"Design is the process of embedding a story into a product"

[Excellent Design Company] Second White, "Collaboration with Global Companies like Apple and Samsung Electronics"
CEO Andeok Geun, Co-founded in 2016 with CEO Cindy Chiu
Selected as Excellent Design Company... Government Support, Solving Revenue Structure Challenges

The 'Mosquito Repellent,' selected as an excellent design work in both the German 'iF Award,' one of the world's top three design awards this year, and the Korea Institute of Design Promotion's 'Good Design Award.'
[Photo by Second White]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Jong-hwa] Ahn Deok-geun, co-CEO of Second White, said, "I am very happy when I see people holding products I designed. Design is the process of infusing life, that is, a story, into a product."

He graduated from the Product Design Department at Hongik University and worked at a design company before becoming a freelancer. Then, he met Chinese designer Cyndi Chiu and together they founded the design startup Second White in December 2016. This year, they also established branches in Shenzhen and Hangzhou, China. The Korean headquarters is managed by CEO Ahn, and the Chinese branches are operated by co-CEO Cyndi Chiu. A total of 15 designers, 12 in Korea and 3 in China, are pioneering the global market.

As the first Korean design agency, they collaborated with Apple in 2018 on the 'HoloKit AR (Augmented Reality)' project and are preparing to launch the finished product. They have designed products for well-known companies such as Chinese smartphone maker OPPO, the top detergent company LIBY, ByteDance, SUPOR, and SOLOVE. Domestically, they have partnerships with top-tier companies including Samsung Electronics, Lotte Chemical, LG Household & Health Care, Coway, and Hyundai Card.

The detergent container designed by Second White became LIBY's standard design, and SOLOVE's mini fan has sold 8 million units since its release in 2017. Their mosquito repellent, launched in March this year, sold 900,000 units within 10 months, gaining tremendous popularity. In particular, the mosquito repellent was recognized as an excellent design, winning both the German 'IF Award'?one of the world's top three design awards?and the 'Good Design Award' from the Korea Institute of Design Promotion.

Co-CEO Andeok Geun of Second White (left) and Co-CEO Cindy Chiu. [Photo by Second White]

Second White is a brand name metaphorically expressing a 'journey to find the essence.' Since design is closest to the essence of an entity, and the color closest to the essence is 'White,' the name embodies the will to be the entity second closest to that essence, hence 'Second White.'

Second White's skills and sales capabilities are already recognized in the domestic design industry. However, despite the recognition and the heavy workload, the profit ratio is not large, which remains a challenge for Second White. CEO Ahn confessed, "I can do well in design that moves people's hearts, but management is different from design," adding, "I am thinking hard to find ways to improve the profit structure and grow the company." Fortunately, they were selected as an 'Excellent Design Specialized Company' by the Korea Institute of Design Promotion last October, which allows them to expect government support.

CEO Ahn said, "Since all our clients recognize and prefer our design products that have alive concepts and stories easily connected to marketing, I am optimistic about the future," and added, "I want to create a company where everyone dreams and wants to work together with the employees."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.