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Increasingly, today's consumers want not just well-built products, but better-designed ones as well. To meet this demand, many firms are introducing products with an artistic appeal that complements their high-tech insides. Thus was coined the term "techart", a combination of the words technology and art, for a category of products whose sophisticated designs strike a chord with customers. LG Economic Reserach Institute is predicting the idea will be an important one for this year's top products.
¡ß High-tech no longer enough
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Samsung's Hauzen air conditioner is based on the work of designer Andre Kim.
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An example of this new trend is the new Hauzen air-conditioner from Samsung Electronics. Introduced last week, it's the result of the work of a famous Korean designer, Andre Kim. The product's cutting-edge technology can cool five rooms simultaneously, but it's the exterior, with a pattern of flowers and butterflies on a dark surface, that will get people talking. Andre Kim also contributed to a couple of other Samsung products last year, including a kimchi refrigerator and a front-loading washing machine.
In the same spirit, LG Electronics last month unveiled its Shine Designer's Edition cellphone. Imagined by fashion designer Lee Sang-bong, it uses beautiful Korean characters to spell out on its surface the famous poem "Night of Counting Stars" by Yoon Dong-joo. "This product shows off a sophisticated image through a design that emphasizes the beauty of Korean art," the company said. LG also invested W30 billion on developing a designer-look refrigerator called Art Dios. Top designers at LG Design Research Institutes in Milan and New York City contributed to its development.
The new techart products are garnering favorable responses from consumers. Woongjin Cuchen, a home appliance maker, recently introduced its Crystal Surround Brass IH Rice Cooker, an Art Nouveau-patterned appliance with curving lines that the firm claims reflect the beauty of nature's plants and flowers. "Thanks to the focus on design, the product has shown a more than 25% increase in sales every month since we introduced it last September," said Park Seon-jeong, a manager of the marketing team at Woongjin Cuchen.
Samsung's Andre Kim-designed kimchi refrigerator has also been warmly received, recording sales increases of more than 20% every month since its rollout last August.
¡ß Expanding beyond home appliances
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Shine, a cell phone from LG Electronics, bears an inscription of the poem "Night of Counting Stars" by Yoon Dong-joo.
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Techart Marketing isn't just limited to the home appliances sector. The concept can be found increasingly in consumer goods and home interior products. For example, a whirlpool bathtub from American Standard incorporates a slick new look from an Italian designer. "Unlike other oval-shaped products, we created a unique design by juxtaposing two trapezoids inspired by the pyramids at the Louvre Museum and ancient Egypt," the firm claimed.
Haeng Nam Chinaware has rolled out its Designer's Collection. Arik Levy, one of the world's top designers, and Kim Joong-man, a well-known Korean photographer, worked on the pieces. Another manufacturer is bringing the idea to its general merchandise. Ssamzie recently introduced a line of clothing and fashion accessories featuring patterns created by famous American pop artist Andy Warhol.
In another category, Zeniswell, a subsidiary of a Korean cosmetic firm Coreana, used photograph-like paintings by artist Lee Sa-ra for the packaging of its Cosfoodic line of skincare products.
"Products with poor design aren't going to be hits," said Kim Sang-il, a researcher at LG Economic Research Institute. "For the foreseeable future, more and more customers will be looking for products that strike an emotional chord."
(englishnews@chosun.com )
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