Unique in gender, sexuality, and customs

As a child, Jung participated in school art competitions and won several awards. To prepare for the art entrance exam, she went to college at Kookmin University in the Department of Decorative Arts.
"When I enrolled, the Industrial Design Department was called the 'Decorative Arts Department.' At that time, there were only a few male seniors in the department, and there were only four male classmates. Due to the gender imbalance, male students naturally stood out. I was the department representative for four years."

Design books in your home office

Jung was a leader among her peers and a high achiever. She received six scholarships during her undergraduate studies.
"I graduated at the top of my department and at the bottom of my class at the School of Architecture. I think I did well in the design studies I wanted to do. In my third year, I also took a class in the Department of Costume Design. I was in ROTC training, so I went to class in a uniform, which was unusual for a male student in ROTC to take a costume design class at a time when fashion was considered a woman's domain (laughs). I was definitely the odd man out at the time."

The organically connected life of an automotive designer

Jung's undergraduate experience was a little different from most, and after graduation, he joined Daewoo Group Design to become an automotive designer.
"When I was a new employee, I would stand all day and sketch cars, and when I came to work, my boss would give me a new Monami 153 ballpoint pen nib, and I couldn't leave until the nib was worn out."
His first design as an automotive designer was an interior. A weaving class he took as an undergraduate in the costume department helped him to vary the materials and colors of the car seats. As he gained seniority, he took on exterior design and served as a control tower for various vehicle types, including commercial vehicles and specialty vehicles, as well as overseas projects. His last position at Daewoo was as head of the design team. Unlike design work, designers plan and design all parts of a car. It's usually done by people from science and engineering.

"In the company, it was a concern whether a team leader who was a designer could lead engineers well. I graduated from Hanyang Industrial High School. I was a manager who knew mechanics and design, so I adapted well, and the employees followed me well. The design team and related departments gradually recognized me. What I learned is that just like a car that moves by connecting various parts organically, internal relationships are the same. My active personality helped me get along with people in other departments."

The future of Diorigin with designers who care about the environment

Designers need to be creative in new ways when designing containers in the age of the pen. So, what are the latest changes in the way containers are being designed to keep up with the writing environment?

Diorijin archive room with a variety of containers

"To be certified as a low-carbon product, a container must firstly be light in weight, taking into account the trend towards lighter weight, but also have a structure that can withstand the load of a loaded container during transport, and the CMF (Colour, Material, Finish) technological steps during production to ensure that it is lightweight and recyclable. For example, if you mix blue ink in a container to give it a fresh look, it can't be recycled." While many of the criteria for protecting the environment may seem like constraints, designers living in the age of necessity need the courage and wisdom to overcome constraints and be creative."

CEO Soo Jung (left) and Director Dongmin Jung (right).
With the addition of Dongmin Jung, Diorigin plans to expand its design scope to include spaces, furniture, and products.

Jung says that younger generations are serious about the environment, so container design will be able to integrate well into the eco-friendly era. He adds that the young designers at Diorigin are his hope.
"My son, Dongmin Jung, a junior at the university, has been in charge of Diorijin's projects since three years ago. Together with my son, we are trying to expand Diorijin's design area. Based on my own philosophy that 'container design is about putting contents in a small space,' we are trying to expand into the area of space design, including furniture and product design to fill the space."
What will the second act of Diorijin be like? As Jung and director Jung Dong-min move forward together, we hope to see Jung's boyish curiosity and willingness to try different things will remain the same.

This content is translated from Korean to English using the AI translation service DeepL and may contain translation errors such as jargon/pronouns.
If you find any, please send your feedback to kookminpr@kookmin.ac.kr so we can correct them.

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