Koreaboo is a popular news and media outlet that highlights news of the Korean entertainment industry following the activities of musical artists, actors, and entertainment agencies.
Their mission is to translate news for their English user base and create original content to help spread the popularity of the Hallyu Wave.
With the rising popularity of korean pop music in the United States, the Hallyu Wave influence started to bring forth lots of attention and demand for concerts, conventions, and stores that cater towards korean-based products. Pictured Twice [top] cr. JYPEntertainment, Block B [bottom] cr.Jazzy Group US, Itzy [right] cr. myself o/.
K-pop, short for Korean pop music, is a global phenomenon that has captivated audiences worldwide with its catchy tunes, vibrant visuals, and dynamic performances. Originating in South Korea, K-pop has transcended cultural boundaries, becoming a significant part of the global music industry.
The mission of the project was to increase visibility and awareness of their news outlet. In the world where information is easily shared on social media and other means, it was important to have a branded aesthetic to an asset meant for the public.
Making it apparent of where the source of news came from was key to having a well-established news outlet. In addition, with competitors on the rise, there was a need to be unique as preventative measure to deter other media sources from stealing the hard work of authors.
As a Visual Designer, I collaborated with the founder and Koreaboo media team in creating graphics for Koreaboo’s content. While maintaining consistency in the aesthetics and their brand, I’ve designed ads, blog images, posters, and other promotional pieces–both digital and print.
Koreaboo gained an aesthetic makeover that matched the tone of their brand and the culture of k-pop which made them stand out above other media outlets. At the same time, we were able to drive more traffic and engagement from fans around the world.
Because it’s a media outlet, my work has been published many times for articles and on various social media accounts even being cross posted by other outlets such as billboard.com and MTV K.
I've also worked with various fan clubs to assist with creating graphics and maintaining their fan forums to ensure they are updated with the group's activities.
Koreaboo is a news and media outlet that covers the Korean entertainment industry mainly following musical artists and actors. Their main goal is to spread awareness of their news and original content of the Korean entertainment industry to their English readers. Attracting a big user base often meant sponsorship and better ad opportunities with Korean companies and agencies.
They handled all aspects of content creation from translating Korean news to creating original content for their blog. Many fans of the Korean pop genre enjoyed view videos and pictures of their favorite idols. Because of the popularity of the k-pop genre, numerous blogs and media outlets were beginning to pop up with their own websites and news making it hard for Koreaboo to stand out when competitors and fan accounts were using the same images and type of news.
Combining this struggle with the stress of having to always be “first” out in the news, it became apparent that Koreaboo needed to stand out in a different way. At this point, I was brought on board to help them with defining the visual design and aesthetics of their content.
It helped that I was already an avid fan of the k-pop music industry prior to working on this project.
And so my past knowledge of the genre helped me fuse the vibrant and uniqueness of Korean pop culture with Koreaboo’s brand to come up with a design style that matched both the tone and voice of Koreaboo and its content.
During my collaboration with the Koreaboo team, I have worked with the CEO, developers, writers, and influencers to help come up with ideas and deliverables needed for various campaigns which consisted of content images, banner advertisements, and promotional material for both digital and print media.
The main design process consisted of a back and forth feedback session with the involved parties until completion of the deliverable was met. In order to create aesthetics that matched the brand, I did my due diligence and researched the brand and discussed with the stakeholders on the attributes they wanted to showcase.
I also had the fun opportunity to design promotional designs for concerts, conventions, and events that not only helped connect fans with their idols but also gave them a moment to remember.
I did a podcast episode about my journey with Korean pop (K-pop) and how its culture affected a lot of my design life.
Feel free to give it a listen to learn more about the genre.