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Designers in San Francisco

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  • This is Robert Shook’s profile photo.
    Robert Shook

    Designer, SDIC

  • This is Seounghyun Son’s profile photo.
    Seounghyun Son

    Designer, SDIC

Clear skies, the Golden Gate Bridge, wine, and an impressively vast wharf. San Francisco is a city loved by everyone and a place where many different things are intricately connected.

This is a cityscape image of San Francisco.

What kind of changes took place for you as a designer after joining Samsung Electronics?

Seounghyun Nothing major has changed, but I learned an important fact that there is a unique beauty to industrial design that is a bit different than the aesthetic beauty of design. A design that has value from an industrial perspective must be attractive and meaningful. This pertains to not only the exterior of a design but also the system, manufacturing, and social responsibility of it as well. Robert Working at Samsung Electronics has exposed me to even more cultures and ideas. It is a great challenge to design products that work at a global scale. Joining this team has helped strengthen my belief that good designs are inclusive.

Why did you choose to be in San Francisco?

Seounghyun San Francisco is one of the best IT-centered cities in the world, and everything here moves fast. The city itself also has a lot of beautiful elements to it. From mountains to oceans, everything around here truly inspires me.

What are some elements that are unique to San Francisco?

Robert Silicon Valley embraces new ideas and technologies unlike any other place I know. Many of the people you meet here not only adopt new trends, they take them to new extremes. Seounghyun San Francisco is filled with a wide spectrum of different attractions. From oceans, mountains, to great restaurants. You get to meet people from many different cities and cultures in San Francisco, so you get great exposure to diverse cultures around the world.

This is a cityscape image of San Francisco.

What kind of changes took place for you as a designer after joining Samsung Electronics?

Seounghyun Nothing major has changed, but I learned an important fact that there is a unique beauty to industrial design that is a bit different than the aesthetic beauty of design. A design that has value from an industrial perspective must be attractive and meaningful. This pertains to not only the exterior of a design but also the system, manufacturing, and social responsibility of it as well. Robert Working at Samsung Electronics has exposed me to even more cultures and ideas. It is a great challenge to design products that work at a global scale. Joining this team has helped strengthen my belief that good designs are inclusive.

Why did you choose to be in San Francisco?

Seounghyun San Francisco is one of the best IT-centered cities in the world, and everything here moves fast. The city itself also has a lot of beautiful elements to it. From mountains to oceans, everything around here truly inspires me.

What are some elements that are unique to San Francisco?

Robert Silicon Valley embraces new ideas and technologies unlike any other place I know. Many of the people you meet here not only adopt new trends, they take them to new extremes. Seounghyun San Francisco is filled with a wide spectrum of different attractions. From oceans, mountains, to great restaurants. You get to meet people from many different cities and cultures in San Francisco, so you get great exposure to diverse cultures around the world.

This is a cityscape image of San Francisco.

“A good design is like a book. When a good story is told in the right order, you develop depth and layers.”

“A good design is like a book. When a good story is told in the right order, you develop depth and layers.”

  • This is a cityscape image of San Francisco.
  • This is a cityscape image of San Francisco.

I have another question regarding design. What are some of the things that inspire you?

Robert Architecture, sculpture and craft. I also find inspiration in the people that use the products I design. Seounghyun Inspiration comes from details. Things like a scene in a movie, a specific composition in music, or a particular passage in a book. When the right pieces come together, the process for design begins.

I’m curious how these inspirations help with your design. Tell me about some examples in terms of actual designs.

Seounghyun When designing the Galaxy Buds, I was inspired by the rhythm of music. Just like how music flows smoothly, I wanted to create a product that had a fluent and flexible contour. Robert I find motivation to create user-minded designs whenever I talk to people about their experience with a product. It is critical to be able to empathize with your users. For instance, watching people struggle to understand our early prototypes inspired me to make our designs even more intuitive.

“I hope to design products that people can look back on with a sense of nostalgia.”

“I hope to design products that people can look back on with a sense of nostalgia.”

  • This is the image of the desk of the SDIC designer.
  • This is the image of the desk of the SDIC designer.

What do you think is a good design? What are some of the elements you focus on when creating such designs?

Robert I think a good design is one that benefits people from all walks of life. That is why I consider it very important to have a deep understanding of the different types of users and their unique needs. Seounghyun A good design is like a book. When a good story is told in the right order, you develop depth and layers. Once you add a little bit of fun in it, you will always draw attention.

How do you want to be remembered as a designer?

Robert As a designer who created products that are memorable. In today’s fast-changing world, it is an arduous task to create products that stand the test of time. I hope to design products that people can look back on with a sense of nostalgia. Seounghyun As a nice and humble designer. I believe good people create good designs.

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