Bonner gives glimpse into North Korean graphics
North Korean labels for tins of apples, flatfish and beef featured in Nicholas Bonner's book "Made in North Korea" / Courtesy of Phaidon Press
By Kwon Mee-yoo
Cover of "Made in North Korea: Graphics From Everyday Life in the DPRK" by Nicholas Bonner
North Korea is the closest country to South Korea, but it is the furthest from South Korea as well. While each and every movement of the North is closely watched by the whole world, what is going on inside the country still remains enigmatic.
A Westerner, who has been closely related to one of the obscurest countries in the world for over two decades, provides new insight into North Korea through its visual culture.
"Made in North Korea: Graphics From Everyday Life in the DPRK," published by Phaidon is authored by Nicholas Bonner, a landscape architecture expert based in Beijing, China.
Bonner first vested North Korea in 1993 and the experience changed his life. He established Koryo Tours, a travel agency specializing in tourism to North Korea and produced documentaries and films and collaborated with other cultural projects in relation to North Korea.
As he has frequented North Korea, he has collected a variety of objects from the strongly ideological society ― from book covers and postcards to food packaging and tickets.
Though Bonner did not intend to create a comprehensive survey of North Korean graphics, and the book is more like a collector’s scrapbook, the book gives a rare glimpse into the everyday life of North Korea, covered with state-controlled, propaganda graphics unknown to the world.
Bonner said graphic design in North Korea breaks down into traditional elements and contemporary socialist influences. "The graphics have developed largely independently of the outside world and they now have a much more assured North Korean style," he wrote in the book.
According to Bonner, package design inclines more to functional purpose in North Korea, compared to a capitalistic society where consumers have choices.
"Design in North Korea is generally not expected to explicitly promote one product over its competitor (as there is, in most cases, no competition). Labeling is more to inform the buyer simply what the object does or what it is," wrote Bonner.
Some recurring themes are apparent in North Korean design as all the designs have to be approved by the government.
"The use of traditional motifs and a color palette derived from Korea's heritage remain a constant and with the lack of foreign influence, graphic artists produce a unique 'house style' based on a mixture of simplicity, non-deliberate retro-styling and tradition," Bonner writes, explaining the slow and cautious process of product design in North Korea.
Graphics of North Korean invitations and tickets in Nicholas Bonner's book "Made in North Korea" / Courtesy of Phaidon Press
Common use of bright, vivid colors is related to the importance of "Koreanness" in design. Bonner said red and pink are considered part of the traditional Korean palette and thus are popular choices among North Korean designers.
Graphic designers also employ many nationalistic icons to promote the idea that local or national produce is best.
"The idea that North Korea is best is reinforced and amplified in all manner of products. For example, to present a well known Korean landmark ― a mountain, building or statue ― on a packet of cigarettes or a box of matches is to imbue them with instantly recognizable Koreanness," he writes.
Bonner also revealed a collection of invitations to various events, including the 40th anniversary of the foundation of the Workers' Party of Korea, an ensemble show for the 55th anniversary of Kim Jong-il; the 60th anniversary of liberation from Japanese colonial rule; and a program for the 55th anniversary of the establishment of the DPRK. Tickets to a performance at the Mangyongdae Schoolchildren's Palace and the Victorious Fatherland Liberation War Museum will also catch the reader's eyes.