Margaret PARK

1: What was your very first job? 

My very first job was as a volunteer at the USO in Seoul for the 50-year anniversary event celebrating the Korean Armistice Agreement. I was a fresh high school graduate with minimal skills and not much to do over the summer before I headed back to the US for college. It was a fun experience.

2: Please describe, in your own words, what your job is and what work it entails. 

As Senior Art Director on the Visual Creative team at Sephora, our team works on concepting and executing seasonal campaigns in the skincare, color, and fragrance categories.

3: How did you discover that the creative world was right for you? Was there a time in your life that you credit to this discovery? Was there a train of events that brought you to where you are today? 

I was actually tracking towards becoming a Merchant or Buyer in fashion, when I was unexpectedly tasked with small creative collateral at my first corporate job with Issey Miyake in New York. I realized I was interested in developing my creative side, so I went back to school and got my Associates in Graphic Design at Parson’s. I feel incredibly lucky to have discovered this so early on in my career and don’t take the opportunity to explore a creative career for granted.

4: In your constantly growing and expanding industry, how do you find inspiration to keep your work fresh, innovative and relevant? 

I find myself having to do more research online and in digital & printed publications as I find San Francisco to be less immersive than the art and creative industries in New York. Whenever I leave San Francisco on business or for pleasure, I always try to build in at least one creative inspo-centric activity regardless of where I’m going, which has been helpful.

5: If you had to pick one piece of work or project that you are most proud of, more for the creative work and innovation it required, rather than its recognition or industry “success,” what would it be? 

During my tenure at VP+C Partners, I was part of the core team that created the brand Farmacy Skincare. https://www.margaretpark.com/farmacy Part of the original packaging design was inspired by an old Parson’s school project, where I had created a poster that folded into a box. http://www.systematicbeginnings.com/foldingposter/ In this case, we flipped the experience so the box itself was designed to unfold completely and reveal the brand story within. Adjusting the original design and making it work for commercial purposes was a wild challenge, but the brand launch was incredibly successful and the packaging went on to win the agency a few awards, which was a really cool moment to celebrate.

6: Which creative disciplines do you commission most, and are most interested in seeing more of and why? Which of these disciplines are you most be interested in seeing at CONNECTIONS? (ie photo, film, social, experiential, vr, etc)

The beauty and fashion industries are a bit saturated, and we’re in an age where literally everything has been done before. What I’m continually looking for is photographers and DPs who have a unique point of view and are simultaneously open to finding efficiencies on set as we’re constantly challenged to capture more in less time on set.