As The Postech Times had only a little time given for the interview, we could not ask all questions prepared. Answers to some questions are direct quotations, while others are based upon his lecture, under the approval of Youngse Kim.
What is design?
Design is not something external. Design should express thoughts, philosophy and everything of a designer. Consumers buy that unseen character, rather than just its external beauty.
What do you think a good designer is?
A good designer is an imaginer. Imaginer is not a word. But I define it as a person who has the constructive ability of eliciting the value of the future to the present with their strong power of imagination. A good designer is an imaginer.
How do you know what to design? How do you approach the ideas?
To add more character to the word imaginer, a dreamer is a person who dreams his or her own dream whereas an imaginer is a person who dreams others’ dreams for them. When I design, I think of others. I think in the view of others. I draw things based on others. Other people and nature are important.
What kind of design makes the best impression on people?
The design that touches people’s heart is the best design. On Mother’s Day when he was sixteen, my son prepared for a coupon book for the whole night and dawn. My wife smiled flipping the book with each coupon for a specific favor such as laundry, garage cleaning and car washing. When my wife looked at the last one, her eyes got wet with tears. It said ‘Love’ and ‘expiration never.’ Loving has no expiration! And that made me reflect on myself why I could not produce designs that touch people’s heart and make people weep. What is design? Design is loving others.
Last words for POSTECH students
Start your Big Dream! (Youngse Kim said this statement in the lecture on May 27 referencing the school’s motto of bilingual campus, “Globalize your Dream!” His idea was that a dream is not something that can be specifically localized. In other words, a dream has always been independent of location. Globalization is a word used for a place or system that has been localized or closed. If something has always been free of location, the word globalization loses all its meaning. So he suggested replacing “Globalize your Dream” with “Start your Big Dream!” instead.)
