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Interview with Sunghoon Kim |
Home > Designer Interviews > Sunghoon Kim |
Editor Frank Scott (FS) from DesignPRWire has interviewed designer Sunghoon Kim (SK) for A’ Design Award and Competition. You can access the full profile of Sunghoon Kim 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?
SK: I liked drawing since I was young and I started designing simply because I liked drawing. I started designing without knowing the difference between art and design. Then, I became a student of Ahn Sang-soo, a leading graphic designer in Korea, became an assistant to him, and became interested in design. I worked with Ahn Sang-soo on various projects and learned various methodologies to solve problems through him. Those experiences remain a valuable asset to me. Based on these experiences, I am working on a design to help someone who needs it.
FS: Can you tell us more about your company / design studio?
SK: Brand Design Studio hej is working on graphic design with a brand based on typography. Starting with graphic design, we are interested in using various visual languages such as images and digital as a means of communication and are working on brand experience design by considering methodologies for customers' journey from brand birth to expansion. In addition, we are attempting and conducting a wide range of tasks beyond the boundaries of design in various fields, including graphic design, editing design, exhibition design, information design, signage design, and brand design.
FS: What is "design" for you?
SK: For me, design is my everything and endless steps to reach my goals and dreams.
FS: What kinds of works do you like designing most?
SK: I don't have a particular favorite kind of work. When I get a design request, I wonder what I can do to solve the problem. I'm interested in solving problems, so I like every design work that can solve problems. I don't want to do design work that doesn't interest me.
FS: What is your most favorite design, could you please tell more about it?
SK: I am interested in using various visual languages as a means of communication. When designing, think about what problems to solve and think about what visual language to use as a tool to solve the problem. Since I enjoy solving these problems, I would like to design a design that can be interested in solving the problem rather than simply distinguishing the types.
FS: What was the first thing you designed for a company?
SK: I worked for a design company. After leaving the company, I started my own company. I started my own design company, so I designed the company's branding first.
FS: What is your favorite material / platform / technology?
SK: I don't have any particular favorite ingredients. I like all the ingredients. And I want to use various materials. Starting with paper, which is the most basic material of graphic design, I like designs that use various materials such as wood, iron, and stone. When I proceed with the project, I would like to select the material according to the nature of the project. The platform I usually use is the adobe program. Before working on a computer, I organize my thoughts and make a hand sketch in a notebook as a top priority.
FS: When do you feel the most creative?
SK: I never felt creative for a moment. I'm always worried because I don't think I'm creative. I want to be creative. To do that, I think about it every moment and try to find a solution.
FS: Which aspects of a design do you focus more during designing?
SK: I think about why the client asked me for the design first and think about how to solve the problem. I focus on making our clients feel satisfied through designs that reflect those concerns. Also, I try to reflect on one method that I really want to try in the requested design.
FS: What kind of emotions do you feel when you design?
SK: I seek and ponder methodologies to solve problems. So when I design, I always feel more pain than pleasure. However, if you design every moment and find a new design methodology, you will feel the most incredible joy at that moment.
FS: What kind of emotions do you feel when your designs are realized?
SK: I feel the happiest. And I feel relieved through the results that have been realized.
FS: What makes a design successful?
SK: I think thinking all the time to solve a problem, thinking until a problem is solved, and finding a methodology can achieve the best results and produce successful design results.
FS: When judging a design as good or bad, which aspects do you consider first?
SK: The first consideration is whether you can design with a new methodology and feel fun and interesting.
FS: From your point of view, what are the responsibilities of a designer for society and environment?
SK: My design, the result of my design, should be able to have a good impact on society. If my design doesn't do anything to society, it's just useless garbage.
FS: How do you think the "design field" is evolving? What is the future of design?
SK: With the advancement of artificial intelligence, the scope of what humans can do is getting smaller and smaller. I think the design also applies. However, I think that human thinking is different from artificial intelligence because each person has their own characteristics and is different. Artificial intelligence will replace humans in many areas, but if we continue to develop creativity, I think design will continue to evolve by humans.
FS: When was your last exhibition and where was it? And when do you want to hold your next exhibition?
SK: I haven't done a solo exhibition yet. The last group exhibition was the Korean Society of Typography Exhibition, <Sing Words> on December 20, 2021–22.1.20. It has not been decided when the next exhibition will be held. Since 2016, we have been working on posters under the theme of Hangeul every year, and we would like to hold our first individual exhibition with Hangeul posters in 2025, the 10th anniversary.
FS: Where does the design inspiration for your works come from? How do you feed your creativity? What are your sources of inspirations?
SK: I get inspiration for my work in everyday life and in my day-to-day life. I drink coffee or tea, walk or take a walk, and try to empty my complicated mind. When you clear your head through this process, new ideas naturally arise. These ideas come together and are completed as a result of the work. Eventually, the source of inspiration is also created in life.
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?
SK: I personally don't want to have a design style. If I have a design style, it will be my own feature. But due to the style of the design, I don't think I will be able to take on more challenges. That's why I don't want to have a specific design style. After working in design for a long time, I found out that my design is mathematical and planned. It's just a minor taste in my design. I don't want to think of it as my design style.
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?
SK: I live in Seoul, South Korea. South Korea is a country between China and Japan. It is located in Northeast Asia, so it is similar to China and Japan, but has a distinctly different culture. And Hangeul, the only character designed in the world, is used as the character system. There is a special cultural heritage of Hangeul, so Hangeul is used as a basic element of the design. Other than that, I get a lot of inspiration from various Korean cultures.
FS: Can you talk a little about your design process?
SK: When a client asks for a project, the first thing we try to do is figure out what the client wants. In order to implement what they want, I study by conducting in-depth research and other data investigations. Based on such data, we find and implement methodologies that can be solved by design.
FS: What are 5 of your favorite design items at home?
SK: Flowerpot, pencil, and notebook, robot figure, coffee cup, iPhone
FS: Could you please share some pearls of wisdom for young designers? What are your suggestions to young, up and coming designers?
SK: Life itself is design. So design is very difficult. You have to work hard on design with patience and perseverance just like you do in life, and you have to study and work hard every day to acquire rich and diverse knowledge.
FS: From your perspective, what would you say are some positives and negatives of being a designer?
SK: I believe that having to keep thinking about how to design a design through a design methodology every day is both a strength and a weakness of a designer.
FS: What is your "golden rule" in design?
SK: It is about finding the optimal methodology for implementing the design, and the methodology varies from project to project. Therefore, it seems that there is no "golden rule" for special design to me. I have a tendency to approach very mathematically to implement the design.
FS: What skills are most important for a designer?
SK: I majored in visual communication design. So, I am always thinking about how to communicate through visual language in the relationship between the client and myself and the unspecified number of people. In my opinion, the most important skill for a designer is to try to understand the other person and think about how to communicate better. I think communication skills are the most important.
FS: Which tools do you use during design? What is inside your toolbox? Such as software, application, hardware, books, sources of inspiration etc.?
SK: Pencil and other analog tools, adobe programs, nature, coffee
FS: Designing can sometimes be a really time consuming task, how do you manage your time?
SK: When I receive a design project commission, the first thing I do is create a schedule for project execution. I try to make the schedule very detailed and execute it as much as possible. I design according to a set schedule such as one hour, one day, one week. Sometimes my thoughts stop. Then, the design does not go according to the set schedule. At that time, I don't think about anything and I don't design. Shut down my computer and walk until my head is empty.
FS: How long does it take to design an object from beginning to end?
SK: Because every project has a different duration, it is not possible to predict how long a project will be completed. The project proceeds according to the set schedule.
FS: Who are some of your clients?
SK: I have worked with clients with different personalities such as Wemade, Lucia, Eterno, Gwangju Design Biennale, Hyundai Motor Group, National Museum of Korea, Shinsegae, Hyundai Development Company, Naver, CJ, and Nike.
FS: What type of design work do you enjoy the most and why?
SK: Currently, I am focusing on brand design projects. I enjoy doing brand design because I can work on various types of design work, such as graphic design, editorial design, signage design, and video design, with a brand design project.
FS: What are your future plans? What is next for you?
SK: My goal is to grow the company well because I established and run a brand design studio hej in 2021. And I want to teach design better to students because I am teaching at university. My goal and plan is to become a teacher who can grow the company well and have a good influence on students.
FS: Do you work as a team, or do you develop your designs yourself?
SK: Depending on the nature of the project, sometimes you work as a team or sometimes you work alone. Each project has a different way of working.
FS: How can people contact you?
SK: You can contact me by email, Facebook or mobile phone.
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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