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Interview with Woongjin Food Design Team |
Home > Designer Interviews > Woongjin Food Design Team |
Editor Frank Scott (FS) from DesignPRWire has interviewed designer Woongjin Food Design Team (WFDT) for A’ Design Award and Competition. You can access the full profile of Woongjin Food Design Team by clicking here.
FS: Could you please tell us more about your art and design background? What made you become an artist/designer? Have you always wanted to be a designer?
WFDT: When young, I dreamed of becoming an engineer who makes space ship in which we can go to alien planets. Looking back now, I think the days I spent playing a lot, observing and thinking about plants and insect in the nature, have helped me to enter the design industry very naturally. Making something without aim, and feeling happy with it, rather than thinking of becoming a designer, has made me who I am.
FS: Can you tell us more about your company / design studio?
WFDT: Our design team is a department of Woongjin Food Company, an affiliate of Woongjin Group in Korea. The major products and sales of our company are beverages, taking the 3rd place among beverage producers in Korea. Our team is the research department where the type of products, material and package design are processed.
FS: What is "design" for you?
WFDT: Something like a small thing that can make people laugh or cry.
FS: What kinds of works do you like designing most?
WFDT: I like to realize ideas concerned with design of containers which is filled with beverage or foods, including manual tools with new shape.
FS: What is your most favorite design, could you please tell more about it?
WFDT: I have been putting a lot of thoughts into design management of Hyundai Motors, and possibility of benchmarking. It is because their designs have changed a lot in recent years, appealing with the brands based on innovative concepts.
FS: What was the first thing you designed for a company?
WFDT: After entering this company, what I did first was to set up the identity of container to fill up with beverage of Woongjin product, including the design to realize the exclusive container for Woongjin Food.
FS: What is your favorite material / platform / technology?
WFDT: I prefer to use glasses as container material because the glass containers provide the best stability of food when storing foods.
FS: When do you feel the most creative?
WFDT: After waking up in the morning, I usually come across good ideas and organize them when taking a shower, having breakfast, and driving to workplace listening to music.
FS: Which aspects of a design do you focus more during designing?
WFDT: I invest lots of time for customers’ emotion and feeling in the viewpoint of customer and producer, including the designer, and try to concentrate on appealing based on the design.
FS: What kind of emotions do you feel when you design?
WFDT: I’d like to become a design director who can carry out efficient design for mass production with the biggest effectiveness in production lines for foods and beverages.
FS: What kind of emotions do you feel when your designs are realized?
WFDT: I think I am modernized and calm, and good at expressing aspects of products.
FS: What makes a design successful?
WFDT: I am apt to have concerned about balances as a whole. But I am good at stable placement to the direction where time is passing by, and utilizing the emphasized accent..
FS: When judging a design as good or bad, which aspects do you consider first?
WFDT: I think a certain design which seems difficult to be understood by customers, it is no good. But if it is comfortable and easy for customers, it must be a good work.
FS: From your point of view, what are the responsibilities of a designer for society and environment?
WFDT: I think emotions suggested by the nature shall be reflected in designs, and designers shall make effort to develop environment friendly technologies.
FS: How do you think the "design field" is evolving? What is the future of design?
WFDT: Though it is considered to be a fusion design, is the design available as a whole as the boundary of design has collapsed?
FS: When was your last exhibition and where was it? And when do you want to hold your next exhibition?
WFDT: We are preparing for an exhibition that will be done in the mid of May. It’s trouble during works at my office.
FS: Where does the design inspiration for your works come from? How do you feed your creativity? What are your sources of inspirations?
WFDT: I usually get ideas from books and the nature.
FS: How would you describe your design style? What made you explore more this style and what are the main characteristics of your style? What's your approach to design?
WFDT: The maturity of designs for the development of products in all directions, that is to say customers, marketing, production and sales activities are important.
FS: Where do you live? Do you feel the cultural heritage of your country affects your designs? What are the pros and cons during designing as a result of living in your country?
WFDT: I think it must be a lie if somebody says there is no cultural influence at the place which is just off from the center of Seoul, Korea (nearby the main 2002 World-cup stadium). Mixing with the tradition with globalization, it is good to create new things. However, we cannot but follow the outdated things (following the tradition).
FS: How do you work with companies?
WFDT: We make progress on the design works according to the entire annual business projects, including the plans for new products, sales promotion products.
FS: What are your suggestions to companies for working with a designer? How can companies select a good designer?
WFDT: We need more softened communications based on sensitive emotions. And I ask myself if the designers will work more enthusiastically when the company becomes more active and have a leadership related to designs.
FS: Can you talk a little about your design process?
WFDT: The design shall be carried out by concentrating the optimal information, such as the contents of discussion about product package and development of new products with coordinating departments, the contents of discussion about schedules, including the backgrounds of the design in which customers and other environments have been discussed prior to commencement.
FS: What are 5 of your favorite design items at home?
WFDT: Lego techniques, architecture, radio control automobile, MacBook and many other books related to design may be referred to. .
FS: Can you describe a day in your life?
WFDT: Arriving at the workplace around 7, I start routine works. And from 9 o’clock, I buckle down to design works. Of course, there are many meetings frequently, so that I have to concentrate on designs at night overtime.
FS: Could you please share some pearls of wisdom for young designers? What are your suggestions to young, up and coming designers?
WFDT: All the points shall be fixed at the level a little higher than customers’ level, and focused on sales rather than artistic works.
FS: From your perspective, what would you say are some positives and negatives of being a designer?
WFDT: Is the positive thing that we are creating like God? (Of course, we are remaking what God has already created.)
FS: What is your "golden rule" in design?
WFDT: We need to find fresh ideas, to realize the idea, and carry out designs that may be loved by all.
FS: What skills are most important for a designer?
WFDT: The technique with which we express the idea in the narration.
FS: Which tools do you use during design? What is inside your toolbox? Such as software, application, hardware, books, sources of inspiration etc.?
WFDT: We need to use the photo shops, illustrators, Indesign, Rino, and max, including cameras that help produce many design books and express ideas.
FS: Designing can sometimes be a really time consuming task, how do you manage your time?
WFDT: Our time is managed according to the schedule. Especially, the time table is posted at the place which everybody is able to see.
FS: How long does it take to design an object from beginning to end?
WFDT: In the case of graphic design, it seems to take 1~ months to complete, but a container design usually takes 2~6 months
FS: What is the most frequently asked question to you, as a designer?
WFDT: I wonder if customers like it.
FS: What was your most important job experience?
WFDT: When I could learn the practice in marketing and sales…..
FS: Who are some of your clients?
WFDT: The CEO, Sales director and other members, who are internal customers….
FS: What type of design work do you enjoy the most and why?
WFDT: The answer is the container and novelty, because they haven’t come to the world yet. And many products sold all across Korea.
FS: What are your future plans? What is next for you?
WFDT: To build a design center in the company where I work now…..
FS: Do you work as a team, or do you develop your designs yourself?
WFDT: I have been carrying out the assignment of my team and my own work.
FS: Do you have any works-in-progress being designed that you would like to talk about?
WFDT: I think the completion of design work is performing penance filled with negotiation and understanding.
FS: How can people contact you?
WFDT: I will answer the question with sincerity when receiving emails with questions. (guecon@wjfood.co.kr)
FS: Any other things you would like to cover that have not been covered in these questions?
WFDT: I think we can give calm feeling to internal and external customers when the design outcomes allow the access from various viewpoints, consider the position of customers, and rationalize the development in the viewpoint of producer. Especially, in the modern times, in which informatization and individualization is accelerated day by day, giving fresh stimulation and sensation is both the right and responsibility of designers.
FS: Thank you for providing us with this opportunity to interview you.
A’ Design Award and Competitions grants rights to press members and bloggers to use parts of this interview. This interview is provided as it is; DesignPRWire and A' Design Award and Competitions cannot be held responsible for the answers given by participating designers.
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