Kim Taeho’s breakdown of BTS’ new brand identity and how it came about
170706 Kim Taeho’s Facebook Post
[T/N: when the post mentions ‘방탄소년단’ as referring to BTS’ Korean name, I will just leave it as 방탄소년단 as this post is meant to talk about the differences between variations of BTS’ name.]
From the perspective of knowing how long this project took and how hard it was, after revealing the project, there is this constant nagging feeling since I have not yet been able to properly deliver my feelings about this product, so I am making some time during my lunch break to try to write.
It seems that people still have not discarded of their suspicions that the name ‘방탄소년단’ did not come from ‘Bang Sihyuk’s Boys,’ but anyhow as an idol [group, their name] stands out a bit, rather it has been pointed out that ‘방탄소년단’ is a bit old-fashioned, but they still made it big. (They already made it big, so what?)* But, after making it big, we were able to feel the limitation of the ‘Boys’ aspect of their name. Boys become young men, and idols become artists, but [their name] is still ‘boys.’ Like Japanese [entertainment company,] Johnny and Associates’ ‘Shonentai’ [Boys’ Generation], while the three members are not all currently promoting, even though they are in their 50s, they are still the ‘Boys Generation,’ but will ‘방탄소년단’ be the same? I don’t think that the future that they are aiming for is to be the idol’s eldest brothers like ‘Boys Generation.’ They are now receiving attention worldwide, but will ‘방탄소년단’ continue to be known as ‘Bulletproof Boys’ or ‘Bangtan Boys.’ Although the application of ‘ㅂㅌㅅ,’ ‘BTS,’ is the English group name that they are using…
*T/N: I think he is saying this because while it might come off a bit arrogant that he is saying that they made it big, he still thinks it’s true and doesn’t care how it comes off.
If you are a person who has interest in idols, these suspicions are probably something you know about, and yesterday, the explosive fans’ reactions towards the new brand image became a very obvious answer to this curiosity. Therefore, how would Big Hit (Bang Sihyuk) be able to give an answer to this aspect of [the new brand image] at the right time?
In the report, it was said that [this project] was in preparation for about a year, but truthfully Bang Sihyuk PD actually began talking about this concern much longer than a year ago. (In my memory, it seems to be about two years). We thoroughly dealt with the idea of what role their name and symbol [logo] should come to play in their next picture. After discovering his own thoughts about this kind of project, Bang Sihyuk asked those around him for their opinions, and received a recommendation for a team that would be able to put this project into action. And that is why it was stated in the report that it took about a year for the selected team and the detailed project to come about.
Two years ago, it was a situation in which we did not know at all how far BTS would grow. When we had received the evaluation that now ‘some time has passed,’ we were already in a state of debating the next next move. (This is a bit chilling)
If you quickly glance at the symbol and logo that we produced, it could seem so simple that it seems like an idea that could be made in just a week, but in reality the meaning within this [logo] is quite complex. Now, the members who are going from idols to artists, from their School Trilogy until after The Most Beautiful Moment in Life, their continuing growth and worldwide view, and within that, what kind of identity does ‘BTS’ hold–these things are all tied together in one picture. Different than typical products or service brands, idol brands are living brands. Because people are the brands [in this case], they are [continuously] being influenced by countless variables. Because it is impossible to control these variables, rather than a brand, [we are] keeping the same individual identity. This is why unlike designer brands, idol brands cannot remain the same over a long period time and are a flickering process.
After considering their identity and the application [of that identity] ahead of time, we sorted out the members’ real personalities and their personalities within the team. Then we made the brand unification that could show their music brand in a visual. Furthermore, unification is also important in their ‘goods.’ The easiest method in the past was to conjugate the generic logo in addition to a unique symbol for each album. This is easy, but because of this, we could only use [this logo] for one period of promotions. This [new] ‘BTS’ symbol took all of this into consideration. For now, just the symbol and logo have been revealed, but later as the application and this symbol and logo become connected, gradually as you see it expanding, you will realize how big of a composition and result this is. If the the past symbol made by designer Oh Yeongsik, who I respect, directly brought the name and meaning of ‘방탄소년단’ to where it is today, now, we are building up the identity of ‘BTS’ in expandability with the auras that the members hold as the center.
Under the identity that is ‘BTS’ and the symbol of moving forward through the open door are the past, present, and future activities as well as the independent meanings that each member holds in ‘BTS.’ This can work in reality and in activities like a parallel universe, and it can also briefly cross over. It cannot be ruled out that this small universe that we made in this way has potential to be connected to a greater universe. For their goods as well, we plan to show products that hold ‘BTS’s unified identity. Furthermore, the existence called ‘ARMY’ who allowed them to exist gained a distinct symbol and identity as an existence that faces ‘BTS’, likes ‘BTS’s other half.
‘BTS’ was just the English acronym for ‘방탄소년단,’ but now it holds the meaning of ‘Beyond the Scene.’ Now, I feel that that rather than being called ‘Bangtan,’ they will gradually, more frequently be called ‘BTS.’ It is not that they do not want to be called ‘방탄소년단’ anymore, rather it is that ‘BTS’ expresses their identity in a slightly better way. It is just like how IBM was previously an acronym for ‘International Business Machinery,’ but now everybody just calls them IBM.
#방탄소년단 #BTS #This_PostIs_My_Personal_Interpretation
Trans cr: Kylie @ allforbts
© Please take credit when taking out
annaxmalina
origamiaround
jacobvanloon
stormborns
andulkaphoto
baratheonpilled
germansingergirl
2087
turnnoffyourmind
dailybridgerton
kianamaiart
