Design Strategy Team was newly established last year when Amorepacific's design organization was integrated into Design Center. Its most important role is to establish the vision and strategy of Design Center. The team is also in charge of duties related to budget and HR while focusing mainly on creating the right work environment and infrastructure for Amorepacific's designers to concentrate on work and yield creative results. Within the team, I am responsible for strategy development for Design Center and pre-design project.

 All of the projects I participated in were valuable, so it is difficult to choose only one. I remember when I first took charge of Sulwhasoo. The brand was already widely popular, so I was intimidated with the significance and pressure of the work even before I began. But once I started working for the brand, I felt surprisingly at ease. I was never more grateful that I had majored in Korean Painting. I took part in the design process as if I was painting and it reignited my forgotten passion for Korean painting since I graduated college.
 Launch of Fresh Pop was another unforgettable project. As the project was about developing a new brand, I learned a lot across all areas of design including brand concept, brand identity (BI) development, package design and production. It was difficult because the schedule was tight, but after Fresh Pop launch project, no project scared me. It upgraded me a few steps higher and I was thankful for that.

 I was giving my two daughters a bath with the body wash and shampoo that I designed and said, "I designed this" without thinking much about it. Their eyes popped and they were so amazed and happy. It made me feel somewhat strange. I could not help but smile. I felt proud of what I do.
 Since then, whenever we go to a cosmetics shop together, my daughters recognize the products I designed and shout, "Mom did this! That one, too!" I feel a bit embarrassed but at the same time, it makes me happy that I am a designer.

 There are four major stages in the product design process. The first stage is design concept and it is followed by design development, design decision and product production and launch. I believe the first step, design concept, is most important and I actually invest the longest time in this stage.
 When developing a concept, I tend to communicate with marketers a lot. I try to ask everything I want to know and discuss with them together - the background of product development, market environment, how the content is made and what makes the product special for developers. Product design is a team work. Good ideas come from communication and cooperation with the team members that you work with rather than from one person's inspiration. Such communication is absolutely necessary in creating a 'good design'. Through continuous communication, I get a deeper understanding of the product's concept while marketers can empathize with the designer's ideas and intentions. Once a design concept is made after sufficient contemplation and communication, the rest is actually easy. There have been a few times when the final design was confirmed at the first design meeting. What an exhilarating experience.
 That is how important it is to spend enough time in the initial process of design. Of course in reality, we are often so busy trying to meet a tight development deadline.

 Whenever things get complicated at work, I always try to remember the phrase, "There is always something good." It is from Naoto Fukasawa, Design Advisor for MUJI. When I first heard this phrase, it was as if all my concerns as a designer were simplified and resolved.
 Many people think that design is something sophisticated and abstract, which is why it feels difficult. But if you think about it, design is a process of creating something I like and others would like too. 'Liking something' is a common feeling that everyone shares, and there is always a good design that is liked by people. When I feel as if I don't have an answer, I try to remember, 'There is always an answer because there is always something everyone likes." It eases my mind and makes me relax more in approaching the issue.