Graphic designer Kwon Jun-ho compiled notes, articles contributed to media outlets, and emails exchanged while running a design studio for 10 years.
“I do not send estimates for comparison.” “I believe that designers are also members of society, and that the results they create can have a big or small impact on the society we live in.” These are “very personal records and fairly public statements” about things I have experienced or want to practice as a current design worker, such as the tug-of-war with clients between budget and schedule, taste and purpose, moments of losing direction or having to find balance between service providers and creators, and the desire to do “my real work.”

One day, I ignored an email asking for a quote and an attachment with no content, and then I got a call to the studio.
When I confidently told him, "We don't send out estimates for comparison," when he asked me why I didn't send him estimates, he asked me back, "What's wrong with comparing estimates from different companies and choosing the one with the lowest price?"
Just like comparing prices on online shopping malls, I was about to refute the idea of ​​buying designs at the lowest price, but that shaky and indifferent voice filled me with a sense of helplessness, so I simply replied, "That's not how we do things," and hung up.
In Korea, which touts itself as a design powerhouse, the indifferent attitude of the 'PR manager' who uses the '@korea.kr' email account gives us a glimpse into the extent to which Korean society still views designers.
--- p.15 From “Quotes for Quotation Comparison”

In the case of festivals or public art exhibitions targeting an unspecified number of people, the design is carried out with the general 'public' in mind, rather than a specific target group.
However, there are differing interpretations of who the 'public' referred to here is.
For the aforementioned client, the public appears to be perceived as beings who cannot read any symbolism or metaphor into images that are not explicitly explained, and as passive consumers of straightforward images that leave no room for interpretation.
However, the work, which is designed solely to suit the public's taste, does not have any expectations from the public.
It may be a design that ignores eye level.
--- p.51 From “Popular Design”

However, I believe that designers are also members of society, and that the results they produce can have a large or small impact on the society we live in.
There is probably no such thing as absolutely right or wrong.
Just because I believe in a certain value, in today's society where countless beliefs and values ​​are mixed together, it doesn't mean that it can be a pure value without any contradictions.
However, I believe that those who consider whether this work, or the client who commissions this work, violates the values ​​I believe in and what impact the results of this work have on society are those who strive to have a clear sense of responsibility for the work they create, rather than those who try to ignore such concerns.

--- p.128 From “What to Do”

When submitting tasks after work on Fridays, late at night, or on weekends, clearly state the designer's working hours and notify them in advance that responses outside of these hours may be difficult.
If you change your perspective and say something like, "Are you asking me to work while you play tennis on the weekend?", your request may sound very inappropriate.
If a client takes weekend work for granted, it is not a case of unconsciously exhibiting a bullying pattern, but rather a case of simply bullying. Therefore, it is better for your mental and physical health to stop doing that work before it is too late.
--- p.159 From “Escape from Voluntary Eul”

My grandmother learned Korean by copying each letter from Genesis to Revelation.
My grandmother wrote down the Bible stories she had heard for decades as if drawing pictures, and learned the structure of the letters and the order of the strokes.
The words written in the notebook my grandmother gave me were filled with the earnestness of someone trying to learn, the trembling fear of making mistakes, and the confidence of a stroke that grew in skill over time.
My grandmother commissioned me to bind a manuscript she had written, and that commission was my first experience as a designer, one that made me think about how a book should be created not as an object but as a material with a narrative.

--- p.219 From “Grandma’s Bible”