This blog post examines how exploring a career path in eco-design can make your motivation for applying to a design department clearer and more persuasive. It specifically explains how sustainable design values and practical experience become the basis for choosing your major.
Writing about Academic Experience and Reflections
“Learning the Fundamentals through Design Major at an Art High School”
I learned the fundamentals of design through my design major. Our high school was the only art high school in the country, offering the advantage of specialized design education compared to general high schools. Because I aspired to become an expressive designer with my own unique personality and creativity in the future, I focused diligently on foundational studies through my departmental coursework. The main subjects I studied in the design major were Formative Arts and Concept and Expression. Through Formative Arts, I learned the foundational elements of art and their applications. Through Concept and Expression, I learned about creativity that allows me to express my own individuality.
During my first year, I studied two-dimensional and three-dimensional design within the form and composition category. I encountered numerous related examples, helping me grasp form principles and concepts. It was especially beneficial to see many real design works connected to the theoretical learning. Even when learning form elements, it wasn’t just theoretical study; there was a lot of hands-on practice. To master form elements, I studied and imitated the work of seniors who had completed assignments. I believed that by imitating others’ work, I could also discover my own style. Moreover, through this process, I encountered various screen composition techniques and developed the habit of properly exercising creativity and conceptual thinking.
Starting in my second year, I formally studied creativity and conceptual thinking courses and took related practical subjects like drawing and design. Cultivating my own expression through new ideas is fundamental for a designer, so I aimed to become accustomed to this training. Through drawing, I studied the characteristics of various materials and expression techniques. In design courses, I did extensive image training to generate creative ideas. Initially, many ideas were limited to imitation rather than novel concepts, but as I continued ideation training, I began to come up with previously unseen ideas. I then designed works based on my own concepts and participated in school exhibitions and external competitions, gradually building my skills.
Major School Activities and Reflections
“Creating Products for Animals Through the School Art Exhibition”
I first exhibited my work during my sophomore year of high school through the school art exhibition. Our school’s art exhibition was large-scale, featuring joint displays with Western painting, Korean painting, and sculpture departments alongside the design major. I started by gathering teammates to participate in the exhibition together. I persuaded friends who were in the same group as me for design course assignments to join the exhibition. Once we became a team through my persuasion, we developed the idea meetings we had been holding continuously to complete our coursework assignments. Those meetings were mostly idea sessions focused on specific themes, serving as brainstorming exercises for particular flat artworks or two-dimensional drawings.
However, the meetings for preparing exhibition pieces were fundamentally different. First, it was an exhibition with a free theme, not a specific, predetermined subject. Second, it was limited exclusively to three-dimensional sculptural works, not two-dimensional pieces. Therefore, we conducted our meetings on a different level than our usual assignment meetings. Given the lack of a specific theme, we utilized brainstorming to enable a free exchange of ideas. As we proceeded with the meetings, we decided to first establish a theme. As the leader of the exhibition team, I hoped our team’s work theme would align with the interests of all members. So, we selected a field of common interest among all members, and through free exchange of ideas, we discovered that it was our love for animals.
Our team members, who love animals, agreed to create design products for dogs or abandoned animals. And since it was a three-dimensional sculptural work, we decided to produce practical products that could be actually used. We also developed the specific concept for the work through meetings. A friend who actually raises pets proposed a picnic package for dogs. And I, who worry about stray cats roaming the streets and occasionally feed them, suggested the idea of a disposable food package for stray cats. Through a group vote, the concept was selected, and as the details developed, a design product gradually took shape that was actually feasible to develop. While creating these products, we continuously revised unexpected aspects to complete the work.
First, the outing package for dogs was inspired by pet owners’ concerns about food and waste management during picnics. Since packing food is cumbersome, we created a combined package of water and dog food. For waste disposal, we included a disposal shovel and disposable plastic bags. We packaged these three products into a single box, completing a practical design that is convenient to purchase and carry. For the disposable food for stray cats, we prepared a paper box the size of a food bowl and filled it with cat food. It was designed so that people could actually purchase the product at convenience stores and give it to stray cats. When all the works were completed and exhibited, we received a lot of positive feedback and praise, which was very rewarding.
Caring·Sharing·Cooperation Case and Reflections
“Participating in Volunteer Activities for Community Change”
I was active in the Nowa-Na Volunteer Group operated by the local youth training center. The Nowa-Na Volunteer Group was formed by youth leading change in our area, primarily conducting various volunteer activities targeting marginalized groups in the community. I joined this group through a school announcement and, given my talent in art and design, aimed to apply for many related volunteer activities. After joining the volunteer group, the main activities I performed included magic shows, wallpapering in residential areas, and painting murals on public facilities.
As an art major, mural painting wasn’t particularly difficult for me, but I received separate training for magic and wallpapering. Especially with magic, since I had to perform it live in front of the beneficiaries, I made a concerted effort to learn it properly. Learning magic was fun, but when I tried performing it alone, I made frequent mistakes, requiring a lot of practice time. So, I practiced magic during breaks at school whenever I could and even performed tricks for my friends. Performing for friends helped reduce my nerves and gave me practice performing on stage in front of people.
Thanks to this practice, I was able to successfully carry out the volunteer activity of performing magic at a local nursing home. Seeing the elderly residents clap and enjoy my magic made me feel all the practice was worthwhile. The wallpapering and mural volunteer work happened at the same time. We went to a local children’s welfare center, covered the old wallpaper, and applied new wallpaper over it. Then, outside the facility, we worked together with friends to paint and draw new murals. Since it wasn’t a solo activity but something we tackled together, it was physically demanding but also incredibly rewarding. While painting the mural together, my friends and I felt the cold outdoors in winter, yet we encouraged each other and felt a strong bond. Ultimately, I felt the reward of friends supporting each other and the satisfaction of helping others with my own strength.
Two books that had the greatest impact on me during high school, the reason I read them, my evaluation, and their influence
“Design Your Career Path, Kim Jin”
Reading “Design Your Career Path” greatly helped me define my own career direction. Written by the author who runs an educational development institute based on his own research, it was much easier to understand than other career development books. This was because it was written in a style accessible enough for high school students, and it contained logical content rather than vague ideas, making it easy to apply to actual career planning. In reality, high school students tend to worry more about their career paths and college admissions than their grades. Although I was majoring in design, I struggled with deciding which specific field to specialize in. I also hadn’t determined what kind of designer I wanted to become. Whenever the design classes or assignments at school felt overwhelming, I doubted whether I had chosen the right career path. That’s when I read this book. Analyzing my thinking skills through its eight categories helped me objectively understand my traits. The results showed I was a Creative, Service-Oriented, and Life-Oriented student. Crucially, the analysis wasn’t based on my subjective view but was written from the perspective of parents or teachers observing a child’s traits, ensuring objectivity. This allowed me to build a concrete career path based on my thinking style analysis. Ultimately, I decided to become a designer creating innovative accessories in the eco-design field, which considers animals and nature.
“London’s Good Shops, Park Rooney”
‘London’s Good Shops’ is a book written for London designers pursuing sustainable living. The city of London featured in this book is also known as a design city, a place I’ve always wanted to visit, which is why I read the book. The designers featured in the book were design makers producing small-batch, diverse products. Feeling drawn to London itself while glimpsing the even more appealing lives of these designers, I began dreaming of studying abroad in a new city. These designers formed cooperatives to support themselves, becoming direct producers to realize simple designs. Their dream is for more people to find happiness through small-scale production, and I wanted to join them in that dream. Indeed, dreaming of designing small objects, I aspire to establish my own design studio in the future and pursue independent production. These objects would utilize materials sourced through fair trade and embody the principles of green design and eco-design. I would also attempt new designs using discarded items or recycled products through recycling and upcycling. So, reading this book, I glimpsed the possibility of realizing my own ideas and thought I too wanted to create a design city like the one the Londoner built, but in my own country. In conclusion, this book made me want to grow into a sustainable designer who creates new production structures.
