Korea needs to develop distinctive ‘Korean style’ designs

Consumer-focused design and R&D is essential for success

Following is the fifth in a series of interviews with world’s top designers and scholars who will participate in the Herald Design Forum in Seoul from Oct. 5 to Oct. 6. ― Ed.


Companies need to focus all their efforts on the consumer, and begin the process of developing new products from the consumers’ point of view, author and brand consultant Martin Lindstrom says.

In an email interview ahead of the inaugural Herald Design Forum, Lindstrom said that design was an essential marketing tool, but one Korean firms have yet to utilize to its fullest potential.

While Korea has come some way in the field of design, the country needs to develop a distinctive “Korean style,” Lindstrom says.

The Dane said that while local firms had done well in recent years, Korean companies still give the impression of following international trends rather than “truly innovating their own distinct style.”

However, he added that Korean firms’ catching up with international competitors and introducing innovative designs of their own is only a “matter of time,” as designers develop a unique Korean style of design.

Lindstrom points to the electronics sector, where local firms have excelled in recent years with regards to advanced technologies, as a field where Korean firms could soon become trend setters.

The world’s leading brand consultant also points to the importance of a consumer-focused research and development program in developing good design. 

Q: Your book “Brand Sense,” which was an international best-seller, did equally well in Korea. You talk about how the senses should be used to create a brand image, but which sense do you think is most important?

A: That is a question almost impossible to answer due to the simple fact that it all depends on the context and the product and category you’re releasing. That said, we know from our recent neuroscience work that the sense of sound is number one, followed by the senses of smell, then the sense of sight followed by the sense of touch and taste.

Q: Could you describe the most memorable branding project you worked on? Please introduce specific cases.

A: Probably introducing LEGO to the online world. All this happened in the mid 90s and later on became instrumental for the future success of the LEGO brand. In 1994 LEGO had no online or electronic activities at all ― so we introduced LEGO.com ― and later on began the development of online games, project Mindstorm (digital LEGO bricks) and a whole lot more. Today, close to 30 percent of Lego’s total revenue comes from the work which began in 1994.

Q: When creating a brand, how important is the design?

A: I come from a design-obsessed country, the birthplace of Bang & Olufsen, George Jensen and Arne Jacobsen ― and thus I’m extremely obsessed with the visual impression ― not just from a sense of “sight” point of view ― but across all our senses. In my mind great design not only should please our eyes it should also appeal to all our senses and most importantly make the experience unique, easy and memorable. Needless to say that the key to Apple’s success is all about design ― I’d claim the same is beginning to be the case for LG and Samsung as well ― simply because we’re not robots but humans who fundamentally enjoy aesthetics ― whether it is an easy to use phone, a beautiful TV screen or nicely decorated food on a plate.

Q: Have you ever seen the design of a Korean product? If so, what are its pros and cons and how does it match up internationally?

A: I indeed have ― and to be honest the Korean design still needs to add its personality to the design. Today most of the Korean product designs I’ve seen have been heavily inspired by international design trends from Scandinavia, Italy and the U.S. ― it is very rare I’ve seen a truly unique, distinct yet amazing Korean design style which stood out. Naturally (I have to admit) I haven’t seen all the design coming out of Korea so I’m sure there’s good stuff hidden from the international design scene ― but what I’m looking for is a distinct style which over time will be seen as “the Korean style.” Such style doesn’t in my mind exist ― yet. That said ― I think it is only a matter of time ― you have to remember great industrial design only really began taking traction in Korea 10 years ago ― and thus it will take time before the designers, the public and the culture will begin forming its own unique style.

Q: There are many people who decide on a purchase simply based on the brand or the product design rather than on the product itself. What do you think about this?

A: I love it ― if I had the chance to buy a brush you use to do the dishes with ― and I was offered two different versions ― the usual one (or let me be frank ― the one which doesn’t really please the eye) and a cool designed brush I’d go for the cool designed brush at any time ― also if it happened to cost 30 percent or even 50 percent more. But again you have to remember I was born and raised with design in my home ― the first stereo equipment I bought when I was 10 years of age was Bang & Olufsen ― because the factory was just around the corner ― and I could secure this at quarter of the price. Of course we don’t want to end up with design ahead of substance ― design for me is both ― it is great functionality, great quality which pleases all our senses.

Q: What companies have succeeded in creating a good product image and design?

A: More and more companies are joining the club ― mostly due to the great work Apple has done in this field. Nespresso from Nestle is a great example of a good looking coffee machine which not only produces great coffee but which stands out in a nice way in the kitchen. Gillette is a cool design for something as ordinary as a razor and Vestas, the windmill factory, provide a good example of how to design amazing looking windmills. Stelton is a great example of how it is possible to produce everyday products like trays, pots and even placemats with a timeless design. There are a lot of companies out there ― mostly from Scandinavia, Italy and the U.S. ― leaving a great opportunity for Korea to secure the number No. 1 spot in Asia. Yes, LG and Samsung have done well, too, but I still get a sense that they’re better at copying great design than truly innovating their own distinct style. That said, I think this is only a matter of time before this trend will change and they’ll begin to lead within the electronic category when it comes to developing distinct design.

Q: What are some representative cases where companies have failed to create successful product image or design? Is there a reason why they were doomed for failure?

A: Often design fails when it becomes too design ― i.e. where the design is so good-looking that its really pleases the eye, but where the functionality is impossible ― you simply don’t know how to use the product or at times even find out what the heck that thing does. I’ve seen this a lot in some product categories like everyday design (salt-and-pepper mills, kitchen clocks, and coffee machines) but also within the mobile phone category and other hi-fi categories ― the problem is that designers become so obsessed with creating a beautiful item that they forget that great design is just as much about the functionality.

Q: What sort of efforts do companies need in order to efficiently utilize design in their marketing strategy?

A: Several things. First of all companies need to get closer to the consumers, they need to live with them, eat with them, go shopping with them, go partying with them. Don’t be fooled ― most executives have never been in the home of a “real consumer.” They’ve read about them, perhaps seen a video about them but never lived with them. I do this a lot ― I always move in with the consumer, explore ideas, brain storm with them, and then ― one day I realize an unexplored opportunity, a small detail no one has ever seen before. Something the consumer really needs which no-one has thought about before.

I’m telling you all this because the essence of my message is that it all begins with the consumer ― and with the fact that the company’s executives, designers, R&D people and marketing people needs to start from there ― then work their way back to the final product.

It is also essential that the design department is given the (almost) ultimate power ― and that operation and the engineers are to follow the directions given by the designers. The biggest friction is between the designers and the engineers and one of the two teams needs to have the mandate of control ― in my mind it has to be the designers ― but only if the designers truly understand industrial design, functionality and so on.

Q: What advice would you like to give students who are studying marketing or industrial design?

A: Never to be too good to move in with the consumers, live with them, understand them and let them become the guiding light for their designs. Even though I spend perhaps 30 percent of my time in boardrooms of Fortune 100 companies worldwide I spend 50 percent of my time in private homes. The day I feel I’m “too good” to be with consumers, that’s the day I’ll fail.

Q: In what direction would you like the Herald Design Forum to go?

A: To increase the focus on the consumer, and share new and groundbreaking insights on how to get closer to the consumers in ways never seen before. Great design is not about good-looking stuff ― but about pleasing the eye, the soul and our daily lives in an easy and intuitive way.

By Choi He-suk  (cheesuk@heraldcorp.com)