ddp design fair

In the epilogue of my second book, A Promenade in Space, there is a sentence that reads, "These days, Korea wins everything but the baguette."

It is true that Korea, and Seoul in particular, has reached the highest level of competence in many ways.

While it is a blessing to live in such a rich environment that comes with such a high level of excellence, it also deepens the question of "how" to plan and design for the new era for designers like me. Thinking about when AI, which is developing at the speed of light, will come to dominate design makes me truly anxious. As a true believer in human emotion, it still seems a long way off, but AI's growing presence and expanding capabilities are undeniable.

Young Koreans these days have what I call a mutual high level of discernment. They have an excellent sense of beauty that is almost instinctive from birth. Moreover, their love for self-grooming is beyond imagination. I don’t mention this to dismiss them. When I evaluate the work of the students I'm teaching, I often find myself self-reflecting, and I feel strongly that I have something to learn from these young people who respond so quickly to new things.

Moreover, their new talents have no limits, so they reject the set framework and build their own worldview through various attempts and challenges. It's a worldview that's quite different from the one I used to have, where I built up skills, philosophized, and created stories for spaces by focusing on aligning patterns and numbers according to frames and norms. Along with this worldview, they create stunning spaces that capture the public's hearts and branding that gets standing ovations without a single textbook expertise. The loss of expertise means that the design field will become more competitive, which naturally makes me think about what kind of talent we need for design in Korea in the future.

In my classes, I always emphasize that "The future of designers is not only about creating visually beautiful spaces, but also about planning and telling stories about how to use them correctly." This isn't just a challenge for future generations, it's actually a challenge I’ve given myself as well.

You might ask me, "Okay, so how do I tell the story of a space?" I don't think there's a perfect answer, but I think the best answer from my experience is to break down the boundaries of disciplines and categories. It's also important to be open-minded and inclusive. If you have an attitude of trying to learn even if it's not your field of interest, treating people and taking in brands without discrimination and prejudice, I would suggest that you will become a solid and long-lasting designer.

Gone are the clichéd days when only fashion designers could become creative directors of luxury fashion brands. It's a world where singers become fashion directors, rappers become commercial designers, and ordinary people become world-famous celebrities. It's a world where anyone and everyone can be "special", including the young people reading this article.