Karin Fong
Television director
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Karin Fong is an American Emmy Award-winning director and designer[1] based in Los Angeles, California. She is a co-founder of Imaginary Forces,[2] a design studio and creative agency best known for its portfolio of work in main title design for television series and motion pictures.[3] Fong was awarded the 2018 AIGA Medal, the highest distinction in the field of graphic design in the U.S., in recognition of her achievements as a visual storyteller, motion graphics designer, and director.[4][5]
Early life
Fong was born in 1971 in Canoga Park in Los Angeles, California.[4] She was a kid who liked to draw and create stop-motion films.[6] She credited Sesame Street as an early influence sparking her interest in creating animations that combined live action, sound, and pictures.[6]
Fong graduated from Yale University with a Bachelor's degree in art.[7][8] During college, she made a project that led her to start her career in WGBH Public Television.[6] Her first job at WGBH was as animator for the PBS show "Where is the World Is Carmen Sandiego?"[9][10]
Career
In 1990s Fong moved back to LA and got a job at the West Coast branch of the advertising agency R/Greenberg Associates (RGA/LA), a studio known for designing opening title sequences for films like Seven,[11] Die Hard, Alien, and Ghostbusters.[6] In 1996, RGA/LA changed its name to Imaginary Forces (stylized as IF) with Fong becoming the founding member of the new studio.[6][10][11][12] Working at Imaginary Forces, Fong met Joseph McGinty Nichol as her client.
Joseph McGinty Nichol suggested her a job as creative officer at his American production company, Wonderland Sound and Vision in 2001 and started to work more with him.[6]
Fong is a member of the Alliance Graphique Internationale (AGI).[13]
Contributions
Karin Fong has contributed to various title designs for film and television.[7]
- The Island of Dr.Moreau (1996)
- Mimic (1997)
- Dead Man on Campus (1998)
- Charlie's Angels (2000)
- Daredevil (2003)
- Hellboy (2004)
- Charlotte's Web (2006)
- Terminator: Salvation (2009)
- Boardwalk Empire (2010)
- Rubicon (2010)
- Black Sails (2014)
- Counterpart (2017)
Awards and nominations
Television Academy awards
| Year[1] | Nominated work | Category | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Masterpiece Theatre American Collection | Outstanding Main Title Design | Won |
| 2008 | Chuck | Outstanding Main Title Design | Nominated |
| 2010 | Human Target | Outstanding Main Title Design | Nominated |
| 2011 | Rubicon | Outstanding Main Title Design | Nominated |
| 2011 | Boardwalk Empire | Outstanding Main Title Design | Nominated |
| 2014 | Black Sails | Outstanding Main Title Design | Nominated |
| 2018 | Counterpart | Outstanding Main Title Design | Won |
| 2022 | Lisey's Story | Outstanding Main Title Design | Nominated |
| 2022 | Cowboy Bebop | Outstanding Main Title Design | Nominated |
SXSW film festival awards
| Year[14] | Nominated work | Category | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Hickey | Excellence in Title Design | Nominated |
| 2018 | Counterpart | Excellence in Title Design | Won |
| 2020 | Tell Me a Story | Excellence in Title Design | Nominated |
| 2020 | See | Excellence in Title Design | Won |