Published : Aug. 13, 2012 - 20:01
Founder of Big Ant International explains the ideas behind his design for new company logoA photograph of a soldier pointing a machine gun on a street poster on a lamppost might be nothing new. However, if you could walk around the post you would see that the end of the gun points right back at the soldier. And a sharp moment of epiphany strikes.
The groundbreaking anti-war campaign “What goes around comes around” put 33-year-old Park Seo-won and his firm Big Ant International on the industry map, giving him more than 15 international trophies. Since then, Park has expanded his portfolio with other successful projects including advertisements for Vogue and Kleenex; and helped in the renewal of brands such as Maeil Dairies, among others.
Park recently landed a very different and challenging project: He helped revive the corporate identity of Herald Corp., the parent company of The Korea Herald. The new logo he designed will be simultaneously adopted by the 11 subsidiaries of Herald Corp. starting Aug. 14.
The blue stripes in the shape of an “H” represent the new, confident and powerful future of the company.
Big Ant International CEO Park Seo-won (The Korea Herald)
“The Korea Herald boasts a long history and its layout is trendy enough. I intended to respect the legacy and add a fresh touch,” he said in an interview with The Korea Herald on Aug. 8.
“Because The Korea Herald is such a global medium I wanted the logo to be recognized and identified by everybody in the world. The simple ‘H’ shape is global and ubiquitous enough,” he said.
Park will also mentor youngsters at the Herald Design Forum on Sept. 20 at COEX in southern Seoul. He said he will receive questions from design enthusiasts and give impromptu answers.
“I will be talking about what I am and what I want. We will be interacting with one another and sharing our passion,” he said.
Aside from his reputation in the design world, Park is also known for his unusual personal history. He was born into a wealthy family ― his father is Doosan Chairman Park Yong-maan ― and he had his “boys gone wild” moments in his early 20s until he learned to refine his instincts in 2005 when he entered the School of Visual Arts in New York and realized he wanted to pursue design and innovation.
In his autobiography, Park said he stayed up all night when assigned a project, turned in more homework than asked for and practiced more than anyone else. He said he had to double, triple the effort of his fellows to catch up with them, as they were were far more artsy and fashionable.
“I cannot be the best example of a ‘from rags to riches’ story. I had a family and other conditions that could afford to support me till I found my dream. Still, I would like to challenge youngsters to pour their hearts out and try their best, just as I did at the design school and thereafter. I think the toil is worth every penny in the end,” he said.
By Bae Ji-sook (
baejisook@heraldcorp.com)