A banana with a lavender scent?

Kang Seok-kyu(left) and Lee Ho-cheol(right, holding a real banana), have developed a “banana phone” for LG Electronics. By Wohn Dong-hee

Despite going against the trend for flat, slim phones, LG Electronics launched its “banana phone” hoping to capture additional market share.
The “banana phone” (LG SV280) is a slightly chubby, white slide-type phone that is curved, somewhat like a banana.
The JoongAng Daily met with the designers of the banana phone last Friday at the company’s design headquarters in southern Seoul. Kang Seok-kyu was in charge of planning the concept of the banana phone, while Lee Ho-cheol did most of the designing.

Was this an easy design concept to implement?
Kang: I think all cell phone designers have thought at one time or another about making a curved phone. However, this concept was not easy to realize because we had to persuade the engineers for the technical part of the phone, as well as mobile phone providers such as SK Telecom who will release the phone. Designing a phone isn’t just about the design. You have to think of how valuable it is as a commercial product.

What would you say is the main design focus of this phone?
Lee: The trend has been flat and slim phones, but actually a lot of people want to go in a different direction because they don’t want a phone that everyone else has. Making thin phones also requires more advanced technology, but we wanted to make something that was more available to the masses, so we gave up on making the phone slim.

What kind of consumers were you targeting?
Kang: Those between 18 and 23, young adults who wanted something unique and easy to grip.

Why didn’t you make the phone more like a banana? For instance, do you have plans to release a yellow banana phone?
Kang: We could have made the curve more extreme, but studies showed that this angle was the most convenient for users.

Does the banana phone smell like a banana?
Lee: It smells of lavender. We were focused on the emotional aspects, so we put lavender resin in the keypad, so that users can have an aroma therapeutic experience.
Won’t the smell rub off?
Lee: It will last for at least three or four years, which is probably until the user decides to change his or her handset.

How long did it take to design the phone?
Lee: We usually have eight weeks, which starts from sketching the concepts of the phone to making a mock-up, which is a model that doesn’t have the mechanical parts inside.

How do you feel about this phone? Are you satisfied?
Lee: The banana phone development project was actually one that was not in the spotlight, because it was untrendy. While designing it, I worried a lot of times that the phone may not be able to see the light of day.

Do designers suggest new ideas for phones, or do you usually get orders to develop a such-and-such phone?
Lee: It works both ways, but a lot of the phones that have been successful such as the Chocolate Phone or Shine were first cooked up by the designers. Lucky for us, LG has a very design-oriented management, but in terms of the number of cases, we do get more assignments from above, because a good design doesn’t necessarily make a phone a bestseller.

Do you get bonuses if you design a bestseller?
Lee: We do get incentives, which are different depending on how much you contributed to the project.

What kind of phone would you like to design in the future?
Lee: These days, user-created content is popular and there are a lot of video sites, so I’d like to make a UCC phone. One that has better memory and video-taking features.

By Wohn Dong-hee Staff Writer [wohn@joongang.co.kr]