[A Sip of Books] Ferrari, Mercedes-Benz, Audi... Daily Records of an Automobile Designer

Some sentences encapsulate the entire content of the book itself, while others instantly reach the reader's heart, creating a connection with the book. We present meaningful sentences excerpted from the book. - Editor's note

The author introduces himself as a ‘foreigner.’ His long life abroad, which began during his student days, has already spanned 17 years. He says that the cultural and linguistic difficulties that still prick like thorns are rather a blessing. Why is that? Because his unique perspective, which never takes what is accepted as universal for granted and endlessly explores it, is the driving force behind his creativity as a designer. For a designer who creates everyday, ‘obvious’ yet essential objects like cars, quirky ‘different thoughts’ are the source of imagination. This is a daily record told by Park Chan-hwi, a designer who has worked at European car companies such as Ferrari, Mercedes-Benz, and Audi.

On a wide sheet of paper, just a few lines must clearly show what I want to draw, and when color is applied over the lines, the bright parts must remain bright for the drawing to correctly express my thoughts. This is because lines are boundaries. The actual objects we see are not divided by lines. They are separated by color or distinguished by foreground and background through perspective. In other words, expressing with lines artificially reveals the boundaries of objects. Characteristic parts are emphasized with darker and thicker lines. Lines are drawn to make boundaries more distinct and to emphasize features, but if there are many miscellaneous lines around, it becomes impossible to identify the subject. _「Paper_Taegukgi Fluttering」

Isn't life said to be the trail of choices? The small moments chosen with all your might. There is a saying that if you connect those moments of choice, that becomes life. I pressed the button on the upper left corner, which my finger could press most comfortably, every time, without even remembering the name. Naturally, the same coffee came out every day. For just under two years, I could only mark one spot in front of the vending machine. Friends who chose different coffees from the many names on the vending machine marked more diverse spots than I did. It took a long, dry time before I realized that the line connecting their spots must have led to a much richer life than mine. _「Coffee_Living Today」

The regular clatter and the large window view are like a non-repeating slideshow. Even if the scenery is unfamiliar, it does not feel unsettling; sometimes it feels like meditation. The view outside the window sometimes becomes a forest, sometimes the scenes of people living. I wonder if the other passenger sitting far away is heading to the same destination as I am, but they disappear after showing their back at a small station. At that moment, another kind of loneliness brushes past. Sometimes, I pass through neighborhoods so bleak that I doubt if anyone lives there. These various pictures outside the window turn the pages naturally, without knowing their stories. _「Train_Lonely Space」

Ddaensaenggak (Different Thoughts) | Written by Park Chan-hwi | Singgeut | 280 pages | 16,800 KRW

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