Lee Kun Hee: All a Matter of Design

Samsung Electronics Co Ltd recently hosted journalists from Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and Indonesia for a briefing on its future directions, and a tour of its corporate headquarters in Seoul as well as its research and development centre in Suwon.

Chief executive officer Lee Kun Hee believes that "design provides the edge in corporate management in the 21st century, and all his company's products are based on this philosophy.

The South Korean electronics giant makes cellphones, digital cameras, digital TVs, notebook PCs, monitors, LCDs (liquid crystal displays), plasma displays, DVD players, home appliances and others.

"This approach aims to promote harmony between reason, emotion, technology and spirit, culminating in a 'people first' or 'user-orient ed' design identity," a company spokesman said of the CEO's vision.

This philosophy is implemented via a three-pronged strategy:

·PRODUCT differentiation by colour, material, sound, user interface, local cultural characteristics and lifestyles;

·DESIGNS oriented towards business groups like home entertainment, home information, home tasking and mobile groups; and

·A "Creating New Business" (CNB) group dedicated to creating new product design concepts.

Samsung has about 400 designers in South Korea and at its global design c