Symon Chow is a designer, a photographer,
and a bit of a Renaissance man.
In his more than 35 years as a graphic designer, Symon has worked for many renowned publishing houses and design firms, among them Farrar Straus & Giroux, Harper Collins Publishers, and Simon & Schuster. His work has appeared on the covers and interiors of hundreds of books. His book design work— especially designing books for children — has always been the real-world anchor for his life as an artist. Inspiring a child to pick up a book because "it looks cool" is, he's always felt, one of the most rewarding things a designer can do. But graphic design is only a small part of what Symon does. He has also trained in film production and stop-motion animation; studied industrial design and music; and even graduated with top honors from culinary arts school. Nearly every one of these disparate specialties is rooted in Symon's love of photography.
As a child, he was introduced by his father to the Nikon F2. He immediately took to it, snapping pictures of whatever and whoever he could get to stand still long enough. Not having the resources to work on his photography in a darkroom after college led Symon to learn the art of digitally manipulating images, which in turn led to mastering an ever-increasing suite of programs and tools that shape how we see things — whether in print, on textiles, on the web, or in the moving image.
Symon went to Parsons School of Design. He was raised in New York and currently lives in Washington D.C.