아모레퍼시픽 크리에이티브 - Amorepacific Creatives - [월간 AC] 브랜드 크리에이티브 3팀 이성엽님 (Sungyub Lee, Brand Creative 3Team)

Editor C.

I’m a product designer in my fourth year. While I’m confident in what I know, there’s so much I don’t. I’m constantly curious about the lives and work processes of other creatives. How does everyone else make it work?

Prologue.

‘Amorepacific Creatives’ (AC) is a space that captures the creative processes and considerations of our Creative Center members. Among them, one designer’s work always stood out for the clear evidence of deep thought behind it. His name is…

Q1. Hello, Sung Yub. Could you please briefly introduce yourself and the projects you are currently working on?

Hello. I’m Lee Sung Yub, a product designer on Brand Creative Team 3. I’m currently designing a new line for Odyssey, toothbrushes for Gentist, and new fragrance products for Longtake. The projects I’ve just finished are the new scrub and shower gel designs for SKIN U.

Q2-1. It sounds like you’re juggling several projects! Which one has been the most memorable for you?

I’ve mainly been focused on product development, and the most memorable project is the SKIN U scrub I designed recently. Because of a shift in responsibilities, I wasn’t able to see it through to the very end, but I was responsible for the container’s form (a new mold). Scrubs are a category where it’s difficult to differentiate based on the formula alone, so the Brand Management team asked if we could create that differentiation through design. I spent a lot of time thinking about how to add a special touch, and the process was incredibly fun. My initial ideas seemed pretty outlandish, but with a lot of help from other teams, we were able to make them a reality and even proceed with creating the mold, which makes it a very memorable project.

Q2-2. That sounds amazing! When can we see it? I’m curious what it looks like.

It’s scheduled to be released this coming June! With jar-type scrubs, it’s always difficult to scoop out the product with wet hands in the shower, and it’s unhygienic when water gets inside. The key point of this design was to allow the user to dispense just enough for a single use. We designed the cap to function like a small dish, where you can place the amount you need for one shower, keeping the main container free from water contamination.

SKIN U Scrub Sketch Version ⓒLee Sung Yub

Q3. I can’t wait to see the new scrub! I’m an avid reader of the AC content, and I really enjoyed the article where you broke down the design composition for the Gentist Salt Toothpaste. The design’s intent became immediately clear just by reading your explanation. It made me think you must invest a lot of time in that aspect of your work.

I suppose I do. I spend a lot of time upfront on research and really thinking through the Brand Managers’ goals so that I can see the project from the same perspective they do. Our team leader always says, “While it’s important for a designer to make things beautiful, you also have to design with a clear understanding of the product’s market segment and the role it needs to play.” I do a lot of thinking in the initial stages of design, establishing a baseline by asking, “What was the planner’s core idea? What was the objective? How will a customer feel when they see this?” When I slowly build upon that foundation, it leads to a strong sense of conviction, and only then do I move on to creating the design drafts. But since you can’t explain that entire thought process in a presentation, I try to write it out in detail on AC so that my considerations are fully revealed and easy for others to understand.

Gentist Salt Toothpaste Composition Draft
and Cap Sketch Version ⓒLee Sung Yub

Q4-1. Another thing that stood out in your content was the high quality of the visuals. I’ve heard that Team 3 has always placed a strong emphasis on producing great visual content.

It started with a desire to make sure the products we create with such obsessive detail can truly shine online. At the end of the day, the product detail page is the first place most customers encounter the product. We wanted to ensure that the product’s planning and design intent were fully integrated all the way to that final page to communicate our vision effectively. After all, the product designer is the one who knows the design best. I think because we shoot the visuals with their final use on the detail pages in mind, they end up looking more complete and polished.

Q4-2. That’s a fascinating background. I don’t have much experience with visual photoshoots, so I find the planning process very difficult.

It was very difficult for me at first, too. It’s still a challenge. Since our main job is to develop visuals for product detail pages, our process starts by receiving the copy and content for the page, and then we build the visuals to match. We find references that can express the right mood and then reinterpret them to create something unique for that specific product. The hardest part is always prop selection. For the recent Salt Master toothpaste, the formula contained salt and herbal ingredients. We had no idea where to get fresh-looking green tea leaves—the kind at the supermarket is all dried out. After asking around, someone from the MC team gave us a great tip: “Just buy a small potted green tea plant and use the fresh leaves from that.” That’s how we were able to get the shot.

Planning the photoshoot requires considering everything from product
features
and ingredients to target customers and the brand’s ingredient
philosophy. ⓒLee Sung Yub

Gentist Salt Toothpaste ⓒLee Sung Yub

Q5-1. Hearing your story makes me curious—how did you get into design in the first place?

Since middle school, I had always wanted to design mobile phones and electronics, which is why I majored in industrial design. But right after I entered university, the world changed. Back then, phone designs were incredibly diverse and came in so many interesting forms. I went into industrial design wanting to make something like the Motorola Razr, but after the iPhone was released, everything just became a rectangle. I felt lost and unmotivated, and it was hard to find a job. Eventually, I got an internship at a branding studio. At the time, I didn’t even know how to use Illustrator, but as I forced myself to learn and keep up, I started to really enjoy it. That’s when I realized I wanted a job where I could work on both physical products and graphic design, which led me to cosmetics companies. I had actually applied for an internship at Amorepacific once before and was rejected, but I tried again and got in.

Q5-2. So you want to continue designing in the future? What does life after retirement look like for Sung Yub?

I haven’t really thought that far ahead; I’m just taking it day by day. But I do want to keep designing for as long as I can. I don’t think my strength is in making things conventionally pretty or in masterful sculpting, but I love generating ideas, and I get a real thrill from the process. It feels so good and refreshing that I want to keep doing it for as long as possible—until the day comes when it feels right to gracefully step away from the hands-on work. As for retirement… I’ll start thinking about that when this passion begins to fade.

Design for an electric wheelchair for outdoor hobby activities (music festivals).
Sung Yub’s graduation project. ⓒLee Sung Yub

Design for an electric wheelchair for outdoor hobby activities
(music festivals). Sung Yub’s graduation project. ⓒLee Sung Yub

Q6. Now for a classic, difficult question: What is “good design” to you?

That is a difficult question. For me, good design is anything that can solve at least one problem. That could mean solving a problem in a physical way, but I also think problems can be solved by providing a sense of emotional satisfaction. Design can solve problems that arise from marketing or strategy, too. If it can solve even one problem, in any way, I think it’s good design.

Q7. Finally, is there anything else you’d like to share?

I want to reaffirm the sense of fulfillment and mission I feel from my work, so I have something to look back on during tough times. There are definitely difficult moments, but seeing a product come out into the world and be presented to people is an incredibly rewarding experience. For many people, daily beauty products can be a low priority in their lives, but I feel a great sense of mission in making them accessible to everyone through diverse options and reasonable prices. The daily act of washing and cleansing might seem trivial, but I believe it’s the first step toward beauty. I hope that the time people spend using our products becomes an experience of treating themselves with dignity. With that in mind, I will continue to work hard to create products that are beautiful and beneficial for people and the world. ^^

Amorepacific Creatives
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이성엽
Interviewer
민채현

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