Blending Sound and Typography: The Art of Jonathan Mak

Jonathan Mak is a graphic designer hailing from the vibrant city of Hong Kong, where his creative projects stretch across branding, publication design, and multimedia art. His ability to seamlessly blend mediums and push the boundaries of traditional design makes him one of the most intriguing voices in contemporary visual culture.

One of his standout projects is the ongoing series “Sound Type”, which masterfully fuses his passions for sound, motion, and typography into something uniquely engaging. This project invites viewers to experience language not just as visual communication, but as a multi-sensory experience that resonates on multiple levels, combining the abstract beauty of type with the physicality of sound waves.

Mak's versatility extends beyond this signature work. By day, he designs motion-based video games at Nex, a tech startup that thrives on innovation and cutting-edge creativity. His practice exists at the intersection of play and precision, allowing him to explore the dynamic possibilities of motion and interactivity in both his professional and personal works. This duality of digital design and artistic experimentation has earned him recognition across the global design landscape, with accolades from the D&AD Awards, the prestigious Cannes Lions, and the Type Directors Club Awards, among others.

In this interview, we delve into the inspirations behind “Sound Type”, his thoughts on blending disciplines, and how his work at Nex informs his broader artistic vision. We also explore how growing up in Hong Kong, a city of constant reinvention, has shaped his approach to design and innovation. Join us as we uncover the layered world of Jonathan Mak, a designer whose work challenges the boundaries of typography, technology, and sound.

TR: “Sound Type” seems to beautifully merge your interests in sound, motion, and typography. Can you walk us through the inspiration behind this ongoing series and what you hope viewers experience through it?

JM: Sound Type uses audio waveforms to draw letters and graphics on an oscilloscope, a piece of equipment that displays electrical signals. It’s a medium used by musicians and artists to create audiovisual art, but seldom applied to a graphic design context, which was what inspired me to try. The idea of giving shape to what we hear draws an interesting connection to typography, which is about making language visible. The project experiments with different ways of transforming the written word through distorting sound, and explores the relationship between our eyes and ears. What you see is what you hear.

TR: Your work spans branding, publication design, and multimedia art. How do you balance such a wide range of creative outlets, and do you find that they influence one another in unexpected ways?

JM: As designers, we’re often told that we should adapt to each project’s needs, and not bring too much of ourselves into the work. While that’s true to a certain extent, I don’t think it’s a bad thing to acknowledge our own visual sensibilities, and embrace our stylistic tendencies when the situation calls for it. As I worked on different projects throughout the years, I can see myself developing a vocabulary that spans across different formats. In the case of Sound Type, a project heavily based on motion and audio, the rhythm of sound inspires me to reinterpret that into a different kind of visual rhythm when doing printed work. Regardless of the discipline or medium, I’d like to think there’s an underlying energy throughout my projects, just expressed in different ways.

TR: You’ve received recognition from prestigious institutions like D&AD and the Cannes Lions. What impact do these accolades have on your creative process, and do they drive you to explore new artistic directions?

JM: I was very fortunate to be awarded the Cannes Lions Grand Prix at a pretty young age, thanks to my Coca Cola project with advertising legend Graham Fink. While I was at Cannes, this was a piece of advice I got from an industry veteran: «You just got an award that some people spend their whole life chasing, and you’re just 20 years old. Be careful, or it might feel like it’s all downhill from here». As grateful as I am for the recognition I’ve been given, rather than thinking about how awards could affect our creative process, perhaps that was a reminder that they shouldn’t. For the sake of our work as well as our sanity.

Jonathan Mak on Instagram

Jonathan Mak at Inscript Type Festival

Interview by: Giannis Papaioannou | Typeroom