Jinsu Ahn was born in Daegu, South Korea in 1976.
Before graduating in 2009 with an International Master of Fine Arts in Graphic Design UIC/FHNW HGK in Basel, he completed a FH-Diplom with emphasis on Typography at the FHNW HGK in Basel in 2007 and a Bachelor of Fine Art at Kyoungpook National University in Daegu in 2002.
He successfully completed various design projects such as a research project for developing public design strategy in Daegu City, a Novartis Campus documentation project and development of ideas for an icon for the Upper Rhine Region – Switzerland, France and Germany. He has translated «Typographische Gestaltung» and «Ausgewählte Aufsätze über Fragen der Gestalt des Buches und der Typographie» of Jan Tschichold in Korean, and is contributing articles on typography in international journals and magazines.
From 2009 to 2015, he was a research associate at the FHNW HGK in Basel in Visual Communication Institute, and since 2011 he has been teaching typography and conducting interdisciplinary workshops. Since 2015, he is a full-time lecturer for typography, book design and conception in Bachelor and Master program at the FHNW HGK in Basel.

• Dozent Bachelor of Arts, Master of Arts, Master of Design
• Bachelor Leistungsnachweis
• Next Generation Ausstellung

(selected)

• Jinsu Ahn: Univers, in: Typozimmer 1–6, Seoul 2021
• Jinsu Ahn: Variable Font 2 – seen from the principle of Avenir, in: the T, No.13, Seoul 2019
• Jinsu Ahn: Variable Font, in: the T, No.12, Seoul 2018
• Jinsu Ahn: The dynamism of Hangeul’s vertical strokes and the flow of its lines of writing, in: Visible Language. The Journal of Visual Communication Research, Vol. 51 Issue 3-52.1, Cincinnati 2017
• Jinsu Ahn: On Schiff nach Europa, in: the T, No.11, Seoul 2017
• Jinsu Ahn: Sabon, in: LetterSeed 10, Vol.6 No.2, Seoul 2014
• Jinsu Ahn: A Study on the Proposition in Contemporary Posters in Japan, Tsukuba 2003

(selected)

Projects

• Translation of Jan Tschichold: Ausgewählte Aufsätze über Fragen der Gestalt des Buches und der Typographie (Basel 1975) in Korean. Ahn Graphics, Seoul 2022
• Translation of Jan Tschichold: Typographische Gestaltung (Basel 1935) in Korean. Ahn Graphics, Seoul 2014
• Ich bin das Licht, video documentation for the annual book of Theater Basel, 2009
• Novartis Campus documentation project, 2005 to 2008

Exhibition, awards and presentations

• DMY International Design Festival Berlin, 2011
• Time and Image, eikones, The National Centre of Competence in Research NCCR Iconic Criticism and HGK FHNW, Basel, 2010
• The Visual Materialization of Remembrance-images, Swiss Design Network Symposium ’09 (SDN), Lugano, 2009
• Ornament and Design Process, eikones, The National Centre of Competence in Research NCCR Iconic Criticism and HGK FHNW, Basel, 2008
• Nomination: Design Network Switzerland (DNS) Award, 2008
• Say what you see – Sori: Phonetic alphabet for learning Korean, Royal College of Art, School of Design, London, 2008
• 2nd price at the Competition of ideas: Vision for the Upper Rhine Region, Germany, France and Switzerland, 2008