Cut-ups, deconstructions and multiple dimensions—the experiments that Chicago-based designer Taek Hyun Kim conducts in his designs seek to uncover the invisible. Kim’s curiosity to explore text in all possible dimensions began at a young age. “I often used to spend all day filling up my notes with different handwriting styles,” he recalls. “Naturally, I realized I had to work in something related to type.” This interest led him to pursue a BFA in visual communication design from Hongik University in Seoul, South Korea, followed by an MFA in visual communication design from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Now at Chicago-based design firm Thirst, Kim continues to explore typographic design and its intersection with web-based processes, video and 3-D design, as well as how design can be a catalyst for social change. “I’m trying to see how graphic designers can change small communities, societies and the world surrounding us by making invisible voices visible with visual language,” says Kim. “I feel like that’s my duty as a trained purveyor of one of the most powerful communication methods in the world.”