Project team : Dong Hyun Kim(director), Ji Weon Ahn(interior designer), Erika Ko(graphic designer), Yu-Kuang Chou(Photography)



Erika Ko graphic Project : Identity, signage, menus, stationery, press and promotional collateral, staff uniform and website for KIMCHEE Restaurant in London, UK.

The restaurant is adorned with authentic Korean pieces to create a traditional style with a modern twist. KIMCHEE’S in-house Korean designer, along with Mr. Kim himself, developed and crafted every element of the restaurant, ensuring that every detail, from the displays of Korean crockery to the unique, custom-built benches, reflects the real Korea.



The distinctive branding of KIMCHEE was also developed specially by the KIMCHEE team, to complement the unique essence of the restaurant. Mr. Kim himself oversaw the whole construction, making sure everything combined perfectly to create a laid-back but stylish dining experience.

-from KIMCHEE restaurant PR team

KIMCHEE restaurant

Kia has finally taken the wraps off of the new Kia GT Concept at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show – a study that hints at the company’s new design direction. The Kia GT Concept itself is a four-door sports sedan with a rear-wheel drive layout – a first for the Hyundai-owned brand

“This concept allows us to explore exciting new design directions, as using a rear-drive layout creates very different proportions compared to a front-wheel drive car,” says Peter Schreyer, Kia’s Chief Design Officer. “The classic front-engined, rear-wheel drive layout of a performance saloon has distinct appeal not just for the domestic Korean audience, but also for the European and American markets.”

Although work on the Kia GT concept first started in November 2010, the idea of a powerful rear-wheel drive Kia saloon had been percolating in the minds of Kia’s European designers for some time.

“At the onset of this project,” adds Gregory Guillaume, Kia’s European Design Chief, “the design team was inspired by the spirit of iconic 1970s GT cars: sumptuous and elegant vehicles capable of whisking passengers from Paris to the South of France in effortless style and at high speed. We wanted to create something similarly graceful, athletic and confident, but not aggressive or overbearing.”

While the concept is a new design evolution for Kia, both Schreyer and Guillaume are particularly passionate about the Kia GT’s lights. The alloy-framed center grille is flanked by complex headlamp units that each house a bank of six deeply recessed LED illuminators.

Power for the Kia GT Concept comes from a 3.3 liter T-GDI turbocharged V6 making 390-hp with a peak torque of 394 lb-ft.

Will it be produced? Kia isn’t saying anything yet but the press release did state that “Although work on the Kia GT concept first started in November 2010, the idea of a powerful rear-wheel drive Kia saloon had been percolating in the minds of Kia’s European designers for some time.”

- By: Omar Rana

The SsangYong XIV-1 Concept is a showcase for SsangYong's design and engineering talents. The name XIV-1 is derived from the phrase 'eXciting user Interface Vehicle', highlighting the show car's focus on interaction with the driver and passengers.

More than just a design study, XIV-1 is the concept version of SsangYong's premium B-segment CUV project, which will lead to the addition of another mass production model to the Korean company's range, and has been developed to display both the heritage and the future design direction of SsangYong Motor. Built to SsangYong's corporate product development philosophy, 'Robust, Specialist, Premium', SsangYong XIV-1 Concept showcases dynamic, strong yet smooth lines, typifying the true creative qualities of SsangYong Motor design.

Robust aesthetics

The exterior design of SsangYong XIV-1 Concept with its continuous glass area epitomises the perfect proportions of the compact SUV. Designers took inspiration from the simplicity of the side view of a graceful sailing yacht, which is synonymous with outdoor pleasure and enjoyment. A wide C-pillar and slim roof appear to float above the body, providing a nimble, fast yet strong stance.

SsangYong XIV-1 Concept's front end styling follows the lead set by the new SsangYong Korando crossover with a robust yet aesthetically pleasing appearance. Modern LED headlamps are an integral design element of SsangYong's premium appearance to position the brand within the global marketplace.

Access to the concept's cabin is via coach doors which do away with the need for B-pillars. This not only provides greater comfort for passengers but also provides the SsangYong XIV-1 Concept with its sleek, uninterrupted profile.

Specialist interior

The objective of SsangYong XIV-1 Concept is to maximise the enjoyment of movement while also providing passengers with a moving communication space. SsangYong's designers have named the interior concept 'each one & all together', enabling passengers to freely move and rotate all the seats to tailor the cabin layout to their specific needs. Each of the concept's four seats can rotate through 360 degrees in addition to moving forwards and backwards.

The cabin's width is visually stretched by the wide, symmetrical instrument panel design accented with aluminium dials. Mood lighting helps SsangYong XIV-1 Concept to achieve the perfect ambience to match its cutting edge design.

eXciting user Interface Vehicle

The key to the XIV-1's name lies inside the cabin. The user interface embraces the concept of an extended living space rather than providing just a means of transport. Control of many of SsangYong XIV-1 Concept functions is via the interaction of Smart mobile devices and the vehicle itself. Using the kind of devices that the driver and passengers are likely to be carrying at all times, they can control everything from the audio system, the display of information on the dashboard and online communications.

Ssangyong Motor