The Characteristics and Historical Background of Moon Woosik’s Tourism Posters in the 1960s and the 1970s

Background Moon Woosik (1932-2010) majored in fine art and worked as a painter in the 1950s and 1960s before starting design activities in the mid-1960s. He was also a design educator teaching graphic design at Hongik University from 1966 to 1979. As the field of design became institutionalized and specialized, Moon Woosik, who had a dual identity as an artist and designer, was forgotten. Then, his work was recently introduced through ‘Modern Design: The Art of Life, Industry and Diplomacy’ exhibition (2022.11.23.~2023.03.26.) held at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art. This study aims to examine Moon Woosik's life and design activities that have not been well known, focusing on his tourism posters. Methods Moon Soyon, the second daughter of Moon Woosik, was interviewed and the family collection was reviewed. Also, an interview was conducted with Baik Kumnam, who was a student of Moon Woosik when he worked at Hongik University. Catalogs of Exhibitions such as ‘Moon Woosik: Memories of Longing’, ‘Modern Design: The Art of Life, Industry and Diplomacy’ and ‘The Korean Industrial Artist Association Member Exhibitions’ were referenced. In addition, various newspaper and magazine articles and videos related to Moon Woosik were investigated. The period focused on in this study is about 15 years from 1964, when Moon Woosik first exhibited his poster at The Korean Industrial Artist Association Member Exhibition, to 1979, when he left Hongik University. Results The social and cultural atmosphere of the mid-1960s and the situation in the field of design influenced Moon Woosik, who was a painter, to become a designer and design educator. At the time, tourism was a popular theme among designers as the government implemented a policy to promote the tourism industry. Moon Woosik used watercolor paints for posters, and he enjoyed using objects related to hobbies and leisure activities that reflect the modern lifestyle against a natural landscape background. His posters were praised for their delicate drawing skills and expressive power. Then, as message communication became more important than image expression in graphic design, and new media such as photography, silk screen, and printing were used, his manual work was gradually forgotten.