The document provides information about Korean folklore called Won-Ang, which are hand-carved wooden figurines of mandarin ducks that are traditionally given as gifts at Korean weddings. The ducks symbolize lifelong love and harmony between partners. They are carved by select artisans and used in wedding ceremonies. Traditionally, the ducks were kept on display in homes to represent balance in relationships, though their symbolism is now being updated to teach modern relationship values.

2. Design
Brief:
Korean Folklore

3. 원앙

4. (Won-Ang)
원앙
Korean Marriage Ducks
Team Fierce
Jayoung Kim + Alison Hemphill

5. Contents
What
Why
Who
How
When

6. Won-ang are hand-carved wooden figurines representative of Mandarin Ducks,
and they are given as presents in Traditional Korean Weddings and kept forever.
What is it?

7. These ducks are known for living in love and in harmony for life.
Traditionally, Korean people believed that if one Won-ang dies, the other one
misses their partner so much that it dies soon after. That is how strong their love
for each other is.
Male Won-angs are always there for their wives and protect them from predators,
enemies, or other males.
Because Won-angs love each other forever, the gift of Won-ang dolls suggests to
‘always love each other’
We can’t imagine fighting or divorce when we watch a pair of Won-ang
floating peacefully on the water.
Why are they gifted?

8. First, weeks before the wedding, the Won-ang are created by someone from the town that is hand-selected. The carver must be qualified under these rules:
1. Wealth
2. Health
3. No divorces among his family members (relatives included)
4. Be married to a "good wife"
5. Must have many sons.
When are they made?

9. The ducks are then wrapped in a cloth with only their necks showing and are brought to the ceremony.
As soon as the bride arrives she puts the wedding duck on the table.
After the ceremony, the bride and groom bow to the groom's mother and father two and a half times. Then the groom's mother throws the duck to the outspread bride's apron. If the bride manages to catch the duck it is believed that she will first give birth to a boy. If she misses, a girl will be the first born.
When are they given?

10. The Won-ang ducks are traditionally carved from wood and sometimes painted. Nowadays, they are mass produced but still hand-made. There used to be ribbons on the beak of the female duck. This symbolized tying her mouth closed; it was thought that women should remain quiet and obey their husband. In the past, men were more superior than women.
Now, however, it’s less common to have ribbons on female ducks, for obvious reasons.
How do they look?

11. If a partner wishes to, they may turn their duck away from the other if they are mad at them. This is an easy way to communicate nonverbally or confrontationally.
How are they used?
The ducks are kept on a table or mantle in the home. Usually they are facing to represent balance and harmony in the relationship.

12. Claire is a parent of a young child. Income: 50,000 -150,000 Euros per year.
She has a job so she doesn’t have a lot of time to monitor her daughter, so it should be safe to play with without supervision.
She prefers educational toys that teach good lessons, and loves environmentally friendly products for her child.
Who is the target?
Julie is a young girl between the ages of 3 and 10. She loves fairy tales with happy endings. She is a girly girl, and even owns 4 princess costumes. Nowadays she gets bored very fast, and looks for toys with cool technology
Who is the user?
Who is the client?

13. Design Strategy
Feature: Environmentally friendly toy Feature: Safety, due to age and possibility of it as a selling point Feature: Vivid color, children love it and it’s traditional coloring
Feature: set of two for playing with friends

14. Your timeline as the designer

15. Your Timeline as the client

16. -The first approach would involve teaching children about finding love with the good qualities of a good partner, not prince charming or love at first sight. Most stories for children teach them medieval ways of finding love, such as him being a prince and being a knight. Now, a knight in shining armor is said to be cliché, and mostly superficial. The challenges of love in the modern world have shown us that our ways of selecting a partner are outdated and do not match up with our lifestyles.
-The second would not be about how to be a good husband or wife, but rather how to be a good friend or having good character/morals. Traditional WonAng entertains that you should be a quiet and submissive wife, and that men rule the household. This is not the way it is seen
-The third would be about ducks and the proper treatment of animals.
Possibilities

17. Thank you.
감사합니다.