Korean large-typography Design Guide
Lim Leesol
Hwang Minyoung
Ha eunji
- Branding
- Editorial design
- Website
- Exhibition design
- Adobe Illustrator
- Adobe Indesign
Sep - Dec 2024
(2 months)
Guideline Website (built with Cargo)
Research paper(first autor)
2025 Graduation show
Overview
This project explores the possibilities of using only large-typogrpahy in Korean mobile UI design—an experimental approach that questions the standards of readability, visual rhythm, and emotional tone.
The research process and design outcomes have been published as a printed book and a website.
View reasearch process
Design Strategy
Book & Website
The visual language is built on a stark contrast between black-and-white typography and bold orange highlights.
Across both print and digital, the design makes extensive use of large, heavy serif fonts (known as “Buri” in Korea) to create an intense and serious visual impression. In Korean design, serif fonts are rarely used for UI and often carry formal or literary associations.
This project deliberately places serif and sans-serif on equal footing—challenging the prevailing aesthetic norms of Korean digital typography.
Logo
The logo itself represents the core concept of the project:
equal status between serif and sans-serif.It breaks away from the typical sans-serif-only convention and blends both font families into a cohesive, balanced identity.
Exhibition Design
To reflect the tactile, typographic essence of the project, the exhibition was designed to break from typical UX/UI displays often seen in tech environments:
no MDF board sheets with A4 labels and glowing white walls.
Instead, the installation embraced material diversity and physical presence:
- Focused lighting highlighting the logo
- A giant-format book as the centrepiece
- A rough OSB-panel display table
- Soft carpeting to contrast the coarse textures
- Oversized logos filling the walls
This exhibition space allowed visitors to not only see, but feel the weight of typography.