1What is “Project Winner,” and how did HOHOHO participate in this project?
Project Winner is a campaign to reveal Galaxy Fold for the first time, which represents one of the innovations in 2019. Samsung holds “unpacked events” to reveal its new products.
However, Samsung decided to have a different celebration for Galaxy Fold; instead of having an unpacked event, Samsung gave Galaxy Fold as a gift to more than 100 celebrities around the world. By doing this, Samsung can market the product since celebrities in the personal media market are highly influential. HOHOHO designed RSVP website, invitation, and special package for the campaign.
2There are multiple items in this project. Was there a common purpose?
Project Winner is a project of Galaxy Fold, by Galaxy Fold, and for Galaxy Fold. Therefore, Galaxy Fold should always be in the spotlight in this project. That is why we decided to emphasize the original DNA of Galaxy Fold and design interesting items.
3Can you explain what “RSVP” means? We are not familiar with the expression
RSVP is short for “répondez s’il vous plaît,” which is a French expression that means “please let me know if you will join.” You can say “please reply” in English to convey the same message. You can find the expression in many invitations or business emails. In our project, RSVP is a form of web-based or mobile invitation sent out to celebrities who receive Galaxy Fold. First, they receive an email that they have been invited to a special event for Galaxy Fold. In this email, invitation code for each person and event details are included.
If a recipient wants to get Galaxy Fold, he or she simply has to click “Register Now.” Then it goes straight to a page for further steps to receive Galaxy Fold. Here, the email recipient has to agree to the terms and conditions about personal data and enter the invitation code. Since each person receives a unique invitation code, entering the code will tell us who the person is. After this step, the email recipient can enter shipping address and contact information in order to receive Galaxy Fold
4What did you focus on in the web-based or mobile invitation?
We focused on details. We looked at the RSVP layout from Note 9. To emphasize the key visual, we used black and white to create clear contrast. We made title and side margins coherent for all pages. Since it was for mobile invitation, we designed layout and increased width when necessary to make sure people can read the invitation easily.
5Was there any challenge in the design process?
When we designed an error message page, it was difficult to realize a balance between “before” and “after” the error message. We needed to make sure that there is enough room for error notification, and it should leave enough details so that the screen does not look empty without the notification. In the end, we managed to make the blank space look good with other elements.
6We want to hear about how Galaxy Fold was represented in invitation. Can you talk about it in detail?
You first open a pouch, then a card box, and then a card included in the invitation. The pouch is an aluminum envelop, and you can see a card box inside the pouch. The purpose of a card box is to place an invitation card inside, and it is also a special device called “affordance.”
What I mean by “affordance” is that by design, a recipient must carry out the act of folding to find his or her invitation card. We decided to use this device to represent the identity of “Galaxy Fold” and emphasize the keyword, “fold.” The invitation card is made of PET material. The invitation card also can be folded into half, and there is an interesting hidden element.
You have to fold the card to read the message on this card because the message is printed on the left and on the right. These are parts of “affordance” that I previously mentioned and we used it to emphasize the keyword “fold.” We expressed the Galaxy Fold identity in a subtle matter, and by doing this, we strived to make this invitation a catalysis that will make people expect more and be excited about Galaxy Fold that brings innovation.
7 I am sure there would have been a number of draft invitations. Is there any draft that you were disappointed to let go?
The finalized invitation card is made of PET material, but there was also a draft version made of metal and acrylic material. In order to use magnet to “fold,” we wanted to use metal and acrylic material and even manufactured a final sample. However, due to manufacturing cost and internal issue, we had to give up this idea. I was personally attached to this draft invitation and was disappointed to drop the idea.
8 It is interesting to see how Galaxy Fold rises above when you open a special package. How did you come up with that idea?
When you open a special package, Galaxy Fold rises above and it means “birth” or “mystery.” Simply put, we emphasized “folding” in invitation and “unfolding” in special package within the large framework of “fold.” Therefore, invitation and special package have two different purposes. Invitation is a catalysis to increase expectation from celebrities who receive the invitation. On the other hand, special package conveys significance such as “birth,” “surprise,” and “mystery.”
9Can you explain more about the special package?
The special package contains animation sleeve, elevator-type package box, and the actual Galaxy Fold package. When designing this special package, we imagined Galaxy Fold being introduced on a stage. The matte black paper becomes a dark stage. When you first open the animation sleeve, the words “Galaxy” and “Fold” look like each letter shines; this is Galaxy Fold shining on the stage.
Next, you open the elevator-type package box and this step is our climax. The Galaxy Fold package automatically rises above when you open the package box. This, as I mentioned, symbolizes the “birth” of Galaxy Fold on the stage. Simply put, the special package that we designed is a stage for Galaxy Fold to make an entrance.
10Can you tell us if there was any challenge in the process to design the special package?
We spent much time thinking about how to make each device move. We could have chosen to use electronic device, but it would have increased cost and it just seemed too much. That is why we studied kinetic energy and utilized structure design. While it was highly challenging to strike a balance between aesthetic value and structure design, the entire design process made us have better understanding.