We had the good fortune of connecting with Won You and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Won, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
I discovered my passion for design by chance. Growing up, my parents, like many immigrant Asian parents, wanted me to pursue a stable career in medicine, law, or engineering. I had always found myself doodling in class and writing music for myself in high school, but I never seriously thought I would pursue a creative profession.  As luck would have it, the university I attended was at the forefront of the Internet, and it was love at first sight.

I immersed myself in the web; I gorged on fan pages for the anime, movies, games and more. It seemed like there was content for just about everything, and before long, I found myself wanting to build a website for myself.

I remember teaching myself how to write HTML and CSS.  It might be hard to appreciate now, but back in the early days of the web, there were no classes or degrees for learning how to build a website. There were barely any books on web design even. Thankfully, you could look under the hood of people’s websites via their HTML source and see how they put things together, which is how I learned.

I was so transfixed by all of the experimentation occurring online that I developed a passion for art and design. I loved the idea of using the web to tell stories and as a medium for interactive storytelling. Eventually, I graduated from college and took my first job as a web designer, and the rest is history. I am now a veteran of the design industry with over 20 years of experience. I’ve been fortunate enough to have worked on some of the largest brands in the world. And I am just as in love with the potential of the Internet and technology to tell stories today as I was when I first got started.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
As the founder of Won J You Studios, I solve business problems using the power of design. We are a small design studio based here in Atlanta that focuses on creating beautiful digital products, be it a website or mobile app, for clients all around the world.

What sets us apart is our unique approach to user experience design. We believe that great design is never an accident, and it’s the product of constant iteration and experimentation. I like to think of design as wet clay that gets molded and shaped. By going through lots of prototypes and testing these designs, we’re able to test assumptions and iterate into a more perfect version.

Getting to where we are today was not easy. The industry is constantly evolving and there’s new technology coming out every year. For example, AI is threatening to disrupt the digital landscape even further. So staying on top of these trends is critical to staying relevant in this business. With that said, the pandemic also upended expectations of work as well. Nearly all of my work with clients is now done remotely and I’ve never met most of my clients in-person. This presents unique challenges to communication and collaboration, and you do lose some of that human element in exchanges. You have to be more tactful in how you write your messages, because it is so easy to have text misinterpreted.

The lessons I’ve learned along the way include the importance of listening to users, embracing change, and continuously improving. The longer you have been in an industry it might be easy to start to feel like you know it all, so you have to stay humble and curious. Maintaining a beginner’s mindset is vital to staying hungry and open-minded.

I feel blessed that I can work on unique challenges everyday with my clients and there’s no better feeling than creating something that gets people’s attention. Good design transcends time and trends and I strive to use it for positive impact.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I’m still a relative newcomer to the ATL, but I’d definitely take them out to get some Korean BBQ at D 92. If it’s daytime, maybe head over to the Atlanta BeltLine for a nice walk. At night, go to Hookah lounge in the city and karaoke after.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Despite my parents not understanding what design was in the beginning and actively trying to discourage me from pursuing it, their continued love still needs to be recognized. I also drew a lot of inspiration from the early pioneers in web design, and most importantly, all of the kind words of encouragement I received from people who saw my early work. Those anonymous people who left positive comments and showed some love helped me to stay motivated and passionate about design.

Website: https://wjystudios.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wjystudios/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wonjyou/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wjystudios

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutAtlanta is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.