This blog post introduces the core components and successful structuring methods for writing an academic plan aimed at majoring in industrial design.
Writing about academic experiences and reflections
While attending a design high school in Chungbuk, I had the valuable opportunity to major in multimedia design. When I first shared my dream of becoming a brand designer with my parents, they didn’t fully understand me. They opposed my path due to concerns about my future and apprehension about this unfamiliar field. However, I spent a long time persuading them and consistently demonstrating my resolve. Ultimately, I gained the chance to pursue my desired field, diligently continuing my preparations for university admission while studying what I truly wanted. In college, I hope to major in Industrial Design to study brand design more deeply. Beyond that, I dream of becoming a creative talent who can develop cultural content and apply it to the industrial field. Since my career goals were clear from the start of high school, my passion for academics naturally grew strong.
In my first year, I mainly focused on learning manga courses, animation production, and character design. This curriculum was particularly engaging because it helped me integrate characters and comic elements into brand marks and logos. Classes were largely team-based projects, such as creating montages and participating in character development processes, which greatly helped cultivate practical skills. In my second year, I focused on more general design fields, learning public design, caricature, and calligraphy. Functionally, I mastered illustration techniques and graphic design software, becoming proficient with the tools essential for diverse design tasks. Caricature proved especially useful for expressing the personality of personal brands, while calligraphy was effective for conveying the diversity and character of logo typefaces.
By my third year, my graphic design skills had noticeably improved, allowing me to fully engage with identity design. Building on the solid foundation laid in my earlier years, I particularly valued a course that let me experience the entire process—from brand development and logo creation to product design. Recognizing that identity is ultimately self-expression rooted in consistency, the assignment was to ‘brand oneself and express it through a logo’. I first sketched ideas by caricaturing myself, then transferred these to the computer, repeatedly experimenting with various combinations and approaches. I also conducted multiple experiments with color and color schemes, striving to find the optimal harmony. Finally, I completed the logo by incorporating my initials. Through this process, I deeply realized that design is not merely a visual outcome, but a creative expression containing ideas and identity.
These three years of high school academic experience went beyond mere skill acquisition; they were a time that solidified my conviction and vision for my career path. Steadily walking toward my goal of brand design, my aspiration to grow into a designer who can positively impact the world by merging content and design has only grown stronger. Moving forward, I will never stop learning and will continue to diligently research designs that embody my unique color and philosophy.
Major Campus Activities and Reflections
“Developing an Application Applying Identity Design”
I was active in a campus club focused on developing identity applications. Our club aimed to create viable product designs and pursue professional brand development, so we encountered various real-world cases and even visited companies to observe their development processes firsthand. As I aspired to grow into an identity designer, my experience in this club went beyond mere participation and greatly helped me develop practical skills. Particularly, freely expressing brand and product ideas I had been conceptualizing and then directly designing logos based on them was an incredibly interesting and meaningful time.
My first activity upon joining the club was researching existing brands and collecting data. To properly develop products and brands, it was crucial to first build a solid foundation of related knowledge. We started by researching various companies, brands, and products within our respective areas of interest. I focused on brands centered around environmental themes, researching products with green marks, companies producing recycled goods, and organic foods. Since I often seek out such products in my daily life, comparing and analyzing the symbols and logo designs of related companies to identify commonalities and differences helped broaden my design perspective.
One key finding from my research was that logos for eco-friendly products predominantly use shades of green or blue and incorporate images or symbols evoking nature. Additionally, many logos either included the product name itself or combined text with imagery. Drawing on these characteristics, I conceptualized and created various logo designs that shared a similar structure but aimed to convey a distinct feel. After practicing repeatedly, I developed a desire to create a new product logo that reflected my own ideas, going beyond simply imitating existing brands.
So I conceived a new product idea: ‘Organic Daily Custom Juice’. This product is a custom-designed juice recipe that allows students in their growth phase to easily consume their daily required vegetables. Users select their preferred vegetables via an app to create a recipe, which is then sent to the store to be made into an actual beverage, ready for pickup in the morning. To brand this idea, I extracted core keywords and combined the fundamental element ‘Green (vegetables)’ with words symbolizing ‘diversity’ to brainstorm several product names. Ultimately, reflecting the opinions and votes of club members, the name ‘Green Berry’ was chosen.
Moving into logo design, I considered how to visually express the product concept. Combining green and red to capture the color palette of vegetable juice, I designed the logo using a calligraphy-style font to convey freshness and vibrancy. We specifically applied flowing curves to simultaneously convey the image of ‘juice’ and the brand’s eco-friendly atmosphere. The completed logo was applied within the application I personally planned, and the development part was implemented through collaboration with a club friend. Through this entire process, I experienced the full journey of an idea materializing into a tangible product and gained a valuable opportunity to learn how to practically apply design thinking.
This activity taught me that beyond mere design skills, the mindset for planning and developing a brand, along with the collaboration and execution required to bring ideas to life, are crucial. It strengthened my conviction about the direction I want to take as a future identity designer, and I am certain these experiences will form a solid foundation for my career path. I hope to continue steadily gaining experience in turning creative ideas into reality.
Examples of Consideration, Sharing, and Cooperation and Reflections
“Donating Talent Through Logo and T-Shirt Development”
As our club activity entered its second year, the number of brands and logos we planned and designed ourselves increased significantly. As the depth of our activities grew, our club agreed that we needed to move beyond simple design work and engage in activities that share our talents with society. Coincidentally, we discovered a volunteer club within our own school, created by friends who had been consistently engaged in volunteer activities. Despite their diverse external activities, we felt it was a shame they weren’t more widely known. So, we decided to help raise awareness of their activities. We started a project to create a logo and application (app) for the volunteer club, supporting their brand management and promotion.
The volunteer club was very grateful for our proposal. They explained that, focused on their volunteer work, they hadn’t thought about creating their own logo or online promotion. They were thrilled that, thanks to us, they now had tangible results that would help members feel a sense of belonging. We concentrated on designing a logo suitable for use on t-shirts or vests worn by members and also pushed forward with developing an app, considering usability. We aimed to create a logo that was simple yet instantly recognizable. For the app, we held multiple meetings to gather ideas, ensuring it remained uncomplicated and accessible to everyone. I actively participated in these meetings and suggested creating a highly readable logo centered around Korean characters to reflect the nature of the volunteer organization. Given the club’s name, ‘Angels’ Gathering,‘ I also suggested a layout visually emphasizing the word ‘Angels’ while placing the remaining text relatively smaller.
As the lead designer for this project, I invested significant time and effort into refining the text composition and color scheme. I aimed for a clean, organized impression while avoiding overly flashy or complex colors. I selected a relatively dark tone as the main color to ensure it would look good on bright-colored t-shirts or hats. To further enhance the ‘angel’ image, I also applied the idea of inserting a small, sparkling angel icon using gold accents. The final draft underwent multiple revisions and feedback rounds through club meetings, ultimately resulting in a design that satisfied everyone.
The logo and design we created together were applied to various items like volunteer t-shirts, vests, and name tags. Being responsible for the entire design process gave us great satisfaction, as we felt we meaningfully shared our abilities. The friend in charge of app development registered the app on an online platform and promoted it through SNS and communities. As a result, the volunteer group’s name and activities became more widely known. Through this experience, I felt once again the meaning of cooperation that realizes the value of togetherness, beyond simple talent donation. I truly realized that sharing activities are the foundation for the most creative growth.
Efforts and Preparation Related to Motivation and Career Plans
Dreaming of becoming an identity designer who develops brand designs
During my three years studying at
Design High School, the field I focused on most was ‘brand design’. This interest began with simple curiosity, but over time, I became increasingly drawn to designs that could embody my own brand philosophy. I also consistently participated in club activities related to brand design for three years, further fueling my passion for identity design. During this time, I personally developed brands and logos that symbolized me and repeatedly experienced the work of visually expressing the identity of everyday products or organizations. These experiences fostered a deep affection for visualizing a brand’s ‘identity’ beyond mere design work, ultimately leading to my dream of one day establishing my own brand design company.
To achieve this goal, I believe I must first thoroughly complete the curriculum of the Industrial Design Department at university. Therefore, after admission, I plan to establish a systematic plan from the outset and concretely shape my career path step by step. While the Industrial Design Department offers diverse major courses, I plan to focus primarily on visual design. In my first year, I will build a solid foundation through courses in design expression techniques and the fundamentals of visual design. I will also form a study group with like-minded friends to explore brand design together, learning and growing as a team.
In my sophomore year, I intend to study specialized areas of visual design, such as pattern design and typography, in greater depth. I plan to actively apply this knowledge to assignments and projects within my study group to develop practical skills. Simultaneously, I will take courses in graphic design and illustration to learn diverse expression methods, enhancing the quality of my work through repeated practice.
By the third year, the Identity Design course will be offered among the major subjects. I plan to thoroughly prepare in advance to complete the collaborative assignments for this course with high quality. As graduation approaches, I will actively participate in meaningful projects and competitions to build tangible achievements, enabling me and my teammates to systematically organize our respective portfolios. Additionally, I plan to creatively apply insights from Visual Design and Advertising Design courses to brand logo and application development. Specifically, I will diligently complete essential courses in Marketing and Interactive Design for application development, aiming to grow into a designer who considers the entire user experience, not just design.
In my senior year, I will conduct research on the cultural content and media industries to gain a deep understanding of how brand design connects to the practical content industry. During this process, I plan to analyze external project cases and engage in activities where I apply these insights directly. Building on this preparation and experience, after graduation, I will establish a design company specializing in brand identity. This will allow me to realize my own brand philosophy and grow into a designer who can deliver new value to the world.
