"Seeing the designs I created displayed on the streets and shops of New York gives me the greatest sense of fulfillment as a designer," graphic designer Cha Sumin.

New York is the global center of design and home to world-renowned art schools. Many international students, including Koreans, graduate from New York’s art schools, but relatively few actually settle locally.

Su-min Cha, a graphic designer active in New York, is one of the few Korean international students who have established themselves in the city. He graduated with honors from the Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore, Maryland, and immediately after graduation, interned at Amp Agency, an advertising and marketing agency in New York, before starting work as a graphic designer at Love & War, a branding and brand strategy agency.

His notable projects include the holiday blend coffee packaging for Partners Coffee Roasters, a famous local coffee chain located in Brooklyn, New York; the brand guidebook for the Associated Press (AP); and an advertising poster campaign for Maison, a women’s social club located in the Upper East Side of New York.

Among these, the 2019 holiday blend coffee packaging he designed for Partners Coffee was selected as the “Best Holiday Coffee Blend of 2019” by the coffee blog Sprudge, generating a strong response locally.

Regarding this, he said, “Partners Coffee’s Williamsburg location in Brooklyn is well-known among locals and tourists alike. When I visited the store for the package display photo shoot, I felt proud seeing many people purchasing the product I designed and the packaging displayed as a main item in the store.”

He also spoke about the advertising poster campaign for Maison, the women’s social club: “This poster campaign was a month-long project, and my posters were displayed throughout Manhattan. It felt like a dream that so many people could see my designs like this.” Finally, he added, “Seeing the products I designed being sold in New York stores and my posters hanging all over the streets, I resolved to participate in more projects and become a graphic designer who can have an even greater impact on the city of New York.”