Episode 24: Display Design
Kang Lim looked at the contest poster displayed on the screen by Professor Han Jeongpil.
The students began to chatter upon recognizing the familiar logo.
“What? Isn’t that a cosmetics brand?”
“Yeah, it’s Korial Fresh.”
“Their packaging is pretty, and the products are good, but they’re too expensive…”
Korial Fresh.
A brand from K-Pacific, which holds the largest market share in the Korean cosmetics industry.
In the second quarter of this year alone, it reported operating profits of 780.8 billion won, a 30% increase from last year.
The company actively uses Hallyu celebrities, receiving continuous love calls from China and Japan.
They mainly feature top stars in their CF ads, but to think they would host a contest here…
What sudden whim is this?
As if reading Kang Lim’s mind, Professor Han Jeongpil spoke up.
“Korial Fresh has unusually targeted this contest at university students. They probably want to use fresh ideas. As you can see from the contest guidelines, it’s a cosmetics display design contest. The winning entry will be installed in the main department store on the launch day.”
As soon as Han Jeongpil finished speaking, the room grew lively again.
Having one’s idea realized was a valuable experience and opportunity.
A chance to see one’s idea come to life.
“Wow, so even the runner-up gets their design installed?”
“No, only the grand prize winner. If you win, it will be an excellent addition to your portfolio.”
“Oh, if I win the grand prize…”
“There are three new products from Korial Fresh. You’ll choose one model and create a display environment that complements the product packaging.”
“Surely, we don’t have to do it all alone, right? We only have three weeks…”
“Of course, this is a group project.”
Maybe because they were still freshmen.
Everyone looked relieved at the mention of a group project.
‘Should I be happy about this or not…’
The only one conflicted was Kang Lim.
He had been burned by group projects in his past life.
Looking around nervously, there was only one person he wanted to work with.
Design major Son Chaewon.
In the future, she would become a famous beauty YouTuber with over 5 million subscribers.
She would also become the CEO of Chaewon Beauty, named after herself.
Every time she entered markets in Hongdae, Itaewon, and Myeongdong, she would achieve great success.
Although she was renowned for her incredible makeup skills, her YouTube marketing and planning abilities were even more impressive.
Given her sense for video and editing, she was sure to excel in display design.
If he could work with anyone, it had to be her.
“We’ll draw lots to determine the group members. Please play rock-paper-scissors with the person next to you.”
…Huh?
“Rock-paper-scissors, shoot!”
Lee Hyunseong’s sudden announcement.
Kang Lim, caught off guard, threw out a fist.
“Wow, I won. Scissors!”
It wasn’t “if you don’t play, you lose,” it was “even if you play, you lose.”
“Only the winners come forward and draw two slips of paper. The two names on the slips will be your group members.”
“Oh yes!”
The winners, including Lee Hyunseong, stepped forward to draw slips of paper.
He didn’t know why they were so happy, but…
Drawing the lots himself would at least prevent him from blaming anyone else, but having someone else draw felt unsettling.
“Please, dear God.”
Lee Hyunseong stuck his hand deep into the container, picking and picking before pulling out a slip.
“Wow, amazing…”
He looked shocked, as if he couldn’t believe it.
Seeing his grin, Kang Lim could already guess who it was.
It had to be Yoon Jangmi.
‘This is where my sister-in-law’s connection with him begins…’
Kang Lim shook his head.
He didn’t want to be with those two.
Anyone but them would be fine!
He’d rather work with Seoyeon.
Seoyeon was diligent in everything she did.
Rustle, rustle.
Lee Hyunseong shook the container noisily again and pulled out another slip.
He read the slip and looked at Kang Lim with a mischievous grin.
“Wow, hilarious. Haha-“
Why are bad premonitions always accurate?
Lee Hyunseong ran over and showed the slip to Kang Lim.
The slip had Kang Lim’s name on it.
“Got a genius on the team. Jackpot.”
“……”
“Hey, plus, remember that noona I mentioned? This is the perfect excuse for a natural date.”
Indeed, it’s hardest to keep up with the lucky ones.
Ignoring Lee Hyunseong’s nonsense, Kang Lim approached Seoyeon, who was examining her slip with a serious expression.
“Who did you get?”
“Someone I don’t know very well. It says Son Chaewon. Must be from another department.”
“…You’re lucky too.”
“Do you know her?”
“Not really, but she’s famous in the design department for being good at design.”
“Oh, nice!”
“Who’s the other person?”
“Shin Taemin.”
“…….”
An overwhelmingly visual group.
And one of them is a makeup artist.
This felt like an already lost game; it seemed a bit unfair.
It’s like giving a top chef the best ingredients.
Too much.
“Oh yes! Our group is all design majors? Awesome.”
“Groups with only sculptural art majors won’t do well. They’re too absorbed in their own world to understand customer needs.”
“Right. It’s our time to shine. Thanks, Professor Han Jeongpil.”
Design major groups started to believe it was finally their turn in the common practical class.
Kang Lim watched them and thought deeply.
‘Come to think of it, I did design work in my past life too.’
Recalling his past life, Kang Lim steadied his resolve.
Real-world work is tougher than this.
Unless you launch your own brand, a designer’s job is to work with people you don’t like as a team for life.
At least group projects end when the period is over; in reality, you can’t even quit…
So this was nothing.
‘No way I can’t handle this. I died catering to customer needs.’
Also, compared to Lee Hyunseong, Yoon Jangmi was an angel.
Yoon Jangmi would become a highly renowned crafts artist.
She would even create an app for trading handmade crafts, making her talented too.
“Hey, Lee Hyunseong. Go get noona. Where is she?”
“Noona skipped class today, I think.”
Her laziness was the problem.
After circling the vast campus, they returned to the starting point.
“There she is.”
“Right. How did we miss her?”
Yoon Jangmi was comfortably sleeping in the student lounge in front of the department office.
Bathed in the tranquil afternoon light, her shadow stretched long.
Whenever Kang Lim saw her, she always had a book covering her face.
The book changed every time, usually something complex like Kafka’s “The Castle” or Hermann Hesse’s “Demian.”
Does she actually read them, or are they just fashion accessories for her face?
He was curious but didn’t bother to ask.
“Noona, noona! Wake up. There’s big news.”
Lee Hyunseong noisily woke Yoon Jangmi, who then removed the book from her face with a raised hand.
Yoon Jangmi squinted at the sudden sunlight and said,
“What big news…”
“We have a group project for common practical class, and it’s really tough. I’m in your group, so I came to tell you.”
“Ugh… Really big news.”
Yoon Jangmi frowned even more when she saw Lee Hyunseong.
Her face clearly showed she regretted skipping class.
“Are you the last member?”
“No, we’re with Kang Lim too.”
“Hoo- Thank goodness…”
“……?”
“I’ll follow Kang Lim’s lead. Tell me what to do. I’m good at making things.”
Surprised by her unexpected cooperation, Kang Lim was overjoyed.
“Wow. Thank you.”
Nice. This was better than expected.
Kang Lim clenched his fist.
This was good. As expected, she was perceptive.
It was better to be a little lazy than to have a stubborn person in the group.
Besides, Yoon Jangmi was talented.
“Noona, what computer programs can you use?”
“Pretty much all 3D tools. I graduated in transportation design.”
“Oh, as expected.”
Her voice was languid and soft.
Though she always seemed a bit sleepy, Yoon Jangmi was somehow charming.
Which is why Lee Hyunseong was always so excited around her.
“Wow, noona. You’re amazing… Hanye University sure has a variety of people.”
Ignoring Lee Hyunseong’s overly sparkling eyes, Yoon Jangmi asked,
“…What’s the contest about?”
“Korial Fresh is launching new products. We have to design a display for their product packaging.”
“Ah- Kang Lim will really have to plan this. I don’t know much about cosmetics.”
Kang Lim thought that as a guy, he would know less about women’s cosmetics than women.
But Yoon Jangmi was an exception.
He had never seen her wear makeup.
“I don’t know much about color cosmetics either. Makeup is tricky… I don’t think we can execute it well, so let’s just go with basic products.”
“…Okay.”
“It’s better for everyone to come up with ideas together, so look up anything that comes to mind and share it.”
“…Got it.”
“Okay!”
Kang Lim and his group members opened their phones to look up Korial Fresh’s products.
The new releases were threefold.
Color cosmetics included a personal color eye shadow and lipstick set.
Basic cosmetics included a set focused on hydration and another on moisture.
Kang Lim accidentally clicked on the color cosmetics banner and felt overwhelmed.
Personal color… This brand was ahead of its time.
This wouldn’t trend until after 2010. Korial Fresh was indeed fast.
Even Lee Hyunseong was confused and asked,
“Noona, what’s a personal color?”
“We decided to do basic cosmetics, remember? Dummy…”
Kang Lim sighed, looking at Lee Hyunseong.
With such a lack of basic knowledge, how could he design a cosmetics display?
“A personal color is exactly what it sounds like. It’s the best color for an individual. It considers everything, including saturation and brightness.”
“Wow. Is that possible?”
“You’ll learn in color theory in your second year. Haven’t you ever been told certain colors suit you? Cosmetics are the same. Some people don’t suit certain lipstick colors. It’s about finding the best match.”
“Oh- sounds good? If we do a before-and-after display, we could win. Easy.”
Kang Lim agreed with that part.
Nothing grabs attention like that.
But Son Chaewon would undoubtedly choose this.
A makeup artist wouldn’t pick basic cosmetics.
We’d have to compete with something else.
“Let’s choose between these two. Hydration or moisture.”
“What’s the difference? Aren’t they the same?”
“…Can we just exclude him?”
“Noona, excluding me? That’s hurtful.”
Kang Lim explained it to Lee Hyunseong in simple terms. After all, they were almost the same concept.
“Think of hydration as light and moisture as rich.”
“Oh. Then I choose rich.”
“What about you, noona?”
Yoon Jangmi examined the product description page and said,
“Me too, moisture. This one’s unique. Look here.”
“Wow, noona. Our tastes match.”
Ignoring Lee Hyunseong, Yoon Jangmi showed the webpage to Kang Lim.
Under the [Product Recipe] title, there was a long explanation.
It was the story behind the product’s creation.
Kang Lim scrolled down and read the text slowly.
“Wow, this is good. We can use this for the advertisement.”
He felt inspired.
