Students present design works for Dong-A Ilbo’s 100th anniversary

What would it look like if students design the centenary of the establishment of the Dong-A Ilbo in 2020?

Lee Seol-hee, a senior majoring in design and art at Yonsei University, suggested an exhibition with its title taking two consonants of the name “Dong-A” and turning them into another word that means “a leap forward.” The exhibition for “a leap forward” would be focused on presenting the daily newspaper’s history and cultural activities over the past 100 years. A colorful mountain in a designed poster signals a step forward of the Dong-A Ilbo.

Lee and 12 other students will present their works that reinterpret the brand of the Dong-A Ilbo at Dong-A Media Center in central Seoul starting Monday. The exhibition is part of the industry-academic cooperation between the Dong-A Ilbo and the Division of Design and Art at Yonsei University. Early this year, the participants began a project to analyze the newspaper’s brand and maximize its strengths in a class led by professor Chae Jae-yong.

The students concluded that the Dong-A Ilbo brand’s strengths lie in its protection of freedom of speech and active support for culture and arts. They thought the brand could further boost its positive image by making the most of its cultural programs including the Dong-A Ilbo Seoul Marathon, its annual literary contest, and its music and dance competitions. As a result, a poster themed on the past advertisement repression of the newspaper, sportswear of the Dong-A marathon, a special edition and redesigned website for the annual literary contests, a kit for subscribers and emblem celebrating the 100th anniversary, and a calendar made of keyword graphic images have been suggested.

Kim Eun-kyung and Lim Ha-kyung proposed the renewal of the website and the production of goods for a special edition, respectively. “The annual spring literary contest is a historic act that should be continued to discover rookie writers and revive culture,” Kim said. “That’s why I redesigned a website using a logo that was used in the first issue in 1920 and shaped it to reflect smooth communication like a saw-toothed wheel.” Meanwhile, Lim created goods including posters, organizers, cases for phones, and postcards based on the brand’s concept of “a clear window to the world” and “connection.”

“I designed the poster using cheerful, pleasant words that readers sent to the newspaper back then to support and join its efforts to protect freedom of speech,” said Kim Joo-hee, who created a poster inspired by the advertisement repression.

Oh Joo-eun designed a kit for subscribers using the images of winners of the Dong-A competitions, as well as a calendar made with keywords like historicity, dynamic, and original purpose.

“Students are usually told to create a new brand when learning about branding in a class, but in this case, the Dong-A Ilbo marking its 100th anniversary had specific archives, so it gave practical experience to students,” professor Chae explained. The exhibition will run through Nov. 28.


Min Kim kimmin@donga.com