Infographics themed on Korea and K-culture produced by Infographics Lab 203 / Courtesy of Infographics Lab 203
The office of Infographics Lab 203 in western Seoul is cozy, dimly lit and filled with design-inspiring books, neatly arranged paraphernalia and framed posters of infographic projects it has produced. The place resembles a small art gallery.
Creative Director Jang Sung-hwan occupies one room for himself. He has a lot to say, probably as much as the hundreds of books on the shelves. One argument, however, touched on K-culture. He said the country's cultural products, ranging from music to food and beauty products, are now being consumed extensively worldwide, but many global audiences are missing a point. He asks, are we reading K-culture right?
It is easy for global audiences to join millions of fans surfing the Korean wave, but far less easy for them to grasp the hidden layers that form the wave — the history, statistics and fun facts behind those cultural products. These layers underpin the deeper reasons global audiences are drawn to K-culture, but remain as an underutilized selling point for Korea in promoting its culture abroad.
This is where infographics step up, a single-page illustration displaying all the information in a juxtaposed design with precise data.
“Infographics stimulate viewers’ brains faster than text. Languages can be overcome by visual structures using numbers, ratios, flow and references. What is lacking in selling K-content to the world right now is explaining about that why,” Jang said during an interview with The Korea Times.
Infographics Lab 203 Creative Director Jang Sung-hwan poses inside his lab in Seoul's Mapo District, Wednesday. Courtesy of Infographics Lab 203
“Take kimchi, for example. Related topics might include different recipes, lactic acid bacteria changing throughout fermentation stages and comparisons with other fermented foods outside Korea. If we weave them together into a single visual structure, a 'delicious food’ can become an ‘explainable culture.’ It then leads to consumers starting to trust that brand. I use infographics not as product promotion but as a way to convey culture beyond language. For K-culture to build trust in global markets, it must deliver an attractive information structure instead of relying on a sentimental dig.”
Jang’s infographics have demonstrated their edges by winning medals in Spain's Malofiej Awards each year from 2018 to 2020. It was the first time a non-English-speaking country won the internationally renowned award. He also won Graphis International Awards in the United States three times, Asian Media Awards in Singapore six times and a Red Dot medal in Germany.
“All those judges didn’t know a word of Korean. They were purely persuaded by the graphics,” he said.
Source: Korea Times News
