YoungJu Kim

YoungJu Kim – Designer

Award winning designer. I design children's picture books, children's book covers, and anthologies.

Overview

Hello,

My name is YoungJu, and I am a digital artist and children's book designer. Every day, I strive to create and edit whimsical images to the best of my abilities. I pride myself on being easy to work with and maintaining integrity in all my projects.

My work has been featured in various places, including Grain Valley Publishing, Dasoham Publishing, the COEX Winter Festival, Applied Arts magazine, Rosengart Gallery, the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) Southern Breeze, and Illustration West via the Society of Illustrators of Los Angeles. I have also appeared in the 3×3 Magazine Annual, CMYK, Creative Quarterly, What's Up Annapolis, Savannah College of Art and Design, Deep Kids Books, the Telfair Art Fair, Godley Station School, Veritas Academy, Mizville, Terra Firma Counseling Center, and numerous private clients.

Additionally, I have been working with Gelsinger Licensing Group for over seven years. Their licensed images often feature in puzzles, stationery, seasonal gift products, and are available at retailers such as Walmart, Target, Dayspring, Staples, and Ne'Qwa ornaments.

Services
Fiction
Anthologies Middle Grade Picture Books Young Adult
Non-Fiction
Children’s Non-Fiction Education & Reference Parenting & Families
Languages
English
Awards
  • Merit at 3x3 Illustration Annual No.7, Children's Show
  • Young Blood Illustration Award, Applied Arts Magazine
  • Low country award at Telfair Art Fair
Certifications
  • I am a SCBWI full member.

Work experience

Self-employed

Sep, 2019 — Present
I specialize in the following design services: - Creating covers and interior designs for children's books - Illustrating event logos, including typography - Designing greeting cards, stationery, and calendars I have completed over twenty book projects for young adult, middle-grade, and picture books for independent publishers, including Little Feather Press, Grain Valley Publishing, and Happenin' Kat. My designs have received positive reviews from platforms such as Online Book Club, Amazon, and Kirkus Reviews. Additionally, my work has been featured in various prestigious venues, including the COEX Winter Festival, Gelsinger Licensing Group, Applied Arts magazine, Rosengart Gallery Fine Art & Gifts, and the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) Southern Breeze. My illustrations have also been showcased in Illustration West by the Society of Illustrators of Los Angeles, the 3×3 Magazine Annual, CMYK, Creative Quarterly, What's Up Annapolis, Savannah College of Art and Design, Deep Kids Books, and more.

Gelsinger Licensing Group, Inc

Jul, 2016 — Present
- Create seasonal licensing images for occasions such as Spring, Easter, Independence Day, Fall, Halloween, and Christmas, with provided reference photos and images using Photoshop. - Edit images for a variety of products, including garden and college flags, mats, puzzles, paint-by-numbers kits, napkins, candy and chocolate wrappers, gift boxes, and tins, following the specified layouts and images.

Working Class Studio

Sep, 2010 — Nov, 2010 (2 months)
I developed and designed several new home products, taking them from initial sketches to mockups. My ideas included a 3D greeting card, a wooden printed puzzle, a coaster, a placemat, a shower curtain design and illustration, and a recycled laser-cut vinyl record clock.

American Greetings

Jun, 2010 — Aug, 2010 (2 months)
I was selected as one of two creative interns for American Greetings during the summer of 2010. Participated in projects for Mother's Day, Easter, Gen Y, and new children's greeting card suggestions for Target.

Portfolio

Made with Reedsy
Oakley Won't Give Up

Henry, Dana

Leylek Books

Cover Design Typography Book Interior Design
The Circus of CATS in Venice

Viviana Falleti

Little Feather Press

Cover Design Typography Book Interior Design
King Avalanche The Great & Other Fantastic Cat Tales

Viviana Falleti

Little Feather Press

Cover Design Typography Book Interior Design
The Cats' Museum - Mom’s Choice Awards® Recipient!

Viviana Falleti

Little Feather Press

Cover Design Typography Book Interior Design
Made with Reedsy
Banana Court - Case 1: The Case of the Bad Apples

Strum, Daniel

Daniel Strum

Cover Design Illustration Typography Book Interior Design
Made with Reedsy
A Walk in the Park: A Tale of Impermanence

Kemp, Ryan J

Dasoham Publishing

Cover Design Illustration Typography Book Interior Design
Made with Reedsy
Maggie Vaults Over the Moon

Overstake, Grant

Grain Valley Publishing Company

Cover Design Illustration Typography Book Interior Design
Made with Reedsy
Map of Memory Lane

Arnoldy, Francesca Lynn

Contemplative Doula

Cover Design Illustration Typography Book Interior Design
Made with Reedsy
Vanessa's Summer Adventure

Hendrickson, Margaret

Cover Design Illustration Book Interior Design
Made with Reedsy
Aydin Stays Safe

Özra, Z.Z.

Kinyarrow

Cover Design Typography Book Interior Design

YoungJu has 27 reviews

Professionalism

Quality

Value

Responsiveness

Kyndra H.

Kyndra H.

Aug, 2025

Pinned
YoungJu did a beautiful job bringing my vision to life. While she did not create the illustrations for my book, she worked thoughtfully with the existing artwork to create a cohesive and polished layout. This naturally placed some limitations on how much original content she could add, but she ma...
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Beata M.

Beata M.

Jun, 2025

Pinned
YoungJu has been impressive with her professionalism, knowledge in book and cover design, and book formatting. She has, also, taught me a few things about book design that no amount of googling had taught me. I truly appreciate all the effort she has put into my very first children's picture book...
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Chandler B.

Chandler B.

Nov, 2024

Pinned
I recently had the pleasure of working with YoungJu, an exceptionally talented illustrator for my children's book, "My Strawberry Girl." YoungJu’s artistry brought the story to life with vibrant colors and whimsical characters that perfectly captured the imagination of young readers. His ability ...
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Zoé O.

Zoé O.

May, 2025

YoungJu delivered final files that I liked. The journey to add font, choosing the styles and making sure how it presented on the PDFs was not without some bumps. But, after a lot of back and fourth messaging and reinforced clarity, she was able to get the job done to my satisfaction.
Lori D.

Lori D.

Jan, 2025

YoungJu did an amazing job on my illustrations. This was my first book and YoungJu was able to capture the visions I had in my head for my characters. I was very happy with the end result.

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