Baek Byung-yeul is a journalist at The Korea Times focused on cultural content, including films and cultural events in South Korea. You can contact him at baekby@koreatimes.co.kr to share your insights.
Naver Webtoon creators embrace digital tools to redefine creative boundaries
The illustration shows characters from various Naver Webtoon series participating in the "Made on iPad" campaign. The project focuses on the creative process of 10 creators using Apple's devices. Courtesy of Naver Webtoon
By Baek Byung-yeul
Naver Webtoon, an online comics affiliate of Naver, has launched a new collaboration with global tech giant Apple that shifts the focus of brand partnerships from popular intellectual properties (IP) to the creators themselves.
The company said Sunday that its "Made on iPad" campaign features 10 prominent webtoon artists, including ZHENA of the global hit fantasy comic "Eleceed," and highlights how professional digital tools are integrated into the artists’ creative workflows.
The collaboration is seen as a move to focus on how creators actually work, rather than just using characters from their stories. The campaign shows how the iPad Pro and Apple Pencil Pro are used in the actual creative process, focusing on features like drawing performance, portability and work efficiency.
Creators involved in the campaign said that using tablets and styluses allows them to work more freely, according to Naver Webtoon.
"The campaign is strategically designed to highlight the utility and performance of the hardware within a natural creative workflow, rather than simply displaying a finished result," the company said.
"The latest digital tools help me keep the same feeling I had when drawing with paper and pen," ZHENA, the artist of "Eleceed,” said. She added that being able to adjust brush settings easily and work outside of her usual office has made the process much more convenient.
Son Je-ho, the writer of "Eleceed," also mentioned the benefits of portability.
"I can now write down ideas as soon as they come to me, which helps me stay inspired," Son said. He noted that changing his work environment, such as moving to a cafe, often helps him come up with new ideas.
Naver Webtoon opened a special page to show illustrations made during the campaign. These artworks are also added to the bottom of the latest webtoon episodes, enabling readers to see the results for themselves.
Videos showing how the artists work are also shared on YouTube and Naver’s short-form video service Cuts.