We, as the Designer Interviews ("DI") had the distinct pleasure and opportunity to interview award-winning, most creative and innovative JungHee Kim ("JK").
Junghee Kim graduated from Kookmin University, Seoul, Korea in Metal Craft, holds a Master’s Degree in Metal Craft from Kookmin University. She completed Culture and Arts Program for CEO from Korea National University of Arts. She worked for Gemopia and Jewelry Park, top ranking Korean jewelry companies, as a head of design department. She is a numerous jewelry design awards winner including Korea Design Exhibition in 2004. Since she launched her own brand, PhoeBe, in 2001, she has reinvented the old into the modern and handcrafted beautiful pieces that can be admired beyond the time.
JungHee Kim Designs
We are pleased to share with you original and innovative design work by JungHee Kim.
Designer Interview of JungHee Kim:
DI: 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?
JK : I majored in metal crafts at the university and naturally walked the designer's path. Jewelry design while doing part-time sales at a jewelery shop in college I was interested. I have a dream to make a brand with the jewelery I designed.
DI: Can you tell us more about your company / design studio?
JK : I work on the design and setting of old jewelery of customers. Old jewelery has different memories. I put the memories in a jewelery design and have them reborn with a new name. I feel rewarded when I am happy to find memories that customers have forgotten.
DI: What is "design" for you?
JK : It is to materialize the purpose as a form. and I think It is another language for communicating
DI: What kinds of works do you like designing most?
JK : The story that I want to express is solved in formative way, meaning and functionIt is a design that is delivered well and impressed.
DI: What is your most favorite design, could you please tell more about it?
JK : The design is different, but the passion until the finished product is the same. So everything is precious.
DI: What was the first thing you designed for a company?
JK : It is a design philosophy. I have been studying design and making brand with my own design philosophy. It became the motto that made me of the present.
DI: What is your favorite material / platform / technology?
JK : I prefer waxing work that can make shapes freely,The main material is gold.
DI: When do you feel the most creative?
JK : It is possible to solve a story that other people can not think of.There is, of course, sympathy and communication in this.
DI: Which aspects of a design do you focus more during designing?
JK : It is the delivery of design concepts, expressions, and functions.
DI: What kind of emotions do you feel when you design?
JK : I imagine what I designed when it was finished formally, and it is always full of excitement.It is like a mother who conceives a baby and is happy to wait for a baby to be born after 10 months.
DI: What kind of emotions do you feel when your designs are realized?
JK : It makes me feel proud of my job as a designer.
DI: What makes a design successful?
JK : The design and the concept are united, and intuitively convey the meaning.
DI: When judging a design as good or bad, which aspects do you consider first?
JK : The meaning of the design should be conveyed as it is, and the design which is original and the trust of the customer is good design.
DI: From your point of view, what are the responsibilities of a designer for society and environment?
JK : I think that the social responsibility of the designer is to design a product that the society needs, recognizing that it is directly connected with the society, environment, and sustainability.
DI: How do you think the "design field" is evolving? What is the future of design?
JK : It seems that the most attention is focused on electronic products. Especially for software and telecommunication equipment.
DI: When was your last exhibition and where was it? And when do you want to hold your next exhibition?
JK : The second solo exhibition in 2006 was at the Lotte Hotel in Seoul,The third solo exhibition will be held in December 2017.
DI: Where does the design inspiration for your works come from? How do you feed your creativity? What are your sources of inspirations?
JK : My work is about designing a story on a theme called tree. This is the creativity I have. The source of my design inspiration is the idea and philosophy of nature and everyday life.
DI: How would you describe your design style? What made you explore more this style and what are the main characteristics of your style? What's your approach to design?
JK : My design style is abstracting storytelling. My work is characterized by visualizing my thoughts and emotions and expressing them in a figurative form.
DI: Where do you live? Do you feel the cultural heritage of your country affects your designs? What are the pros and cons during designing as a result of living in your country?
JK : I live in Seoul, Korea. Korean traditional patterns have helped to study functional design combining modern beauty under the concept of modern aesthetics found in classics. The nature of Korea, which has four distinct seasons, is a source of design inspiration.
DI: How do you work with companies?
JK : I operate my design studio.And to set up design counseling and new product projects for other companies
DI: What are your suggestions to companies for working with a designer? How can companies select a good designer?
JK : Do not look at the present, judge the possibility of being a designer to lead the future. And judging whether you have a sense of responsibility and enthusiasm, you can meet a good designer.
DI: Can you talk a little about your design process?
JK : t depends on who the client is.For example, if you are a customer, you can sketch a design after identifying age, occupation, style, color, religion, motivation, and budget
DI: What are 5 of your favorite design items at home?
JK : Antique furniture, sunglasses, coffee cups, golf wear, shoes, handbag...
DI: Can you describe a day in your life?
JK : I wake up in the morning, have a cup of coffee, watch the diary and check the schedule. And sometimes we meet customers, sometimes we do design work. Sometimes we watch concerts, musicals, art exhibitions and even play golf early in the morning.I am always full of excitement because every day is different for me..
DI: Could you please share some pearls of wisdom for young designers? What are your suggestions to young, up and coming designers?
JK : Enjoy the design. And set your own design philosophy. And always challenge.
DI: From your perspective, what would you say are some positives and negatives of being a designer?
JK : If you do not have your own design philosophy, do not become a designer. If you do not have your own design philosophy Not a designer.
DI: What is your "golden rule" in design?
JK : It should be an art in daily life faithful to the essence of the product and the visual persistence that raises the cognitive value.
DI: What skills are most important for a designer?
JK : Design and concept should be designed in harmony, and visual meaning and function should be conveyed.
DI: Which tools do you use during design? What is inside your toolbox? Such as software, application, hardware, books, sources of inspiration etc.?
JK : My work is based on storytelling design, motifs come from nature and everyday life.
DI: Designing can sometimes be a really time consuming task, how do you manage your time?
JK : There are many times when I work without sleep. And I do even work on holidays. But I do not think it is pain but I think it is happiness. Because it is a passion for work.
DI: How long does it take to design an object from beginning to end?
JK : Difficulty depends on design. From design to completion, it takes a 1month to or 1year.
DI: What is the most frequently asked question to you, as a designer?
JK : Where do you get design inspiration from? And what do you think while designing
DI: What was your most important job experience?
JK : It was a great help for me to work as a designer of a company that could see the production process at once. It has always been a leap for the bigger market as a leader in the jewelery market, and I was able to dream bigger in that company
DI: Who are some of your clients?
JK : My design and the person who trusts me is the main customer. They say that when I wear my work, comfort and peace and the mind of the designer are conveyed through the works. And because of their scarcity and artistry.
DI: What type of design work do you enjoy the most and why?
JK : The story becomes the theme, and the design which harmonizes the art and the practicality which became the concept of nature. Because if you see the design concept, you can see the story.
DI: What are your future plans? What is next for you?
JK : I will stick to the project for my solo exhibition in December.
DI: Do you work as a team, or do you develop your designs yourself?
JK : I develop my own design myself.
DI: Do you have any works-in-progress being designed that you would like to talk about?
JK : There is a work called "Yeolliji" which tells the story of a love between a man and a woman in a tree.It is a story that tells the story that a loving man and a woman are born again in the middle of the day in the same time and are born again as a tree.
DI: How can people contact you?
JK : Website and email. It can be contacted by phone or messenger.
DI: Any other things you would like to cover that have not been covered in these questions?
JK : Your welcome. enough. Thnakyou so mouch..