Who is Min Heejin and how has she influenced the KPOP industry ?
If you are someone who is knowledgeable in KPOP ( korean — pop )or even interested in korean art and design, then you would have probably heard of the name Min Heejin. Now , who is Min Heejin ? Min Heejin is a South Korean art director and graphic designer. She worked as a creative director in one of South Korea’s biggest entertainment companies, SM Entertainment for 17 years, from 2002 to 2019. She has worked with, and was responsible for the branding of many legendary KPOP groups such as Girls’ Generation , Shinee and etc. She then went on to become the CBO (chief brand officer) under HYBE ( previously called Bighit Entertainment) in 2019 and the CEO of HYBE’s subsidiary label , ADOR. Most of her work are showcased on album covers , as well as the concept photos and music videos. Here are some of her most successful and known works :
mentioned works above: F(x) — Pink tape, 4 Walls, Nu Abo, Hot Summer. mentioned works below : Red Velvet — Happiness, Ice Cream Cake, The Red, Russian Roulette, Perfect Velvet, The Perfect Red Velvet, RBB, Red Summer Pictures and videos used :© SM ENTERTAINMENT All Rights Reserved.
One day when her internship with a korean advertising company was about to end, she saw a music video teaser for an SM solo artist , BOA , and was astonished by it. Although she did not have much interest in KPOP or the idol culture, she thought that she could enjoy and contribute to the idol industry by showing the general public listeners her own artistic perspective .
Min Heejin most of the time gets her inspiration from films and mostly the music that she listens to. From a young age, she did not confine herself to genre of music , as there is just a certain feeling that she likes when she is exposed to various genres . She wants to introduce the various genres and what she likes to people, in a way, giving them a glimpse into the things that she’s into. The theme that Min Heejin often emphasizes on are not categorised into one style, as seen from her works, she likes to stray away from mainstream trends , creating unique and interesting compositions, hence, why she is often the one to start a new trend with her works, and change the art direction in KPOP concepts and aesthetic.