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We would love to live outside the city. But we stay and use countryside colors ...

An Interview with Choong Ho Lee, Graphic Designer from Seoul

By Oliver Spies

Choong, when you show your students your work, aren‘t they surprised that you use so few colors?

No, no. Most students are very young and use as many colors as they come to their minds. I believe this is in fact a question of age. In the past, I used a lot more colors, too. People probably become more sensitive to colors with age.

So what you are saying: more years, fewer colors. Correct?

Yes. At the moment that seems to be it. In Korea, certain colors are traditionally considered unusual or inappropriate. The yellow and red which are currently used so widely are examples for this. If you don‘t conform to conventions, you can ignore these judgments. If you‘re tied in more with society, you automatically adapt a bit.

Doesn‘t it lead to a color poverty?

No, not at all. The colors are only selected more consciously. And they must feel calmer. In addition, natural tones are very important, but grayed and toned colors also play a big role. For some time now, my favorite color has been a dark navy blue. In combination with black it looks very colorful. Dark colors are not necessarily less intense than brighter ones. As I said, I think the choice of the color is primarily a question of age and social conventions.

Source: Color Evolution Guide

This interview has been taken from the Color Evolution Guide, which is part of the Color Trend Vision project. It provides detailed background information for 31 selected colors based on their current and future trend position. With the help of photographs, taken around the world, the book guides you through the emotions, origin and affinity of the colors.