Insight
The theme of the 2025 Sandoll Saisiot: Type Conference was “Those Who Question.” We spent a long time considering how this idea could be translated into the event’s visual identity. After a lots of iterations, one symbol remained: the question mark. Shall we take a closer look at how we arrived there?
How Can Inquiry Be Visualized?
What does inquiry mean to you? To me, inquiry is both a concept and an act. The biggest challenge was finding the most intuitive way to visualize something that exists in both of these forms.
At first, I tried to visualize inquiry as something you dig into, experimenting with visuals inspired by digging. I also tested graphics built around objects commonly associated with inquiry, exploring as many directions as possible—including experiments with AI tools.
None of these attempts quite good. Then a simple sentence came to mind: every inquiry begins with a question. Inquiry ultimately lives in curiosity—in the impulse to wonder about something—and that felt like a line that cut straight through the theme of the event. From there, it became clear that the question mark could serve as a symbolic, intuitive representation of inquiry itself.
Then I started drawing a lot of question marks—guided by two simple principles.
The first was deconstructing the question mark. I see inquiry not as something singular, but as a process made up of many interconnected pieces. I broke the question mark down as much as possible, then layered those fragments like patterns—sometimes assembling them into patchwork-like compositions.
The second was drawing something that looks like a question mark, but maybe isn’t. To explore a wider range of forms, I had to move beyond the familiar structure—a large curved body paired with a small dot. Along the way, I found myself in moments of hesitation: Is this still a question mark, or not? That uncertainty led to a bigger question—does a question mark really have to look like a question mark? Paradoxically, that ambiguity added visual interest, and felt even closer to the idea of inquiry itself.
And that’s how the visuals you saw at the Saisiot venue came together. Do these question marks feel like they capture the image of inquiry to you?
Applying the Visual System
With the visuals defined, the next question was how to present them effectively. Since these graphics would appear consistently across the event, applying them thoughtfully and in the right places was essential.
For large-scale elements within the venue, we limited the color palette to three tones. In some cases, only fragmented parts of the question mark were shown, allowing us to control emphasis and rhythm rather than presenting the full form every time.
We also added small moments of delight to touchpoints like the program book and wristbands. During on-site registration, participants selected their questioner type, and based on the result, stickers were applied to create a personalized program book cover. The wristbands worked the same way—at a glance, you could tell which type each participant belonged to.
The motion graphics played during breaks were designed to be more explanatory. Phrases like “IT ALL BEGINS WITH A QUESTION” were brought to the forefront, alongside illustrations of various actions commonly associated with inquiry. Because the question mark itself is already a strong symbol, we chose to communicate more clearly and directly in these moments—adding a layer of guidance to balance the abstraction.
Another Inquiry, the 「SD Choyang」 Specimen Book
The first session of Saisiot was a lecture on Sandoll’s new font, 「SD Choyang」. So that participants could revisit the content after the event, the 「SD Choyang」 specimen was included in the check-in kit and distributed together.
「SD Choyang」 is a font that reinterprets in a contemporary way the Hangul minburi metal type used in Joseonmal Keunsajeon, published by Eulyu Munhwasa in the early 1900s. To reveal its roots, we adopted the dictionary format. Just as Joseonmal Keunsajeon gathered the Korean language that was disappearing at the time, we decided to collect native Korean words that are gradually fading away.
Among native Korean words, we focused on those related to “the movement or intensity of the sun.” “Choyang (初陽)” refers to the sunlight that rises in the morning. The name was chosen in consideration of the historical significance of Joseonmal Keunsajeon and the warm impression of the font. To express this concept, the words were arranged not in alphabetical order, but chronologically—from the moment of choyang at sunrise through sunset and into dawn. We also incorporated devices to demonstrate differences in legibility depending on the passage of time and background conditions. The cover and sleeve visually depict the moment the sun rises: if the book itself represents the shining sun, the sleeve is intended to resemble rays of light, so that lifting the book evokes the scene of the sun rising.
Recent font trends tend to favor narrower widths to allow large amounts of information to be read within a short time. In contrast, 「SD Choyang」 gives an impression closer to a standard, balanced style. This comes from the fundamental structure of 「SD Choyang」 itself. To illustrate that each character exists within a 1,000×1,000 unit space, the specimen format was also set as a perfect square. Personally, I find the combination of Latin and Hangul in 「SD Choyang」 particularly beautiful, so the layout was designed to include as many pages as possible that present Hangul and English together.
I hope that those who receive it can sense the care taken to incorporate as much of the meaning behind choyang and the font designer’s intentions as possible. With the release of 「SD Choyang」 coming soon, I am truly, truly curious to hear your thoughts and feedback.
We have now introduced the key visual of 2025 Saisiot and the development process of the 「SD Choyang」 specimen. We sincerely hope that this year’s Saisiot served as an enjoyable space for exploration and exchange. We also ask for your continued interest in Saisiot, which will take place again in 2026. Thank you very much for your support.
Insight
The theme of the 2025 Sandoll Saisiot: Type Conference was “Those Who Question.” We spent a long time considering how this idea could be translated into the event’s visual identity. After a lots of iterations, one symbol remained: the question mark. Shall we take a closer look at how we arrived there?
How Can Inquiry Be Visualized?
What does inquiry mean to you? To me, inquiry is both a concept and an act. The biggest challenge was finding the most intuitive way to visualize something that exists in both of these forms.
At first, I tried to visualize inquiry as something you dig into, experimenting with visuals inspired by digging. I also tested graphics built around objects commonly associated with inquiry, exploring as many directions as possible—including experiments with AI tools.
None of these attempts quite good. Then a simple sentence came to mind: every inquiry begins with a question. Inquiry ultimately lives in curiosity—in the impulse to wonder about something—and that felt like a line that cut straight through the theme of the event. From there, it became clear that the question mark could serve as a symbolic, intuitive representation of inquiry itself.
Then I started drawing a lot of question marks—guided by two simple principles.
The first was deconstructing the question mark. I see inquiry not as something singular, but as a process made up of many interconnected pieces. I broke the question mark down as much as possible, then layered those fragments like patterns—sometimes assembling them into patchwork-like compositions.
The second was drawing something that looks like a question mark, but maybe isn’t. To explore a wider range of forms, I had to move beyond the familiar structure—a large curved body paired with a small dot. Along the way, I found myself in moments of hesitation: Is this still a question mark, or not? That uncertainty led to a bigger question—does a question mark really have to look like a question mark? Paradoxically, that ambiguity added visual interest, and felt even closer to the idea of inquiry itself.
And that’s how the visuals you saw at the Saisiot venue came together. Do these question marks feel like they capture the image of inquiry to you?
Applying the Visual System
With the visuals defined, the next question was how to present them effectively. Since these graphics would appear consistently across the event, applying them thoughtfully and in the right places was essential.
For large-scale elements within the venue, we limited the color palette to three tones. In some cases, only fragmented parts of the question mark were shown, allowing us to control emphasis and rhythm rather than presenting the full form every time.
The motion graphics played during breaks were designed to be more explanatory. Phrases like “IT ALL BEGINS WITH A QUESTION” were brought to the forefront, alongside illustrations of various actions commonly associated with inquiry. Because the question mark itself is already a strong symbol, we chose to communicate more clearly and directly in these moments—adding a layer of guidance to balance the abstraction.
Another Inquiry, the 「SD Choyang」 Specimen Book
The first session of Saisiot was a lecture on Sandoll’s new font, 「SD Choyang」. So that participants could revisit the content after the event, the 「SD Choyang」 specimen was included in the check-in kit and distributed together.
「SD Choyang」 is a font that reinterprets in a contemporary way the Hangul minburi metal type used in Joseonmal Keunsajeon, published by Eulyu Munhwasa in the early 1900s. To reveal its roots, we adopted the dictionary format. Just as Joseonmal Keunsajeon gathered the Korean language that was disappearing at the time, we decided to collect native Korean words that are gradually fading away.
Among native Korean words, we focused on those related to “the movement or intensity of the sun.” “Choyang (初陽)” refers to the sunlight that rises in the morning. The name was chosen in consideration of the historical significance of Joseonmal Keunsajeon and the warm impression of the font. To express this concept, the words were arranged not in alphabetical order, but chronologically—from the moment of choyang at sunrise through sunset and into dawn. We also incorporated devices to demonstrate differences in legibility depending on the passage of time and background conditions. The cover and sleeve visually depict the moment the sun rises: if the book itself represents the shining sun, the sleeve is intended to resemble rays of light, so that lifting the book evokes the scene of the sun rising.
Recent font trends tend to favor narrower widths to allow large amounts of information to be read within a short time. In contrast, 「SD Choyang」 gives an impression closer to a standard, balanced style. This comes from the fundamental structure of 「SD Choyang」 itself. To illustrate that each character exists within a 1,000×1,000 unit space, the specimen format was also set as a perfect square. Personally, I find the combination of Latin and Hangul in 「SD Choyang」 particularly beautiful, so the layout was designed to include as many pages as possible that present Hangul and English together.
I hope that those who receive it can sense the care taken to incorporate as much of the meaning behind choyang and the font designer’s intentions as possible. With the release of 「SD Choyang」 coming soon, I am truly, truly curious to hear your thoughts and feedback.
We have now introduced the key visual of 2025 Saisiot and the development process of the 「SD Choyang」 specimen. We sincerely hope that this year’s Saisiot served as an enjoyable space for exploration and exchange. We also ask for your continued interest in Saisiot, which will take place again in 2026. Thank you very much for your support.