Built on engineering. Sharpened by design. Grounded in brand

Hojo works at the intersection of systems thinking, design, and brand strategy. Drawing on experience across engineering, innovation, and consulting, he helps organisations rethink what they build and why it matters
How I got here
My path wasn’t linear — and that’s the point.
I began in mechanical engineering, learning how systems work, where they fail, and why they hold together. That foundation led me to Samsung Electronics, where I spent five years developing products, building new businesses, and working across global markets.
Over time, I became less interested in how things were made and more interested in why they should exist in the first place. That question took me to London, to the Royal College of Art and Imperial College’s Innovation Design Engineering programme.
There, I worked alongside designers, engineers, scientists, and artists from around the world, collaborating on projects that challenged conventional thinking. Rather than starting with predefined answers, we learned to question assumptions, reframe problems, and explore opportunities that existing industries often overlooked. It was where I discovered the power of design not simply as a tool for making things, but as a way of uncovering new possibilities and shifting perspectives.
From there, I spent nearly a decade at Lippincott, leading projects across brand strategy, identity, customer experience, naming, and innovation. The work ranged from aviation and hospitality to finance, mobility, healthcare, and technology.
Today, I work independently — applying the same systems thinking, curiosity, and belief that meaningful design begins with better questions.
Approach
01
Question the premise
The most expensive mistake isn’t a bad solution - it’s solving the wrong problem. I start by challenging assumptions before defining answers.
02
Underneath the system
Products, brands, and services don’t exist in isolation. I look for the relationships, behaviours, and forces that shape outcomes.
03
Work across the boundaries
Engineering and brand. Strategy and craft. Business and experience. The most interesting opportunities often emerge where disciplines overlap.
04
Give ideas a form
Ideas become valuable when people can experience them. I work across language, identity, products, services, and environments to make strategy tangible.
Experience
Lippincott Seoul
Brand Strategy & CX Innovation, 2016–2025 Brand strategy, identity, positioning, architecture, customer experience, voice, and spatial concept - from consumer brands and financial institutions to heavy industry, mobility, hospitality, and tech startups -working across the full spectrum of Korean and global business. Notable projects include Korean Air, Shilla Monogram, HiteJinro Terra, Lotte Group, Shinsegae Group, HD Hyundai Group, Hyundai Kia Motors, Samsung, Shinhan Bank, and Furiosa AI
Samsung Electronics
Digital Appliance Division, New Business TF Engineer, 2009–2013 End-to-end product development for an emerging business unit: business planning, mechanical design, UX, system logic, B2B/B2C marketing, and global exhibition design. Led technical training across European, Middle Eastern, and Asian subsidiaries


Education
Royal College of Art
+ Imperial College London
Innovation Design Engineering (Joint programme), MA & MSc, 2015
Seoul National University
Mechanical Engineering, BSc, 2007
Human Centered CAD Lab at Mechanical Engineering, MSc, 2009
Looking forward
I’m particularly interested in opportunities where design can shape not only brands, but new products, services, and ventures.