WONHO LEE

About WONHO LEE

Wonho Lee had a dream to make electronic products. He began his college career with that dream. He who majored in electronic engineering, learned to design a semiconductor chip and took it for granted that enhancing its performance was for humanity. By the time he graduated, he realized that technological advance gives people convenience, but it does not guarantee happiness. He believes that there is a great responsibility to make something. With that thought, he decided to study design. It has been a year since he started learning design, and he is still pondering how to get technology refined for people and deliver it to them.

Winner of the A' Design Award.
Specialized in Furniture Design.
Original Design.
Creative, Diligent and Innovative.

Interview with WONHO LEE

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?

I have had a dream to make electronic products. I began my college career with that dream. I majored in electronic engineering, learned to design a semiconductor chip and took it for granted that enhancing its performance was for humanity. By the time I graduated, I realized that technological advance gives people convenience, but it does not guarantee happiness. I believed that there is a great responsibility to make something. With that thought, I decided to study design. It has been a year since I started learning design, and I am still pondering how to get technology refined for people and deliver it to them.

When do you feel the most creative?

On a leisurely weekday, I am most inspired when I am watching a movie while eating popcorn in a spacious theater where no one is around.

Which aspects of a design do you focus more during designing?

I think there is something only a designer can do when making something. One of them is an inexplicable but entertaining element. Because I have a background in engineering, I've always tried to logically find answers to certain questions. But design is sometimes not logical.

From your point of view, what are the responsibilities of a designer for society and environment?

Many things are still being made in the world, and we live in such a world. We no longer feel uncomfortable because we lack something. The bigger problem is that there are more problems than there are no designs.

How do you think the "design field" is evolving? What is the future of design?

I think the area of human touch in the field of design is getting smaller and smaller. Because with the development of AI and generative design, excellent formations, both technically and aesthetically, are being made by computers. So I feel that designers should think about how their roles will change in the future. Should designers all be replaced by computers and we become programmers? I am still looking for answers to this question.

What skills are most important for a designer?

I think that a flexible way of thinking that is sometimes logical and sometimes emotional is most important.

Which tools do you use during design? What is inside your toolbox? Such as software, application, hardware, books, sources of inspiration etc.?

Keyshot9, Rhino6, Fusion360, Photoshop, Arduino, Raspberry Pi, etc..

What type of design work do you enjoy the most and why?

I like to experiment with open source hardware such as Arduino, or Raspberry Pi because it is faster to feel with my body than I can imagine.