Kevin Yuen Kit Lo

Please introduce yourself, tell us a few interesting things you would like to share and what are you doing in your current career or level of study?

I run LOKI, an interdisciplinary design studio based in Montreal working at the intersection of graphic design and social change. Our practice is rooted in social justice principles, focusing on collaboration and community building, cultural production, activist research, and political mobilization.

We started the studio in 2014, and though it’s a constant challenge to keep it sustainable, the work itself feels relevant and worthwhile. I also teach in the Design Art department, and Marie-Noëlle Hébert, our designer, is a former student.

After graduating from Concordia, what was the professional path you followed and how are you using your degree in your career?

Before starting LOKI, I’d previously held art/design direction positions at agencies such as Sid Lee, Bluesponge, Cossette, Nolin BBDO and the fashion company SSENSE, as well as maintaining a freelance practice doing more activist and cultural work.

I was lucky to graduate when I did, when digital media technologies were in their infancy, and my interest in web design allowed me to transition to professional practice quite smoothly. No one really knew what they were doing at the time, so I fit right in! I started working at a small web shop in Toronto, and eventually landed a job at Bluesponge, where we produced some really innovative, award-winning projects.

I also feel grateful to have been developing my design skills and knowledge at a time when design’s social role was one of the central debates. This, more than anything, showed me the potential of design to have significant social impact, and has helped to guide and ground my practice ever since.