[Herald Design Lounge 2026] AI can make polished work. Kim Gryun says creators need something more

In an age when artificial intelligence allows anyone to produce polished, high-quality work with a tap of a finger, creators need to find their own perspective and develop work that is distinctly their own, according to Emmy-winning motion graphic designer Kim Gryun.

Based in Los Angeles, Kim designs Apple TV prototypes following his tenure as lead animator at Elastic, where he created the main title sequences for HBO’s "The Last of Us" and "Doom Patrol." His work on both "The Last of Us" and Apple TV+’s "For All Mankind" netted him two Emmy Awards in 2023.

On Friday, Kim spoke at Herald Design Lounge 2026, sharing insights on how creators can adapt and thrive in the AI era.

Kim structured his presentation as a 3D game, with his avatar embarking on an adventure that involved defeating bosses in pursuit of a grand prize. The game traced his own career trajectory, beginning with his entry into the YouTube space.

Kim said he turned to YouTube partly as a way to deepen his own understanding of what he was learning.

During that time, Kim said he learned the importance of developing a distinct creative voice and looking beyond what was immediately in front of him.

"I felt that a lot of YouTube creators were gathering in the same place and making similar things. I thought it was more important to understand the bigger picture and see the overall flow," he said.

"You develop your own voice by looking farther ahead and finding your own perspective," Kim said.

Kim also discussed an AI-powered interactive short film, pointing to his promotional work for the upcoming Korean horror film "Catching Tails."

Viewers can choose how the story unfolds, with the experience extending into the real world through a URL that triggers a physical delivery.

"When you extend the experience beyond the screen, it becomes something completely different," Kim said.

For Kim, these experiments have become part of what he sees as a unique portfolio for the AI era.

"These days, I think it's valuable to act on an idea as soon as it comes to you and see what it can evolve into," he said. "As I kept doing that, I ended up accumulating so many examples that I started building a portfolio that was different from a conventional one."

"Ultimately, it's about building your own story, your own heritage," Kim said.