Erin Jang studied journalism and design at Boston University and has worked as a designer at The Boston Globe, The Seattle Times, and Every Day with Rachael Ray magazine. She currently works as an Associate Art Director at Esquire magazine by day and designs custom invitations and other freelance projects at night. Her design and illustration work has been recognized by PRINT magazine, Communication Arts, the Society of Publication Design and Society of News Design.
Q&A with Erin Jang
What’s the most exciting thing you’ve done? I love traveling with my husband—hiking in Patagonia, camping in the Sahara, haggling in the souks of Morocco, bathing in geothermal pools in Iceland.
What inspires your designs? Rock posters, nature, children’s book illustration, vintage cookbooks, flea market finds, old Blue Note album covers
What is your most prized possession? I love the engagement ring my husband gave to me. I told him I didn’t want a ring because I don’t like diamonds and I am not fond of jewelry. Jewelers looked perplexed when he told them he was looking for something “not shiny, not sparkly, and with no diamonds.” He ended up in a vintage store and found a ring from the 1800’s – rose gold with moonstone. It is one of a kind and means so much to me.
Tell us about your wedding. Our wedding was simple, rustic and very much us. I designed invitations that looked like rock posters. Everyone rode the ferry from Seattle to a small island for the wedding. I walked down the aisle to a jazz trio playing our favorite song. My sister wrote a very special poem for the occasion. Everyone drank bubble tea during cocktail hour. Friends shared stories and funny toasts during the meal. And we had our first dance to a Jimi Hendrix song.
Where did you honeymoon and why? We spent a week in St. Lucia – hiking, kayaking, sunbathing, and eating at the local fish fries.
Describe the place where you design. My “studio” = wherever there is space in our little city apartment (think sofa, the corner of the dining table, or the coffee table).
What were the colors of your childhood? Clover, umber, marigold and red – the colors of the burger joint my parents ran when I was little.
What’s on your nightstand? A Diptyque candle, craspedia buds in a small vase, a stack of my favorite used paperbacks with a pinecone I picked up from a hike sitting on top, and last Sunday’s New York Times Magazine.
What city do you call home? New York is currently home. There are too many things I love about the city to list here. Just a few favorites: jazz at the Village Vanguard, the Brooklyn Flea Market, MoMA, the Spencer Finch installation at the High Line, and walking around the West Village, Lower East Side, and NoLita neighborhoods with a coffee in hand.
What are your favorite colors of the moment? Daffodil, Chartreuse and Taupe
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