Ka Lee

Ka Lee is a Hmong artist, designer, illustrator and art director based in Madison, Wisconsin. From bright, vibrant pieces to vector-heavy graphics with a hand-drawn style, Ka’s work often meshes culture with his love of design.

Hi Ka! Tell us about yourself - how did you get to where you are today? What sparked your interest in design?

I’m Ka Lee, a Hmong American artist, designer and illustrator from Madison, Wisconsin. I grew up watching Saturday morning cartoons with my siblings and after hours of watching TV we’d also draw together. Being the youngest of 8, I got to see and pick up on a lot of the things my older siblings did; one of which was drawing. My brothers were all incredibly talented at drawing so I was super fortunate to have them as inspiration. Those moments we sat and drew were truly an anchor in my pursuit to becoming an artist and illustrator. During my studies, I learned a lot in my design courses but it wasn’t until after college where my interest for digital illustration grew. I definitely try to explore new mediums but at the end of the day my foundation as a designer will always fall back to illustration. 

Ka Lee

I also obtained my BFA in Graphic Design from the University of Wisconsin - Madison in 2015. I honestly feel like I owe a lot to the city of Madison. It’s the city where I got my education and first design job. Everything about who I am, professionally, personally and creatively, stems from my roots here.

How would you describe your design style and how has it changed over time? 

I’d say my style is pretty vector heavy. I often like to cheat the perfect lines in Illustrator and make my work appear “hand drawn” by adding textures. Regarding my style, I don’t think I have a particular style. I like making things that are very bright and vibrant in personality. I don’t think my work/style has changed too drastically over time - I think I’ve just gotten more finesse with how I work. 

How do your personal experiences and background influence your work? Are there particular themes you like to explore?

My experiences growing up as an Asian American somewhat shape the narrative for the work that I do. Depending on the subject matter, I often make work that helps depict how I feel in ways that words can’t. I’m still trying to discover who I am and how I can mesh my culture and love for design in one.

Regarding themes, I try to bring my love for sneakers, hypebeast culture and running into a lot of my personal work. Only because those things really define a lot of who I am as a person. Otherwise, a lot of my work seems to be pretty sporadic and really reflective of how I’m feeling at the moment. 

 What’s one of your favorite projects you’ve worked on so far? What would be your dream project?

My favorite project so far have been my works for two local publications here in Madison. One where I got to illustrate the cover for the Isthmus and the other I got to make some spot illustrations for Madison Magazine.

 As far as dream projects, the list feels infinite but to name a few I’d love to design a brand identity for a brewery, design a mural and design/illustrate a Target gift card. 

Do you have any favorite design tools or resources?

I can’t help but give my man Scotty Russell a huge shoutout. His podcast, Perspective Podcast (now Side Hustler’s Perspective) has saved me in so many moments of rut. Scotty’s podcast is truly one that I refer to constantly and is one that uplifts you when you need it most. I can’t recommend his work enough. 

Where do you find inspiration?

A lot of my inspiration as of late have come from my love for running. During the height of Covid, I felt really burnt out always being home and behind a computer. So to find some space for myself, I decided to start running. It really helped clear my mind and even heightened my creativity. Not only did I feel better physically but mentally I felt better. It definitely kept me in a place of clarity and relieved me of any stress. 

What advice would you give to designers just starting out? 

Don’t worry about being “good” or not good enough. With the right amount of time and practice you’ll get to where you want. It’s a lot easier said than done but I promise you hard work never fails to show. Even till this day I’m still figuring things out and often face imposter syndrome. Which oddly enough is the best part about the journey. You never want to be complacent. Always look for ways to grow, be better and perfect your craft. 

What are you working on now and what’s up next for you?

Currently, I’m freelancing and working on a few projects. Some of which I’m definitely excited to share more of when I can.

As far as what’s next, right now I’m exploring and open to new opportunities. I really don’t know what’s next but that’s also really exciting. The most important thing right now is that I take care of myself first before diving into my next thing. I really want to give myself some time and really define what I want in my next role.

Thank you for sharing with us Ka! To view more of Ka’s work, check out his Dribbble shots and follow him on Instagram.

Ka was nominated by Dribbble. All art courtesy of Ka Lee.