Interview with Woongjin Food Design Team

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.

Something like a small thing that can make people laugh or cry.

I like to realize ideas concerned with design of containers which is filled with beverage or foods, including manual tools with new shape.

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.

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.

I prefer to use glasses as container material because the glass containers provide the best stability of food when storing foods.

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.

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.

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.

I think I am modernized and calm, and good at expressing aspects of products.

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..

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.

I think emotions suggested by the nature shall be reflected in designs, and designers shall make effort to develop environment friendly technologies.

Though it is considered to be a fusion design, is the design available as a whole as the boundary of design has collapsed?

We are preparing for an exhibition that will be done in the mid of May. It’s trouble during works at my office.

I usually get ideas from books and the nature.

The maturity of designs for the development of products in all directions, that is to say customers, marketing, production and sales activities are important.

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).

We make progress on the design works according to the entire annual business projects, including the plans for new products, sales promotion products.

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.

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.

Lego techniques, architecture, radio control automobile, MacBook and many other books related to design may be referred to. .

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.

All the points shall be fixed at the level a little higher than customers’ level, and focused on sales rather than artistic works.

Is the positive thing that we are creating like God?
(Of course, we are remaking what God has already created.)

We need to find fresh ideas, to realize the idea, and carry out designs that may be loved by all.

The technique with which we express the idea in the narration.

We need to use the photo shops, illustrators, Indesign, Rino, and max, including cameras that help produce many design books and express ideas.

Our time is managed according to the schedule. Especially, the time table is posted at the place which everybody is able to see.

In the case of graphic design, it seems to take 1~ months to complete, but a container design usually takes 2~6 months

I wonder if customers like it.

When I could learn the practice in marketing and sales…..

The CEO, Sales director and other members, who are internal customers….

The answer is the container and novelty, because they haven’t come to the world yet. And many products sold all across Korea.

To build a design center in the company where I work now…..

I have been carrying out the assignment of my team and my own work.

I think the completion of design work is performing penance filled with negotiation and understanding.

I will answer the question with sincerity when receiving emails with questions. (guecon@wjfood.co.kr)

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.