The Samsung Design Team
Photo Essay Samsung
Samsung Design
In recent years, South Korea's Samsung has spent hundreds of millions of dollars spiffing up the look, feel, and function of its refrigerators, washing machines, cell phones, MP3 players, and more. In the past four years, Samsung has doubled its design staff, to 470, adding 120 of those
just in the past 12 months. More important, Samsung is giving designers greater power to influence not only how products look but also what gets built. "Just as a lizard cuts off its own tail to move on, we will have
to break with the past to move forward," says Chung Kook Hyun, the senior vice-president who runs design operations. The effort has paid off: Samsung has grown from a me-too producer of electronics and appliances into one of the world's leading brands, and this year won
five Industrial Design Excellence Awards (IDEA)--making it the first Asian company to win more awards than any European or American rival.
