Kang Yoonsung: A Book Design Inspired by Rainbow Rice Cakes

Celebrating the Retirement of a Renowned Graphic Designer

Kang Yoonsung, a graphic designer and university professor from South Korea, recently retired after a successful career spanning several decades. To commemorate this milestone, Sunghoon Kim and his team decided to create a book that would capture the essence of celebration and joy. Drawing inspiration from the traditional Korean custom of making and sharing rainbow rice cakes on special occasions, they envisioned a book in the shape of a rainbow rice cake, symbolizing a feast day rather than a somber farewell.

The book, titled "Kang Yoonsung: A Comma for a New Beginning," features letters from 60 colleagues and students from Korea, China, and Japan, expressing their gratitude and admiration for Kang Yoonsung's contributions to the field of graphic design. The book also showcases Kang Yoonsung's own design work, including posters, book designs, and brand designs. Through these letters and designs, readers can gain insight into Kang Yoonsung's life as a designer and as an individual embarking on a new journey.

The realization of the book involved a combination of traditional and modern printing techniques. The pages were printed using offset printing, while the binding was done with soft nude bookbinding. The cover features black hot foil stamping on white corrugated cardboard, giving it a unique and eye-catching appearance. The book is composed of five colored papers - pink, light green, yellow, mint, and purple - mixed with printed white paper, creating a vibrant and visually appealing representation of a rainbow rice cake.

Measuring 170mm x 250mm x 55mm and consisting of 648 pages, the book is a substantial and visually striking piece. The choice of materials, such as the soft nude bookbinding and the thick white corrugated cardboard, adds to the overall aesthetic and tactile experience of the design.

Retirement is often seen as a bittersweet moment in a person's life. However, Kang Yoonsung's retirement is celebrated as a comma, marking the beginning of a new chapter. The book aims to convey this sentiment to readers, encouraging them to embrace retirement as a time of new beginnings and exciting possibilities.

The project began in Seoul, Korea, in September 2019, and involved collaboration with individuals from Beijing, China, and Tokyo, Japan. The book was completed in Seoul in February 2020, after months of meticulous planning and execution.

The design process presented several challenges, including the allocation of 60 letters, 200 design works, and 500 photographs within the book's pages. The team had to ensure a balanced distribution of content while maintaining the visual representation of a rainbow rice cake. The exposed book spine further emphasized the shape of the rainbow rice cake, while the choice of paper played a crucial role in achieving the desired color representation.

The book design for Kang Yoonsung's retirement celebration is a testament to the power of design to evoke emotions and create meaningful experiences. By drawing inspiration from traditional customs and combining them with modern design techniques, Sunghoon Kim and his team have created a visually stunning and heartfelt tribute to a distinguished graphic designer.

This unique book design has been recognized for its creativity and ingenuity, receiving the Bronze A' Design Award in the Print and Published Media Design category in 2021. This prestigious award honors designs that demonstrate excellence in art, science, design, and technology, contributing to the improvement of quality of life.