In this blog post, we’ll share how new designers can effectively express their story structure, sensibility, and experiences in their cover letter.
Growth Process
As a child, I frequently visited art museums with my parents. My parents, who collected art as a hobby, possessed deep expertise in the arts, and I naturally developed an emotional eye for art by encountering diverse works. The excitement I felt while appreciating art in museums eventually blossomed into the dream of becoming a designer who connects with people. One particularly memorable moment was attending a fashion show, invited by an acquaintance of my mother. There, I became completely captivated by the allure of design. I was deeply impressed by the fact that design was the element that made the glamorous models and lighting shine even brighter, and I developed a strong desire to create works that would make viewers feel enchanted.
Thanks to my parents’ influence, I naturally had access to books related to art and design from a young age. The diverse collection of specialized books filling one wall of our home library became a precious resource for learning. Through these books, I built my fundamentals and cultivated my sense of design. To stay abreast of changing trends, I consistently studied domestic and international design reference materials. I also actively participated in various seminars and exhibitions to broaden my horizons. Through this process, I truly felt the necessity of a global perspective, which naturally fueled my passion for studying English.
Wanting professional design education, I also attended an academy and formed a study group with like-minded friends, enjoying the pleasure of growing together. Believing creativity is the core of design, I developed the habit of immediately jotting down ideas whenever something struck me. Through experience, I learned the hard way that ideas vanish quickly if not captured the instant they spark.
I believe design extends far beyond the visual. Since dreaming of becoming a designer, I’ve strived to ‘design’ my own life. The very process of meticulously reflecting on my daily life, refining myself, and making choices to move toward greater beauty has been my personal design. I believe these efforts have shaped who I am today. Moving forward, I aspire to grow into a capable designer who can move people, grounded in creative thinking and an open mind.
Learning and Growth During School Years
During my childhood, I often visited exhibition halls rather than spending time with friends. Naturally, even after entering elementary school, I spent more time with books than with peers, which opened a different perspective on the world for me. Upon entering middle school, I realized the importance of diverse experiences beyond just grades and began participating in various clubs. By the time I entered high school, I continued activities in the design field related to my dreams. Based on my achievements, including winning numerous awards in various design competitions, I was able to gain admission as a special talent student.
However, after entering university, I overestimated my design skills and put in less effort compared to my peers. This led to a major shock when my midterm grades in my major fell below expectations. Only then did I truly understand, in the most painful way, that ‘confidence’ can become poison when taken too far. Acknowledging that my complacent attitude had led to this outcome, I took time to reflect on myself. That experience became more than just a failure; it was a crucial turning point for me, and I put in a lot of effort to refocus my mind.
Since then, I’ve approached my creative work with a relentless dedication to effort. As a result, I achieved the valuable accomplishment of winning the grand prize in the next character design contest I entered. Of course, it wasn’t smooth sailing from the start. Even after deciding to participate, I struggled for quite some time, racking my brain for a suitable idea. Above all, I did my utmost not to repeat past mistakes, and my days flowed by under the compulsion to constantly come up with new ideas. This only made me more impatient, and my mind grew even more cluttered.
Realizing that times like these call for a return to fundamentals, I began calmly revisiting design books, focusing especially on the classics. I rediscovered that creative ideas don’t suddenly fall from the sky one day; they emerge when diverse knowledge and experiences fuse within, crystallizing into a single concept. Drawing hints from these books, I derived my own fused ideas and, based on this, could finally begin full-scale character creation.
I believe design is an art born from the artist’s deep contemplation and struggle. I think it must hold value beyond just the visible outcome. Therefore, I intend to continue pouring my heart and soul into each piece, using my accumulated experience as a foundation to pursue deeper work. The lessons gained through failures and trial and error are vital assets to my creative process, propelling me forward as a more mature designer.
On My Personality’s Strengths and Weaknesses
Since middle school, my personality has gradually become more proactive, evolving into the well-rounded and agreeable nature I possess today. This transformation has allowed me to build many friendships and navigate interpersonal relationships with ease. I am quite sociable, able to converse naturally and without awkwardness even with people I meet for the first time. Conversations with diverse individuals are a great asset to me. Exchanging different perspectives and thoughts allows me to gain new ideas. I believe becoming fixated on a single viewpoint leads to narrow thinking and limits creativity. In that sense, one of my greatest strengths is collecting diverse ideas through communication with various people and reflecting them in my work.
Furthermore, my wide range of interests naturally cultivated my observational skills. I wasn’t particularly perceptive from the start, but developing the habit of looking around with the mindset that ‘inspiration can be found in everything in the world’ has been immensely helpful. When looking at objects or spaces, I developed the habit of not just seeing the surface appearance but meticulously examining their characteristics. Through this process, I naturally cultivated the ability to quickly grasp the distinctive features of things. I started by practicing detailed observation, then repeatedly trained myself to pinpoint essential characteristics. Finally, through practice in performing this process rapidly, I now possess the ability to instantly recognize the nature and appeal of objects. This repeated training has also been immensely helpful in my creative work. In the process of capturing inspiration from small details and expanding them into new ideas, observational skills always prove to be a powerful weapon.
On the other hand, I do have a weakness: I’m terrible at remembering names. While I remember faces or overall impressions well, I tend to forget names quite often. I consider a person’s name a crucial element representing their identity. Therefore, when I fail to recall someone’s name, I feel embarrassed myself and sometimes even sorry towards them. Having experienced disappointment myself when others forgot my name, I strive not to dismiss this as a simple weakness. So, I’ve developed the habit of jotting down a name immediately upon hearing it, along with a distinctive feature of the person. Rather than trying to remember names alone, I use my own method of associating them with the person’s memorable or unique traits. Of course, I’m not perfect yet, but I’m steadily working to improve this shortcoming little by little.
In this way, I’m building diverse experiences that serve as the foundation for my creative work, leveraging my strengths in sociability and observation. Simultaneously, I recognize my shortcomings and spare no effort in working to overcome them. No one is perfect, but I believe the attitude of objectively viewing oneself, further developing strengths, and compensating for weaknesses is a crucial element for growing into a better person. And I am steadily walking that path even now.
Career History (Experience)
At the first design company I worked for, I handled various tasks across the entire spectrum of design. As it was a comprehensive design studio encompassing multiple fields—including advertising, graphics, and product design—rather than specializing in a single area, I naturally gained experience across a broad spectrum of projects. Handling such diverse projects required understanding and skills across different disciplines, demanding constant learning and adaptation. This experience solidified my practical capabilities and cultivated a design sensibility capable of responding flexibly to various situations.
Later, I gained the opportunity to work in the studio of a teacher I deeply respected. Having long been fascinated by their unique creative world and distinctive design philosophy, the time spent researching together, working side-by-side, and experiencing their approach up close was profoundly meaningful. It was a valuable experience that went beyond learning technical skills; I absorbed their attitude toward design, their approach, and even their stance as a creator. Above all, thanks to the warm encouragement and trust the teacher extended to me, allowing me to focus steadfastly on my own designs, I was able to grow significantly and gain confidence. He showed deep interest in my work, which led to him entrusting me with the opportunity to independently take charge of and execute a project. That experience continues to be a vital source of nourishment for my creative world today.
