “heart and soul” of the book.
Fly? How high? Where are we going? We work closely with you in planning sessions and review relevant materials. We produce an “objectives brief” that identifies your goals, each audience’s needs, and general content.
And how do we get there? We present design directions for the key representative parts of the publication—the cover, section dividers, and sample pages with artwork in place. We research and present images from photographers and illustrators that visually support your theme and strengthen your message. We art direct any commissioned photography and illustration. Whether commissioned or stock images are chosen, we handle all arrangements for procuring artwork. Our copywriter interviews the key managers. Your staff provides relevant materials, outlines, and rough drafts as agreed. Editorial copy is written, refined and finalized for client review. Once approved, final text is produced for typesetting.
All systems… check. We refine the approved design and typeset the book with final approved copy. We commission all photography and illustration. We create information graphics (charts, tables, and graphs) with final, approved data.
All pages are copyedited; changes and corrections are made as necessary. We prepare final digital files for the printer. Our art director proofs matchprints of all photographs and bluelines of the composed pages. All this at cruising altitude.
We coordinate with the printer, mailing house, and other vendors. We check proofs, oversee final corrections, and present proofs to the client for final print approval. We manage press checks and oversee every aspect of production, including delivery to the mailing house and client. And your project makes a big splash.
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