INSIGHT

DESIGN Why Smart Brand Collaborations Matter

WRITER Yve If you misunderstand the essence of collaboration, it ends as exposure instead of conversion. Visibility can be exchanged, but trust cannot. The real difference lies in whether the collaboration is designed to connect the customer journey.Source: Veuve Clicquot & Jacquemus, Le Salon in Seoul Many brands approach collaboration as a way to gain visibility. They believe that showing up in front of each other’s audience is enough. But exposure alone does not lead to conversion. Your customers have no reason to trust the other brand, and their customers have no reason to trust you. That is why views go up, but results do not follow. Without structure, exposure only creates the illusion of success.Exposure can move, but trust cannot. Trust is built over time, within a specific relationship. It cannot be borrowed or transferred between brands. If there is no reason for the customer to move forward, the journey simply stops. This is where most collaborations fail. There is one key idea to understand. Collaboration is not about sharing customers. It is about passing the customer to the next step.When you look at it this way, strong collaborations are built differently. They focus on connection, not exposure. When one brand solves the next problem of your customer, movement becomes natural. There is no need to persuade. Conversion is not forced. It happens through flow. This changes how we define the right partner. It is not the brand with the largest audience. It is the one that can solve the next problem your customer will face. When this standard becomes clear, collaboration is no longer a one-time event. It becomes a repeatable system. Most collaborations still stop at visibility. That is why they often fail to create meaningful results compared to the effort invested. They never extend into the customer journey. Real collaboration begins where the journey continues.So the question is simple. Are you exchanging exposure, or are you connecting a journey? Before planning any collaboration, there is one thing you must check. Can this partner solve the next problem of your customer? When you can clearly answer this, collaboration starts to produce real results.

APRIL 2026

DESIGN Pompidou Seoul is reborn by carving out the existing structure of the 63 Building

Pompidou Seoul: The Architecture of LightWIRTER Yve Scheduled to open in June 2026, Pompidou Seoul is designed as a “museum of light.” Hanwha has reshaped the existing structure of the 63 Building by carving out its mass and turning it into a “box of light.” The project is set to become a new cultural landmark in Seoul and a hub for arts and culture across Asia. At the same time, it reflects how Seoul is evolving into a platform where cultural standards are not only shared, but expanded. We take a closer look at the cultural space of the newly emerging Pompidou Seoul.Image: Wilmotte & Associes Architectes1. From Structure to LightThe project begins with removal rather than addition. The existing structure of the 63 Building is partially carved out, allowing light to become the primary architectural element. During the day, natural light flows through the glass façade and fills the interior. At night, the building reverses its role, casting light back into the city.2. A “Box of Light” in MotionThe idea of a “box of light” is not fixed. It changes continuously depending on time, season, and the movement of visitors. Light becomes a medium that reshapes space, creating an environment where architecture, art, and people interact with one another.3. Jean-Michel Wilmotte’s ApproachThe project is designed by Jean-Michel Wilmotte, a French architect known for exploring the relationship between light, material, and space. His work focuses on connecting the city, art, and people through a balanced composition. In Seoul, this approach is translated into a spatial experience that bridges the city’s dynamic energy with the artistic legacy of the Pompidou Center. By introducing a horizontal flow, the design allows visitors and the city to connect seamlessly, creating an open and continuous experience. This also creates a deliberate contrast with the vertical structure of the 63 Building.4. Horizontal Light, Vertical CityRather than competing with the height of the tower, the museum wraps around it as a horizontal “band of light.” This creates a new rhythm in Yeouido, where vertical density and horizontal continuity.5. Central HallAt the heart of the building, a central void draws natural light deep into the space. It visually connects different levels and gently guides the movement of visitors, becoming a key spatial element that defines the overall experience of the museum. As Pompidou Seoul approaches its opening, it positions itself as more than a museum. Using light as its language and transforming architecture into experience, it is set to become a new cultural hub in Seoul. Through this, Seoul is evolving into a city that defines new cultural standards.

APRIL 2026

DESIGN What Pierre Paulin Taught Us About Design

The Shape of SittingWRITER YveImage: Pierre Paulin Archives. Artifort.When we talk about twentieth-century design, we often think of new forms and stylistic movements. Yet the work of French designer Pierre Paulin began with a different question. He was not trying to change the shape of furniture. Instead, he reconsidered how people sit and how they experience space. His curved chairs and low seating transformed furniture from a simple object into an experience.Form Begins with the BodyPaulin’s design did not begin with form. He first observed the human body — how people naturally sit, where tension appears, and how the body leans and rests. His design process was simple. ' Human posture → Comfort → Structure → Form ' While most furniture design begins with form, Paulin’s work began with the human body. This is why his chairs feel natural. The curves are not decorative gestures; they are the result of the body’s movement.From Object to EnvironmentPaulin’s furniture rarely behaves like a standalone object. His designs are often low, wide, and continuous in form, spreading through space like a small landscape.This approach turned furniture into part of the spatial environment. People sit, lean, talk, and remain there. Furniture becomes not just seating, but a device that shapes human behaviour.The Elegance of SimplicityPaulin’s designs are remarkably simple. Looking at his chairs, there are almost no decorative gestures or complex structures. Yet this simplicity is not a stylistic choice; it emerges from the essence of the design. The forms are not sculptural experiments. They are natural structures shaped by the relationship between the human body and comfort. That is why furniture designed in the 1960s still appears contemporary today.Image: Pierre Paulin Archives. Artifort.Pierre Paulin was not simply a designer who created new furniture. He designed the experience of sitting itself. Curves, fabric, low seating, and forms that embrace the body — his work transformed furniture from a simple object into an experience where the body and space meet. This remains one of the oldest lessons of good design. Good design begins not with form, but with experience. I encourage you to experience Pierre Paulin’s designs for yourself.Paulin, Paulin, Paulin®_Ensemble DunePaulin, Paulin, Paulin®_Tapis-SiègePaulin, Paulin, Paulin®_Alpha ClubPaulin, Paulin, Paulin®_Canapé AlphaFor more designs and projects, visit paulinpaulinpaulin.com

MARCH 2026