[BizHanKook] On the 29th, at the ‘Brand Biz Conference 2026,’ Kim Bong-chan, Director at Daishin Securities, took the stage to speak on the theme of ‘Design that Questions.’ As the final speaker of the very first Brand Biz Conference, Director Kim returned as a speaker to commemorate its 10th anniversary. In an era where artificial intelligence (AI) can churn out countless results with a single click, Director Kim Bong-chan emphasized the ‘power of questioning’ to create unique design.
Director Kim Bong-chan has led corporate branding and design at Daishin Securities following his time at Hyundai Card. In the financial industry, which is typically stiff, conservative, and deals with intangible assets, the designs he created have left a significant mark. From the now-familiar clip-style lanyard ID cards and stylish eco-bags that embody Daishin Securities’ investment philosophy, to cups that sold out despite being merchandise from a financial firm, every piece is a work that passed through his hands.
Generative AI can produce plausible results, but those results are rarely fresh. Director Kim pondered what the power behind innovative design really was, and the answer he found was, quite simply, ‘the question.’
Consider the lanyard ID card, which featured a front-facing photo on a card-sized holder. Observing employees who would intentionally flip their ID cards around to avoid showing their faces, Director Kim Bong-chan asked, “Why must an ID card be in the form of a card?” He reduced the size and placed the company logo on the back. A new type of ID was born—it looked like a necklace at a glance, but functioned perfectly as an ID card, access pass, and branding tool. This unprecedented ID card even led to a patent application.
It was during the design of a lounge space for Daishin Securities’ new Myeong-dong headquarters. While struggling to fit various welfare facilities and an auditorium into a narrow, 400-pyeong space, Director Kim focused on the fact that the auditorium had a 70% vacancy rate. Questioning, “Why must an auditorium be kept empty?” he also noted that the lounge on the 5th floor offered the best view in the building, looking out over Myeong-dong Cathedral and Namsan Tower.
That is how the ‘Open Auditorium’ at the Daishin Securities headquarters was created. It is an unprecedented, multi-functional space: a resting area where employees can gather to talk and enjoy the view, which transforms into an auditorium by deploying mobile walls and raising the backrests of the stairs when needed. The Daishin Securities headquarters auditorium designed by Director Kim Bong-chan left such a deep impression on the industry that other companies have secretly benchmarked it.
The power of questioning was also behind the sell-out success of merchandise, despite the common skepticism regarding who would actually use financial firm-branded goods. Pondering, “Why aren’t ‘eco-bags’ actually ‘eco-friendly’?” Director Kim collected scrap fabric from warehouses at textile factories to create ‘truly’ eco-friendly bags. He minimized the Daishin Securities logo and added a stylish design by incorporating the company’s investment philosophy in English. Soon, people were showing off their Daishin Securities eco-bags on social media. Though they were financial firm merchandise, they were recognized as ‘fashion.’
Having worked in the field of design and branding for nearly 20 years, Director Kim Bong-chan has created things that never existed before through intense deliberation and countless ‘Whys?’ He says that instead of asking ‘What should I make?,’ one should ask ‘Why am I making this?,’ ‘Is this truly necessary?,’ and ‘Is the way we think is natural actually natural?’ He emphasizes that while it is an era overflowing with plausible answers, we must increase the time we spend questioning, doubting answers, and upending what we consider taken for granted.
He remarked, “At first, I felt bleak when I received the lecture theme, ‘What can make a brand unique in an era where everyone makes things well?’” He added, “I asked AI to come up with ideas for merchandise design, but it only produced clichés. When I looked back on how I created unique designs that didn’t exist in the world, the core was always a question.”
In the age of YouTube, Director Kim Bong-chan is now in charge of Daishin Securities’ YouTube channel, ‘Daishin TV,’ and is pouring his efforts into content production. Recently celebrating its 10th anniversary, Daishin TV has reached 100 million cumulative views and 260,000 subscribers, setting new records in the securities industry once again.
Director Kim Bong-chan said, “People may not know Daishin TV or Daishin Securities, but many likely know channel programs like ‘Demand Market,’ ‘Insight Out,’ and ‘Knowledge 343.’ Financial firms have limitations in creating continuous touchpoints with customers.” He concluded, “I hoped that even if we don’t aggressively display the brand, the content and design born from intense deliberation would become a positive experience for customers. I am still in the process of constantly experimenting.”