Graphic Designer, Ivy Enterprise
Interview by Jason Moody
NEW YORK — July 2025
Based in New York, graphic designer Songwon Kim works on Ivy Enterprise’s brand design team. She leads packaging, identity, and advertising projects for brands including RED PRO, Kiss New York, and etleé, which launched in July 2025. Her focus is straightforward: build clear visual systems that read in every channel and support how each product is actually sold—on shelf, online, and at trade shows.
I handle end-to-end brand work—naming, logos, packaging, ad materials, and trade-show graphics—so each line stays consistent across shelf, e-commerce, and social. That also means aligning with product, marketing, and sales so design reflects real constraints like cost, timelines, and retailer specs.
Function had to read fast. I built a hinged, book-style carton with a molded EVA cradle for salon-grade protection, wrapped the exterior in brushed gold to signal premium, professional-grade power, and used a deep black rear panel for contrast and legibility. A macro close-up of the “Premium Vector Motor” sits front and center, so the engineering edge is obvious at shelf. Packaged under that system, the X-King drew large crowds at Barbercon Orlando 2024 and then anchored RED PRO’s booth at the 2025 CT Barber Expo—the world’s largest men’s grooming trade event, with over 15,000 attendees from 43 U.S. states and 36 countries. Post-show surveys showed barbers frequently cited the “gold toolbox packaging” as their primary stop factor, and the clipper went on to win Men’s Journal’s 2025 Grooming Award for “Best Hair Clippers for Professionals,” with editors praising its “studio-ready look and crystal-clear spec call-outs.”
Strong formulas, scattered visuals. I re-centered the brand on “Own your day, it’s your moment,” created a new logo-symbol system, set an ivory/black palette with a Times Square–inspired gradient wordmark, and wrote guidelines so teams could move quickly without drifting. Results showed up fast: Marie Claire highlighted the Tinted Moisturizer SPF 32 as “Best Skin Tint for Deep Tones,” internal mockup cycles dropped from about a week to a day, and customer questions about shade selection decreased.
Etleé is positioned as “accessible luxury” fragrance. It launched in beauty-supply stores and will expand to chain retailers like Target and Walmart and dedicated online channels. Over the next two years, I’ll keep developing new lines—seasonal drops, gift sets, and potential collaborations—and broaden the brand’s reach while keeping the core identity tight.
Kim’s work now appears across 10,000+ retail doors in 60 countries, spanning tools, cosmetics, and fragrance. The common thread is disciplined systems that lift sales and speed execution. With RED PRO performing, Kiss New York reset, and etleé poised for sustained expansion, her impact at Ivy is measurable and ongoing.
