bomuul&bomuul box
2019 @ Samsung Art and Design Institute“bommul” is a souvenir product brand with a Korean cultural identity. The related service brand, “bomuul box”, is the new way of experiencing the culture and consuming souvenirs. Through products and services, customers can feel the tradition and modernism of Korea.
Walking along streets like Insadong and Samchungdong in Seoul, South Korea, where many Korean souvenirs can be purchased, sadly, most are commonly made out of mass production and K-pop-related products. It is challenging for foreign visitors to find modern yet oriental souvenirs.
The brand "bommul" is a souvenir product with a South Korean cultural identity. It was built based on research on tourism in South Korea. The word itself means "treasure" in South Korean, as shown in English. As the first series of souvenirs, three products are interpretations of Gonggi, a traditional game using five rocks. They are being produced of unique material that cannot be felt nowadays and are made from hand craftsmanship. Hence, the materials, colours used in products and the structure of packages are inspired by traditional palaces in Seoul. The products listed in the categories as daily lifestyle products have no boundaries of using them in race, age or gender.
“bomuul box” is a service experience platform of the mother brand “bomuul”. The purpose of the service is to reduce the issue of the fragility of souvenirs, which were appointed out by interviews with foreigners, and to experience the South Korean tradition in the street directly. It is a combination of offline pop-up stores and online platform markets. To follow the "bommul" brand's philosophy, the shape of the pop-up store is a mixture of a traditional South Korean house, Han-Oak and a container box that represents modern society. The online app anyone can use to purchase the crafted souvenirs. Moreover, through the app, the user can learn about the history of South Korean traditional culture. As a whole service, the slogan is “representing past, play, and present”, and the purpose is to reanalyse the traditional game to become a gift to tourists’ friends and family.
