Revitalizing Traditional Korean Health Food with Innovative Design

Heesoo Son and Seoyeon Yoon's Award-Winning Packaging for Darin

The design duo drew inspiration from Oriental medicine, where internal healing and smooth blood circulation are considered fundamental. They used blood circulation as a design motif, creating lines as a basic component to express this concept. The result is a design that is distinct from the traditional images used by Korean health food shops, known as Geongang-won. The design aims to appeal to modern sensibilities, encouraging younger generations to embrace traditional health foods.

The project's unique properties lie in its simplicity and graphic clarity. The packaging features icons indicating the juice's ingredients and patterns derived from the environment in which the ingredients were grown. The icons and patterns use colors taken from the ingredients themselves, creating a cohesive and visually appealing design. A special typeface was also designed for the product's name, further establishing Darin's identity.

Darin's juice is made from seven ingredients: onion, black garlic, eel, pear, terrapin, red ginseng, and antlers. The juice pack measures 100mmx165mm, the small box is 175mmx105mmx95mm, and the large box is 180mmx275mmx95mm. The packaging is divided into juice-bearing packs, boxes for individual ingredients, and large packaging boxes designed to hold two boxes of ingredients that pair well together.

The design process involved extensive research, including visits and interviews with existing health centers. The designers found that the main customers were mostly in their 40s and older, and that most stores used the same design for their packages. Surveys of people in their 20s and 30s revealed a reluctance to visit Geongang-won due to their old-fashioned designs. This insight led to the creation of a design that communicates aesthetically and visually to younger generations.

One of the challenges faced during the design process was deciding how simple the icons should be to clearly represent the ingredients. The final design successfully overcame this challenge, resulting in a design that is both simple and clear. The project, which started in September 2018 in Korea, was completed in November 2018. The design was awarded Silver in the A' Packaging Design Award in 2020, a testament to its creativity, professional excellence, and innovation.