Seoul's public bins have been given a fresh look by SWNA design office as part of the "Design Seoul 2.0" initiative. This pilot project, led by the Seoul Metropolitan Government, aims to enhance the city's public design.
Thirty of SWNA's trash bins have been installed in high-traffic areas such as the historic Seoul Station, Gwanghwamun, and the busiest streets in the city center Sogong-ro, Seosomun-ro, and Sejong-daero.
Sukwoo Lee founded SWNA design office in 2011, Seoul. It is an industrial design office that deals with tangible and intangible objects and subjects to discover better values in life and benefit the world.
SWNA has undertaken numerous projects, including creating the Jeonju International Film Festival Trophy 2024, the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympic Games medal, and the 2019 Korea League trophy for Riot Games' League of Legends (LOL). Some of SWNA's clients are Samsung, LG, BMW, Audi and others.
SWNA has won several awards including the Red Dot Design Award and iF Design Awards in Germany, in 2024. Moreover, they received the Living Design Fair Best Product Award in Korea, in 2023 and CES Innovation Awards in the United States, 2023.
Some of the exhibitions SWNA has participated in are ‘’The Chemical Reaction’’ at DDP in Seoul, 2023, Fritz Hansen 150th Anniversary exhibition, at the Culture Station Seoul 284 in 2023, and the exhibition ‘’Object in Context,’’ Cociety in Korea, 2021.
Recently, they exhibited their designs of the revamped public bins at the DDP Design Store.
In an email interview with Sukwoo Lee on Sep 3-14, he shared SWNA’s philosophy; ’’We are a group of passionate designers who experiment with the design process and cross over various fields while striving to create meaningful designs that contribute to a better world. We are not merely one-dimensional designers, but three-dimensional thinkers, innovators, and pioneers.’’
Regarding the inspiration of Seoul’s public bins and the motivation behind them he said, ‘’We wanted to find an original design that was closest to the essence of public trash cans. We also wanted to find a way to express the individuality of each region in Seoul.’’ Furthermore, the direction of Seoul City’s design was to provide citizens with joy and laughter. He added, ‘’For the basic design, we tried to find a function and form that would satisfy everyone from the producer to the cleaners, collectors, and managers. For the specialized type, we tried to metaphorically express the appearance of a specialized animal in each region of Seoul by using the symbolic animals of the 12 zodiac signs of Korea.’’
These bins are made from steel and plastic, as these materials are popular, easy to manufacture, and require minimal maintenance.
He also said that after a pilot run in the Jongno-gu area of Seoul, this initiative will be used as a general system for the city of Seoul after identifying areas for improvement.
When asked about a specific project he is proud of, he said, ‘’I would choose the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics medal design, which is widely recognized and resonates with the public. I am personally happy that I was able to develop it into the form and concept that I’m best at.’’
In conclusion, when discussing his future plans Sukwoo Lee said, "We are currently focused on mobility design, developing design strategies and guides for companies, and working on various products including medical devices, travel bags, trophies, and pens. Additionally, we are preparing for an exhibition in Seoul this winter in collaboration with a European wood company."
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