Interview with Jin Woong Lee
Design Legend Interview
2 July 2024
I hold a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Industrial Design and currently serve as the Furniture Designer and Design Team Manager at NOOGI Inc.
Making things has been my earliest hobby. Besides enjoying the process itself, I also had a desire to collect and curate a variety of items. Over time, I developed a strong preference for crafting original work, as opposed to following manuals or replicating existing creations. I also found little satisfaction in making items without practical use. While the process wasn't as clear to me then as it is now, I realize that my life experiences naturally led me to become a designer.
My parents recommended that I pursue a career in design. There are many things for which I feel grateful to my parents, and this is one of the biggest.
I am a product designer and, more specifically, an industrial designer. Currently, I am working in the field of furniture design. However, as the basic structure of a space is built, I wish to delve deeper into designing smaller pieces.
A certain design draws people’s attention, then makes them think, and ultimately influences them in different ways. The line between a good designer and a great designer lies in this progression from attention to thought to influence.
The impact of a design should be assessed in terms of both personal significance and broader influence. However, for me, it ultimately comes down to how it has influenced myself.
I enjoy the work I do.
I've always been interested in movable objects and structures that can be assembled and reassembled with parts that can be replaced and modified. This interest has led me to focus on projects requiring some structural achievement.
One of my recent projects at NOOGI is the 'Signature Lounge Chair,' which is soon to be released. I believe I did a fine job on its leg frame, which incorporates an assembly structure while maintaining its advanced shape. The design involved employing multiple techniques, and I look forward to the opportunity to discuss it in detail in the future.
One of my recent projects at NOOGI is the 'Signature Lounge Chair,' which is soon to be released. I believe I did a fine job on its leg frame, which incorporates an assembly structure while maintaining its advanced shape. The design involved employing multiple techniques, and I look forward to the opportunity to discuss it in detail in the future.
I believe that taking a lot of time and working on multiple projects with sincere focus is the only way to improve. Ultimately, it comes down to whether someone can enjoy the process.
I might have become a craftsman or an engineer. However, I believe I would have eventually gravitated towards product design.
Design is about realizing a better concept. If something cannot be realized, it remains merely an idea. If it is realized but lacks value, it is essentially a waste. Value is subjective and can vary, so what is considered "better" should be acknowledged, provided it does not harm individuals. This is how I currently define design, and product design is my life’s work.
My close family and friends.
Designers should present their work in a way that is clear and understandable, according to their own preferences.
I am currently working at NOOGI, and I invite you to visit if you’re interested in our work.
Personally, I am in the process of building a brand under the name PRO-SP. While establishing this brand will take time, I am currently focused on a specific project also featuring a movable and customizable structure. In addition to refining the design, I am learning to sell products which is another important aspect for the project.
Personally, I am in the process of building a brand under the name PRO-SP. While establishing this brand will take time, I am currently focused on a specific project also featuring a movable and customizable structure. In addition to refining the design, I am learning to sell products which is another important aspect for the project.
To create my universe.
Companies expect me to achieve specific goals. As for what individuals expect from me, I’m not entirely sure. I try to be myself while balancing that with not being too self-involved.
Design can both contribute to and detract from creating a better society. Every action, including design, aims to bring about improvement, and designers work towards this through their designs. While not every design directly leads to societal betterment, designers strive to make a positive impact. Creators never want their creations to be meaningless.
There are two projects that I am especially excited about: the "Signature Lounge Chair" at NOOGI and the "SSP Side Table" for a personal project.
The time it takes to finalize a design project varies significantly, depending on whether it is a company project or a personal project. It can range from 3 months to 1-2 years.
When starting a new design project, I typically begin with:
Type A. Assessing whether it can be structured well or not.
Type B. Developing a concept based on certain movement or appearance.
Type C. Determining what item is needed to define a specific space.
Type A. Assessing whether it can be structured well or not.
Type B. Developing a concept based on certain movement or appearance.
Type C. Determining what item is needed to define a specific space.
My motto as a designer is to be myself, to focus less on others, and to be a lower version of myself rather than trying to be a higher version of someone else.
I believe technology plays a crucial role in every design, accounting for half of it, because without technology, ideas cannot be realized.
I mostly use Rhino 3D and 3D printers. For mockup tools, I use whatever I can find and what is available. For visualization, I use KeyShot and Adobe programs
I don’t prefer projects that focus solely on color and materials, but they play a crucial role in highlighting details in every project. Without them, a proper product cannot be made.
I wish people would ask about my design in detail, drawing from their own experiences.
When I see a new great design or product, I feel a thrill and a sense of competitiveness, along with a strong urge to work.
I believe in co-design, either through a strict superior-subordinate relationship or by collaborating with individuals from completely different majors or fields.
I believe I am being recognized as I should be.
01. Color: Green
02. Place: Home
03. Food: Cream pasta
04. Season: When it is not too hot, cold, or humid.
05. Thing: Having a meal, catching up, and laughing with my close people.
02. Place: Home
03. Food: Cream pasta
04. Season: When it is not too hot, cold, or humid.
05. Thing: Having a meal, catching up, and laughing with my close people.
I once made a metal part that cost about $900. I was in university, and it was way over my budget, but I felt it was inevitable to make the piece. I ended up spending my entire monthly income on that one part and felt very proud of it. However, a year or two later, I realized it was a foolish idea to make the part out of metal, as there were plenty of other ways to achieve the same or even better result.
A great day for me as a designer is when everything goes as scheduled, when people understand and appreciate my work as I intended or surprise me in unexpected ways, and when an idea is properly realized and visible in front of me. I stay motivated by seeking happiness in my work; when I am making something, I feel happy.
Nothing for now. Maybe some names, perhaps. I will keep working tirelessly to achieve my vision and establish my brand. Please come visit then. Thank you.
Designer Interview
18 May 2021
I never had any clear dream of what to become. I got lost quite hard at the beginning of high school, which is the real significant period until we take the National college entrance exam.
It was then when my parents asked about becoming a designer. Maybe they recommend the field because I was always into crafting and drawing in my youth. I never thought of it as a real job or a career, but I still took the advice. I took it because it was the only path I wouldn`t dislike, but I got used to preparing for the art college exam.
I felt that I was to do the product design after getting into university, after making my own objects.
It was then when my parents asked about becoming a designer. Maybe they recommend the field because I was always into crafting and drawing in my youth. I never thought of it as a real job or a career, but I still took the advice. I took it because it was the only path I wouldn`t dislike, but I got used to preparing for the art college exam.
I felt that I was to do the product design after getting into university, after making my own objects.
PRO-SP is a brand to makes space through products. Space is called SEOM, meaning Island in Korean.
To me, design is to realize a better experience.
I want to experience designing products as various as they can be. Still, I like to design products used in a working space and products without using electricity (that can be solved more structurally.)
Interaction, movement, form, material (focuses more in the following order.)
Delight, enlightenment, frustration.
Feeling of "this is why I do design".
How much it can get empathized to.
Neatness, Environmental aspect, maybe sales.
To make products that someone wants to keep forever and to make products that can last forever, therefore, should have durability and can be replaced or repaired without difficulty.
I connect the movement or shape that is from the main function of the product with aspects of natural objects.
1. Prism LED Stand LSP-M08_ Yellow
2. Starbucks SS Black Heritage Tucker Cold Cup
3. Calvin Klein Industrial Nylon Flatbag HH2393-032
3. Prism LED Stand LSP-M08_ Yellow
4. Polyhedron Stool 45
2. Starbucks SS Black Heritage Tucker Cold Cup
3. Calvin Klein Industrial Nylon Flatbag HH2393-032
3. Prism LED Stand LSP-M08_ Yellow
4. Polyhedron Stool 45
Realizing technics.
I develop my work by myself, but sometimes get help from others when I need hands.
Interview about Polyhedron Stool Grand Interview