Designing an Analog Planner for the Digital Era

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Clionet: Sookmyung University             Duration: 2023년~present work  Design&Research Tools: indesign

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Project Background

How an Analog Diary Survives in the Digital Age

The annual alumni diary of Sookmyung Women's University Alumni Association had long faced a significant inventory challenge. Although it was published every year as a commemorative gift for alumni, demand for physical planners steadily declined as daily life became increasingly digital.

To address this issue, I shifted the design focus away from the diary's functional role as a scheduling tool and toward its emotional and symbolic value. Rather than asking users to adopt another planner, the project sought to create a meaningful keepsake that alumni would want to own and preserve.

Under the theme "Your History, Our Sookmyung Legacy," I redesigned both the cover and interior pages. The university emblem was integrated into the front and back covers, while the interior narrative emphasized the idea that each alumnus's personal journey becomes part of the university's collective history.

To reinforce this concept, I collaborated with the Sookmyung Women's University Museum to select historical artifacts that reflected the spirit of each year. These artifacts were incorporated into the diary's visual language, creating a stronger connection between alumni, university heritage, and personal memories.

Following the redesign, the 2023 edition became the first alumni diary in the program's history to sell out without any remaining inventory. Since then, I have continued to design commemorative diaries for both the university-wide alumni association and the College of Pharmacy alumni community, maintaining the publication as an enduring alumni tradition.

Transforming the Meaning of the Diary

"Your History, Our Sookmyung Legacy"

From a planning tool to a commemorative artifact.

With the rise of smartphones, people had already moved their schedules to digital calendars. As a former calendar UX designer, I knew that a paper diary could no longer compete on functionality alone.

However, despite declining usage, alumni continued to receive and collect the diary every year. This revealed that its value was no longer in recording schedules, but in representing memories, identity, and belonging.

To reflect this shift, I repositioned the diary as a commemorative artifact rather than a planning tool. Under the theme "Your History, Our Sookmyung Legacy," I incorporated the university's heritage, symbols, and historical artifacts into the design, transforming the diary into a meaningful keepsake that celebrates the connection between alumni and their alma mater.

1. Collaboration with the Museum & Heritage Curation

Founded by the Korean Imperial Family over 120 years ago, Sookmyung Women's University possesses a rich collection of historical artifacts and cultural heritage assets. To strengthen the diary's role as a commemorative object, I initiated a collaboration with the university museum and worked closely with its curators to select artifacts that reflected the university's history and values.

The museum generously supported the project by providing artifact recommendations and image usage permissions. Since then, each annual edition has featured carefully curated historical objects from the museum's collection, including works rarely seen by the public. By integrating these artifacts into the diary design, the publication has evolved beyond a planner into a medium that connects alumni with the university's heritage and legacy.

Annual Heritage Themes

2023-  Embroidered Chochungdo Folding Screen For the first museum collaboration, the curators selected an artifact associated with Shin Saimdang, one of Korea's most iconic symbols of women's education and cultural achievement. The artifact established the diary's direction as a medium for celebrating women's history and education. 2024 — Sagyusam (Children's Traditional Garment)

A rare example of a well-preserved garment worn by young girls during the Joseon Dynasty. The piece reflects the historical legacy of women's education and reinforces the connection between Sookmyung and its educational roots.

2025 — Imperial Family Portrait Collection

To highlight Sookmyung's origins as a university founded by the Korean Imperial Family, the diary featured archival photographs of Prince Imperial Yeong and Sunheon Hwanggwi-bi that are rarely shown to the public. The collection emphasized the institution's unique historical identity.

2026 — Embroidered Hwajodo and Mother-of-Pearl Plum Blossom Box

Created for the university's 120th anniversary, this edition focused on artifacts closely connected to Sookmyung's heritage. A centerpiece was a mother-of-pearl lacquer box decorated with the imperial plum blossom emblem, historically awarded by the royal family to top graduates. Together with the embroidered Hwajodo, these artifacts celebrated both the university's history and its imperial origins.

2. Custom Foil Stamping & Cover Design Previous editions followed a conventional diary format, with only the publication year changing from one edition to the next. As the project repositioned the diary as a commemorative object rather than a planning tool, I redesigned the cover to better express its symbolic value.

The university emblem was enlarged and placed prominently on the cover under the concept "The Destiny Between You and Sookmyung." When the diary is opened, the date and content appear between the two halves of the emblem, visually representing the idea that personal memories become part of the university's history.

To realize this concept, I worked closely with the manufacturer to develop a custom large-scale foil stamping process. Since the required size exceeded standard production specifications, I identified a factory capable of producing a custom metal mold and collaborated with both the mold maker and diary manufacturer to create a specially finished exterior and interior. The result transformed the diary into a distinctive commemorative artifact that reflected the university's identity and heritage.

Custom Cover & Interior Design

Final Product

Results & Impact

The redesigned diary was produced and distributed for both the university-wide alumni association and the College of Pharmacy alumni association. Following its launch, the project received positive feedback and generated additional purchase requests, leading to supplementary production runs. The diary has continued to be published annually since its successful 2023 edition.

From a physical product perspective, inventory management is a critical measure of success. Unlike digital products, unsold diaries occupy storage space and rapidly lose value after the start of a new year, often requiring disposal after several months. By repositioning the diary as a meaningful commemorative artifact rather than a functional planner, the project increased its perceived value and collectibility, helping reduce excess inventory and improve demand forecasting for future editions.

Reflection

The design work itself was relatively straightforward. What made this project challenging was the large number of stakeholders involved throughout the process, including the alumni association, College of Pharmacy representatives, museum curators, printing vendors, manufacturers, and production teams.

While I had previously experienced large-scale stakeholder management at Samsung, this project required coordinating people with fundamentally different objectives and expertise across planning, design, manufacturing, production, and quality control. Over four years of managing the project, I gained valuable experience in balancing diverse requirements, facilitating communication between teams, and navigating the practical realities of bringing a physical product from concept to final production.

More importantly, the project taught me that successful design is not only about creating meaningful experiences for users, but also about aligning the expectations and needs of everyone involved in making those experiences possible.