Episode 26: From Smell to Vision
Handcrafted lace curtains made with care.
A wall filled with colors reminiscent of a watercolor palette.
A round acrylic cylinder box filled with rainbow-colored cotton pads.
Hundreds of lipstick packages decorated with gold and silver.
“This really is a factory, just like they call it ‘Color Factory.’”
Yoon Jangmi gaped at the luxurious interior of Koreal Fresh.
“Noona, you’re reacting like it’s your first time in a place like this. You seem more surprised than I am.”
Lee Hyunseong looked at Yoon Jangmi with a trivial, genteel smile.
“Why does your hair look so stupid?”
Kang Lim was horrified at Lee Hyunseong’s waxed and combed hair.
He realized anew that if you don’t know how to style yourself, it’s better not to try at all.
Surely, he didn’t get late because of that nonsense.
“Noona, how do I look today?”
“You look like an idiot.”
“……”
As expected, no mercy.
“Since both of you arrived late, try out the basic products and perfumes first. Especially noona, since you’re the target demographic here, your opinion is the most important.”
“…Sorry for being so late.”
Lee Hyunseong and Yoon Jangmi arrived much later after Seoyeon had left.
Since it was hard to meet up, they couldn’t just let it go.
Kang Lim meticulously checked today’s tasks and said,
“If you feel sorry, start by smelling the fragrance. Describe your first impression, the feeling after 30 minutes, and after 3 hours. Use colors to express it, words are fine too. Smell it in advance, apply it, and once you get home, summarize the remaining scent, and we’ll discuss it in the meeting.”
“Great, it’s a perfect plan.”
Yoon Jangmi listened to Kang Lim and moved to the moisturizing product corner.
Following the staff’s guidance, she applied a cosmetic cream on her wrist.
A little later, she used the perfume together.
“What are you doing, not trying anything? What did you get?”
“Oh, after coming here, this looks good.”
Lee Hyunseong was marveling while applying another product on the back of his hand.
It was a moisture product with high hyaluronic acid content, making it soft and quickly absorbent.
“It’s got Vitamin C for whitening too. Could I really become fairer?”
“Stop talking nonsense and hurry up.”
“Hey, Kang Lim. How about advertising this instead? Take a portrait photo, edit it to look as fair as Seoyeon, and make an ad like ‘The cream Snow White loved.’ Girls would love it.”
“Are you serious?”
“Yeah. Or since it’s a moisture product, call it ‘The cream the Little Mermaid loved.’”
“……”
“Isn’t it a brilliant idea? Making it funny and a bit ridiculous could make it more popular. There are many humorous commercials these days. People would really like it.”
When Kang Lim sighed, touching his forehead with his right hand, Yoon Jangmi, who had returned after testing the fragrance, gave a sharp retort.
“They’d hate it.”
“Yes, noona.”
Yoon Jangmi seemed somewhat helpful in dealing with Lee Hyunseong.
“But why would they hate it?”
To Lee Hyunseong’s question, Kang Lim answered.
“Koreal Fresh is only in Myeong-dong, Gangnam, and Itaewon. The rest are only in department stores. It’s different from the common road shop image you see everywhere. Plus, the prices are a bit high.”
“What’s that got to do with anything?”
“Look at the package design. It’s either very fancy or very simple. Some look like they’re made for 17th-century Rococo aristocrats, and others are just modern.”
“So, why does that matter…….”
“It means the clientele wouldn’t appreciate a humorous ad. It’s not a complete luxury brand, but the buyers don’t like something that looks cheap either. The funny ads you’re thinking of might work for late teens to early twenties, but people older than that would probably dislike it. It would damage the brand image.”
“Oh? Then what do they like?”
“They probably prefer something clean and sophisticated.”
Yoon Jangmi nodded twice.
“Exactly.”
A designer’s life thinking from the customer’s perspective.
The experience Kang Lim had gained wasn’t for nothing.
“Still the same.”
Back home, Kang Lim turned on his computer and started the meeting with his team members.
[Yoon Jangmi: Kang Lim, I think I understand why you asked us to express the scent with colors.]
[Kang Lim: That’s right.]
[Lee Hyunseong: What? Why am I the only one who doesn’t get it?]
[Kang Lim: The new product we’re launching includes personal color makeup products. If we introduce the concept of ‘personal color’ for the scent from the basic cosmetics we’re advertising, it will create a synergistic effect. The company will love it because the sales increase of different products will be closely linked.]
[Yoon Jangmi: Yes, yes.]
[Lee Hyunseong: Oh, as expected, a genius.]
[Kang Lim: Now, let’s each describe the scent we felt. Starting with the top note right after smelling it.]
[Yoon Jangmi: The first scent was very fresh and gentle right after being sprayed. Bright and soft. If I were to express it with colors, it felt like pastel green, silver white, and pale pink.]
[Lee Hyunseong: Oh, I felt it had a bit of a cute vibe too. Maybe because it reminded me of flowers. Sometimes, I thought of vivid colors like permanent yellow.]
“Oh, as expected, everyone’s perception is slightly different. But the overall feeling is similar. I also felt it was pure and subtle.”
Kang Lim noted down the names of flowers that matched the colors Yoon Jangmi and Lee Hyunseong described.
Lisianthus, lilac, oxypetalum, baby’s breath……. Flowers with delicate light colors.
As he wrote the names, he thought of the flowers’ shapes and growing environments.
Thanks to the plant dictionary he read at 16.
[Kang Lim: Next, what about the middle note scent felt from 20 minutes to an hour after?]
[Yoon Jangmi: From here, a sensual scent was layered over the remaining pure scent. Elegant and refined. In terms of color, it was like indie pink, deep green, and grayish violet.]
[Lee Hyunseong: It also had a glamorous feel. It felt like ‘the protagonist!’ I thought of intense colors like permanent red or magenta.]
[Kang Lim: Oh, everyone. It’s similar to what I felt. Great.]
Kang Lim again noted the colors and corresponding flowers described by his team members.
Roses, peonies, peonies, eucalyptus.
Flowers with strong fragrances or beautiful appearances.
[Kang Lim: What about the last remaining scent? The base note.]
The base note is the longest-lasting scent of the perfume.
It lasts more than 3 hours and has the lowest volatility, staying on the body the longest.
Therefore, many customers value this lingering scent over the main fragrance.
[Yoon Jangmi: It felt warm and cozy. A soft coral pink.]
[Lee Hyunseong: I felt it was rather subdued. A bit heavy. Like a low-chroma burnt sienna.]
“Oh? This time, you two felt completely different. I felt something right in between.”
Kang Lim adequately combined the opinions and noted down the names of flowers.
Cowslip, achillea, ruscus, scabiosa, campanula.
[Kang Lim: Great. The color image association is complete. Does anyone have any ideas on how to display these colors?]
[Yoon Jangmi: Hmm……. Since the keyword is scent, flowers would be good. But it might be too cliché.]
[Lee Hyunseong: Noona, cliché isn’t necessarily bad. I’ve heard that in design, something cliché with a touch of novelty is the best.]
[Kang Lim: You finally said something right after a million years.]
[Yoon Jangmi: Then, can we go with flowers?]
[Kang Lim: As long as we decorate the stage well, it should be fine. How about dividing the stand into three tiers, except for the top where the product will be placed? Arranging it in the order of top note, middle note, and base note. Then, we can display flowers that match each stage.]
[Yoon Jangmi: Oh, that sounds great.]
[Lee Hyunseong: But how do we know which flowers match?]
[Kang Lim: I’ve organized all the colors. I checked the dictionary during the meeting.]
Of course, the dictionary in my head.
[Lee Hyunseong: Wow……. Amazing.]
[Yoon Jangmi: As expected, the top student.]
[Kang Lim: Haha.]
[Yoon Jangmi: The colors will really pop.]
[Kang Lim: It’s too early to be impressed, noona. We need to incorporate the moisturizing products too and the brand’s motto.]
[Yoon Jangmi: Oh. There’s more?]
[Kang Lim: The intent behind the new product is a healthy and natural scent, isn’t it? One that’s good for the skin.]
[Lee Hyunseong: Can that be expressed?]
[Kang Lim: I’ve been thinking. How about if noona and I make models of butterflies and bees and place them near the cosmetics? It would symbolize how natural the cosmetics are, as they pass through the scents of many flowers.]
There was a brief silence in the chat.
[Yoon Jangmi: ……?]
[Kang Lim: Why? Don’t you like it?]
[Yoon Jangmi: You really are a genius.]
[Lee Hyunseong: Wow……. That would really make the cosmetics stand out. Making even butterflies ignore the flowers and get attracted to the cosmetics ㅋㅋ awesome.]
“Then… it’s time to start assigning roles. Now that the design is complete.”
[Kang Lim: Let’s divide the tasks for making the flowers, bees, and butterflies. Since it needs to be delicate for high quality, we should start production right away. It’s better to use a 3D program and outsource it to a company, right?]
[Lee Hyunseong: You talk about 3D programs as if they’re nothing.]
[Kang Lim: You’ll have a separate task. Do that later.]
[Lee Hyunseong: Sorry…….]
[Yoon Jangmi: But making flowers with machines is too expensive, and handcrafting them would be much thinner and more delicate.]
[Kang Lim: Hmm, it will take a long time though.]
[Yoon Jangmi: Still, I think that’s how we’ll get the right feel. I’ll make them by hand.]
[Kang Lim: That’s fine with me. I know your craft skills, noona. But isn’t it too much work?]
[Yoon Jangmi: It’s okay. I’ve done it before with my mom. If we use thin silicone clay, it will look just like real flowers.]
[Kang Lim: Then I’ll make the stand and the butterflies and bees.]
[Yoon Jangmi: Sounds good.]
[Kang Lim: I’ll send you the number of flowers you need to make and the references. Once I finish the stand, I’ll match the sizes.]
[Yoon Jangmi: Okay.]
[Lee Hyunseong: Thank you…….]
[Kang Lim has logged out.]
After logging out of the messenger, Kang Lim opened the ZBrush program.
There are various computer tools for 3D modeling work.
Usually, programs like 3D MAX or Rhino are used, which draw lines along curves to divide and build up surfaces.
These are great for product design or architectural models!
However, ZBrush, which Kang Lim is using now, is more similar to pure art sculpting.
The tool in ZBrush is like working with clay, allowing you to mold and shape it just like in real life.
“Wow. It feels familiar even though I haven’t used it for long.”
Thanks to that, the sculpting process sticks to his hands more quickly.
Moreover, the detail is doubled, making it the best program for character or insect modeling.
Incredibly realistic figures are often made with this tool.
“Wouldn’t it be better to choose an unusual butterfly? It should stand out among the flowers. Hmm- Instead of making the stand a simple three-tiered rectangle, I should transform it to match the consistent theme of the Lisianthus flower.”
Buzzzzz-
Just as he was about to start working with the tablet pen, a message came in.
[Lee Hyunseong: Do I really not have to do anything? It feels like I’m freeloading too much.]
“Haha- You don’t realize how hard your task will be.”
[Kang Lim: I’ll give you work next week. What you’ll do is probably the most important display.]
[Lee Hyunseong: ……? Is there something more important? It seemed like all tasks were covered during the idea meeting.]
[Kang Lim: No. One thing was missing. We need to express the brand’s message of eternal memory.]
[Lee Hyunseong: ……?]
