Planet Yang

Picking your brain

James Yang — Tue, 14 May 2013 12:54:06 +0000

Many of my assignments recently have involved the brain. There seems to be rising interest in breaking it down to figure out why we react irrationally during times of stress or conflict. Turns out we can’t help ourselves and have to go against our nature to behave rationally in various situations. Illustration for Tim Priddy for CFA magazine for a story about breaking down the investor brain.

More than meets the eye

James Yang — Tue, 07 May 2013 13:04:04 +0000

As a child the family was watching a MASH episode which featured a traditional Korean wedding. One character was reverently describing the service when Mom and Dad started cracking up. Finally Dad said, “I don’t recognize any of this.” Thus continued another misunderstanding about Asians in America. When Valerie Downs, the AD for Teaching Tolerance Magazine asked for a special illustration about Asian Americans as the invisible Americans, I jumped at the chance.

Few years ago I went to a Korean wedding. It was nothing like MASH.

Hooking up

James Yang — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 11:32:53 +0000

Who knew that a magazine for financial planners would be one of most fun for creating ideas? This is what AD SooJin Buzelli has created at PlanSponsor magazine. One thing you do not have to do when working for her is limit yourself to ideas for an assignment. This illustration is for an article about recruiting new talent.

Morningstar Advisor Magazine

James Yang — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 11:45:32 +0000

Morningstar Advisor Magazine is a favorite client for many illustrators. When you are hired, they are using you to be the look for the issue. You are assigned a cover, spread and 4 sections in the magazine, usually with a theme tying the issue together. Risk was the major theme which should be in any illustrator’s wheelhouse because risk is really about fear that may or may not be controllable. Alex Skoirchet, AD.

Diamond in the rough

James Yang — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 12:09:33 +0000

Part of a series for Morningstar Advisor about looking for opportunities in uncertain times. With news this week that gold investors were panicking upon learning the price of gold can move violently down, some investors are wondering if the baby had been thrown out with the bathwater. I don’t know, but this was a fun piece about finding hidden value. Alex Skoirchet, AD.

Monsters and toothpaste

James Yang — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 13:08:55 +0000

It is always fun when Morningstar Advisor calls for an assignment. They commission several articles including the cover on a theme so you have a chance to develop a series of illustrations. Alex Skoirchet called for the April May issue for a series dedicated to uncertainty in the market. The first illustration is about worries about unknown risks that can shock the market known as “Black Swans”. The second is about searching for consumer staples investments during a time of worry. Since I’m a bit of an econ geek, this was right up my alley.

By any other name

James Yang — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 13:08:01 +0000

Wine is one subject I wished I knew more about. My vocabulary for describing wine is simply “like” or “not like” to describe the experience. When Fred Norgaard requested an illustration for the New York Times dining section about the labels we use to describe wines, it was much appreciated.

New York TImes Dining: by any other name

It’s always something

James Yang — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 13:46:26 +0000

A few weeks ago friends and I were talking about the market. It seemed to keep going up and up. One friend said it should keep rising because all the big worries have passed. I said you never know. Last week Cyprus happened. Even though Cyprus has been “solved”, something is always around the corner. Illustration for the Wall St Journal about uncertain markets. Dan Smith, AD.

Boom box

James Yang — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 00:55:55 +0000

“Booming” is an online section of the New York Times which features stories for the Baby Boomer generation. As a regular contributor it is becoming clear I must be a boomer because many of the assignments resonate with me. This was for a column complaining about the overly loud music in restaurants. They are preaching to the choir. Laura Chang, AD.

Anyway you want it.

James Yang — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 14:01:59 +0000

The minibus system in Hong Kong never ceases to amaze me. They fill the gaps of the transit system to an almost granular level for less than a dollar. The ride can be harrowing but did I mention it is less than a dollar? Illustration for Investment News Magazine about abandoning the cookie cutter approach to serving clients. David Stokes, AD.