Samsung invites design lovers, tech enthusiasts, and future-forward homeowners to experience the future of smart, connected living at Decorex Joburg 2025, hosted at the Sandton Convention Centre from 24 – 27 July. With an immersive showcase that fuses innovation, intelligence, and impeccable design, Samsung’s exhibition promises to be a headline experience at Africa’s leading décor and design exhibition.

At the heart of the Samsung stand is the bold vision to redefine modern living through intelligent, connected solutions that are as stylish as they are smart. Visitors can expect to be transported into the home of tomorrow, where appliances think ahead, devices collaborate seamlessly, and design is tailored to individual lifestyles.

At Decorex JHB, guests can get hands-on and experience the power of SmartThings, Samsung’s game-changing platform that turns homes into harmonious hubs of connected convenience. Whether you’re automating your morning routine, managing your energy use, or syncing devices across rooms, SmartThings adapts to your life in real time – powered by AI, crafted for ease.

Be among the first to explore Samsung’s products, unveiled this year, ready to be experienced at Decorex:

• Neo QLED 8K & 4K TVs – See brilliance come to life with breath-taking detail, powered by Mini LED and AI-driven processing. The new 2025 TVs are available on Early Order promotion*, offering free Galaxy devices and/or Soundbars on purchase.
• AI Top load washers – Wash laundry powerfully and efficiently.
• Galaxy Z Fold7 and Galaxy Z Flip7 foldable smartphones – A masterclass in mobile innovation and design.
• Galaxy Watch8 Series – The ultimate wearable companion for wellness and connectivity.

Guests can also experience the elevated and intuitive Bespoke AI Living at the stand. Samsung’s Bespoke Home range brings artistry and intelligence into everyday spaces, from kitchens to laundry rooms to living areas. Featuring sleek design, colour customisation, and built-in AI that learns your habits, this is smart living that feels effortless, looks beautiful, and works for you. Whether it’s a fridge that helps manage groceries or a washing machine that fine-tunes every load, Samsung’s AI-powered appliances reflect a new standard of personalised home care, elevated, intelligent, and designed for life.

In perfect synergy with the Decorex ethos, Samsung’s showcase is not just about technology, it’s a celebration of lifestyle, aesthetics, and sustainability. Expect a curated space that shows how tech can and should enhance the harmony of home design. Every detail, from materials to minimalism, reflects Samsung’s commitment to thoughtful innovation that complements any interior.

Whether you’re remodelling your home, rethinking your lifestyle, or simply curious about the future, this is your invitation to see what’s next. Don’t miss the Samsung experience at Decorex Joburg 2025.

The Galaxy Z series has set the standard for foldable phones from its very first launch, with a new release every year. Now in its seventh chapter, the latest design revisits where it all started. The Galaxy Z Fold7 and Z Flip7 are the result of refinements made over each year of innovation. Samsung Newsroom spoke with Hubert Lee, Head of the Design Team and Huichul Yang, Head of the UX (User eXperience) Team, both part of the Mobile eXperience (MX) Business at Samsung Electronics, to discover the story behind the products and the designers’ persistent pursuit of incredible design.

* Content images simulated for illustrative purposes only and may differ from the actual product. Product specifications may vary by country, region, model and carrier.

Hubert Lee

Executive Vice President, MX Business, Samsung Electronics

Since joining as Head of the MX Design Team in late 2022, Lee has overseen the design direction for all MX product launches. With the launch of the new Galaxy Z Fold7 and Z Flip7, Lee showcases Galaxy’s ultimate pursuit of ultra-sleek and modern design.

Huichul Yang

Vice President, MX Business, Samsung Electronics

Since joining Samsung in 2005, Yang has played a pivotal role in advancing mobile UX innovation as an HCI (Human Computer Interaction) expert. Since late 2023, Yang has led the UX Team in the MX Business, crafting the mobile experiences powered by Galaxy AI.

The Essence of Foldable Design

Q: The Galaxy Z Fold7 and Z Flip7 have finally been unveiled. As the heads of the Design and UX teams, it must mean a lot to both of you.

Lee: Among the products I’ve designed at Samsung, the Galaxy Z Fold7 stands out as the one I am most proud of. Most people said, “Wow!” as soon as they saw it. It’s the thinnest, lightest Galaxy Z Fold series model yet. I believe it captures the essence of what a foldable phone can be. It’s only just been unveiled at Galaxy Unpacked 2025 in New York, but I’m confident that customers will understand its true value as they see it up close and get a feel for it in their hands.

Yang: Alongside the Galaxy Z Fold7 and Z Flip7, we also introduced One UI 8, an interface optimised for the AI experience. I believe that a sleek, modern design — paired with an intuitive interface — can really resonate with users seeking a more elevated mobile experience in this age of AI.

“The Galaxy Z series isn’t just well-made — it reaffirms our position as a pioneer and benchmark in the foldable phone market.”

— Hubert Lee, EVP, Samsung Electronics

Q: It’s clear you’re both really proud of the products. It must have taken a lot of work to get it out into the world.

Lee: The Galaxy Z series marked the very beginning of foldable phones. To solidify that symbolism, we knew we had to create a product that felt truly impressive to anyone who saw it. There was a shared understanding within the team that simply repeating what we had done in the past wouldn’t be enough to meet customer expectations. Change wasn’t a choice; it was a must. That’s why with the seventh models of the Galaxy Z series, we didn’t approach it as a refinement — we approached it as a redesign from the ground up. We approached it as if we were starting completely from scratch.

We design lifestyle products. To be part of people’s daily lives, portability is essential and reducing weight was key to achieving that. Our mobile R&D office put in a huge amount of effort in that respect. The nature of the hardware meant there was a certain weight we had to carry, but we kept wondering if we could make it just a little bit lighter. That led to a lot of research and testing. As it became lighter, it became thinner and the display larger, until we arrived at the sleek, modern form we had envisioned. The product you see is the result of countless hours of deliberation, passion and engineering.

Q: How did changes to the design of products affect the user interface?

Yang: Since One UI 6, we’ve been introducing a range of AI features as an AI companion. With One UI 8, we focused on meaningful productivity. We took advantage of the Galaxy Z Fold7’s large-screen form factor to enable users to easily compare original and AI-generated content side by side and move it seamlessly between apps.

Q: What are the changes to the Galaxy Z Flip7 UX?

Yang: One of the standout features of the Z Flip7 is its full-front FlexWindow. Gemini is now optimised for the FlexWindow, enabling quick and seamless interaction with AI — anytime you need it. It’s our new take on an AI companion — one that unfolds right in the palm of your hand. Notably, the form factor is such that the main camera faces you when folded, so now you can launch Gemini Live from the FlexWindow and ask about everyday things, like if your outfit is appropriate for the weather or your schedule for the day.

“We envisioned a new future with One UI 8 on the Galaxy Z Flip7 as an AI companion in your hand.”

 — Huichul Yang, VP, Samsung Electronics

* This background image has been created by generative AI (Macnific AI, Midjourney).

Q: The products come in a range of colours. Which one is your favourite?

Lee: I love them all but if I had to choose one, it would have to be Silver Shadow. It’s the most straightforward and simple one, but I think it represents Galaxy’s “Ultra Sleek, Ultra Modern” concept really well.

When customers buy premium products like the Galaxy Z Fold7, they tend to prefer values that feel timeless, so we really took that into consideration when choosing the colours for this series. We leveraged the metallic material to bring the colours to life in a way that expresses our design intent and complements the foldable form factor. One of the standout colours of this series is Blue Shadow. As you move the product around, the shine and sophistication are noticeable from all angles.

▲ (From left) Hubert Lee and Huichul Yang

Let’s Design Together!

Q: Even though you’re on different teams, you’ve been working on the same product. How did the Design and UX teams get connected?

Yang: Wallpaper design is where we really tend to collaborate closely. We work together to make sure the message the Design team wants to convey is properly communicated through the wallpaper, the face of the product. For One UI 7, we aligned the product’s corner radius with the One UI icon geometry. We’ll continue to align the GUI (Graphic user interface) with the underlying style of the product for future releases, too.

“Designing with the authentic mindset that we are all one team — this, I believe, is the most important attitude we need to break silos and grow together.”

 — Hubert Lee, EVP, Samsung Electronics

Q: How do the team members collaborate?

Lee: The Design team holds a session called Design Clinic. Group leaders and managers come together to share ongoing projects and insights. It’s not a formal meeting, but rather a relaxed gathering to share ideas over coffee and dessert. It’s an open discussion where even criticism is seen as a way to make our products better and support each other. In the MX Business’s Design team, we cover everything from smartphones and wearables to PCs, tablets, CMF (Colour, material and finish) and packaging, each item with its own functions. The Design Clinic helps us gain insights from other fields or discover early-stage ideas.

Q: How do you encourage synergy between designers on the team?

Lee: I often emphasise the phrase, “Let’s Design Together.” Rather than just holding onto what they’ve been assigned, I encourage the team to think collectively about what we’re making and how we can improve it. If feedback or advice isn’t sincere, it just leads to silos between teams. Designing together as one team with an authentic, shared mindset is what I emphasise most within the organisation.

Reframing the Future

Q: Aside from designers’ intuition, sensibilities and qualitative insights, do you also incorporate user testing or quantitative validation during the design planning phase?

Lee: The Design team has established a Galaxy Design principle called “Essential Design,” aimed at focusing on core value and removing unnecessary elements. It’s based on three key elements: Simple, Impactful and Emotive. We believe that when these three elements come together in harmony, they create a truly aspirational product. We use the principle and its key elements as evaluation tools during the design planning stage; through a process we call Design Analytics. We conduct evaluations with internal employees to make sure our design intent is being communicated to users effectively. We use the data and insights from this to refine current designs and even identify future products. It’s how we strengthen our design identity, and it’s an integral part of the Galaxy design process.

Q: Do you use AI in your work?

Yang: We refer to AI tools during the testing process. We’ve observed that results from AI-based virtual user testing are fairly close to tests done by recruiting actual users. This leads us to expect that AI can play a significant role in UX evaluation going forward. We’re also experimenting with AI in other ways, like testing multiple versions of motion or animation effects, or turning 2D assets into 3D or animated formats. In this way, we’re continuously learning more about how to enhance our designs with AI.

“Amid the momentum of AI, the ability to direct design will become one of the most valuable assets in making your work truly meaningful.”

 — Huichul Yang, VP, Samsung Electronics

▲ (From left) Huichul Yang and Hubert Lee

Q: The age we live in is constantly changing. What kind of mindset and vision should guide designers today?

Yang: AI is a new momentum for designers. There are more and more of us thinking about how to use AI to make our work more meaningful. I believe those who show interest in how the world is changing and make new tools their own will be the ones leading in the age of AI. Some say designers will fade away as AI advances, but I see it differently. Design direction, the ability to guide AI creations and enrich them, is bound to become even more essential.

Lee: When it comes to new devices like foldable products, we’re not designing features. We’re designing the entire experience. I believe it’s our role as designers to deeply consider why a device folds, why it unfolds and what kind of value and convenience those actions should provide. That’s because we’re not just product designers, we’re lifestyle designers, and in the end, the user is the most important part of all. We have to read the trends constantly and keep asking ourselves what users truly need. To me, design that makes their lives better is design that’s truly meaningful.

For more information about Samsung Electronics’ design, please visit the Samsung Design website.

Samsung’s Visionary Innovation at Home

Samsung continues to lead the in intelligent living with SmartThings, its revolutionary ecosystem that integrates internet-powered devices and appliances for seamless, intuitive control. Visitors to the Samsung stand will discover how SmartThings anticipates their needs, adapts settings automatically, and brings unprecedented convenience and peace of mind to the home.

Discover What’s New

This year’s Decorex debut features Samsung’s latest product innovations that set new benchmarks in smart living. From sleek, AI-driven Bespoke appliances for kitchens and laundry rooms providing elegant, design-forward style, to interactive displays showcasing next-level connectivity. Visitors can see, touch, and experience the future first-hand.

Immersive Viewing Redefined in Latest TVs and Monitors

Samsung will also debut its latest range of Neo QLED 8K and OLED TVs, delivering unrivalled picture quality, AI-enhanced upscaling, and ultra-slim designs that blend seamlessly into modern interiors. Alongside these, Samsung’s Smart Monitors and ViewFinity series redefine hybrid living and working, with features like built-in entertainment apps, remote PC access, and USB-C connectivity. Whether upgrading your living room or enhancing a home office, these cutting-edge displays offer the perfect balance of productivity, entertainment, and design-forward elegance.

SmartThings Ecosystem: Connected Convenience Redefined

More than just smart tech, SmartThings represents an entire lifestyle ecosystem. Samsung’s hands-on demonstrations will reveal how users can effortlessly control their homes – intelligently linking Samsung’s devices that anticipate daily routines and personal preferences.

Bespoke AI Living: Where Design Meets Intelligence

Samsung’s Bespoke range transforms the home with appliances that don’t just perform, but adapt to individual lifestyles and patterns. These intelligent solutions elevate everyday tasks into refined experiences, blending sustainable living with personalisation and cutting-edge AI to create homes that are truly tailored to you.

Design Meets Technology

At Decorex, Samsung will showcase how innovation is inseparable from design. Marrying sleek aesthetics, beautiful designs with sustainable technology. Samsung’s home solutions are built to complement and enhance contemporary living spaces. This fusion of form and function perfectly aligns with Decorex’s celebration of lifestyle, design, and innovation.

From tech enthusiasts to homeowners, art and design lovers, Samsung’s Decorex Cape Town 2025 stand offers an inspiring glimpse into the homes of tomorrow. Join us from 5 – 8 June and discover how technology is evolving to create smarter, more beautiful, and more connected living spaces – designed around you.

Whether enhancing personal spaces, embarking on new adventures, or adding that extra touch of sophistication to daily routines, the event inspired interior designers, interior architects, hospitality buyers and design enthusiasts to explore new possibilities. Guests immersed themselves in a dynamic showcase, engaging with Samsung’s incredible line-up and discovering how the brand is transforming lifestyle creativity. It was a fun, vibrant, and engaging afternoon.

Your Space, Your Style

Guests learned that their spaces reflect who they are and how they live—and Samsung was there to help them reimagine it. From innovative technology to stylish, functional design, Samsung’s lifestyle products empower individuals to recreate their environments in a way that reflects their unique tastes.

The Future is Here – Powered by AI

At the heart of Samsung’s vision this year was the future of AI-driven technology, which was unveiled at CES earlier this year. This year’s showcase highlighted several key products, each designed to seamlessly integrate technology and design into everyday life:

The Frame TV:

TV when it’s on, art when it’s off. The Frame transformed screens into stunning pieces of art with customizable frames and access to the Samsung Art Store, allowing living rooms to double as personal galleries.

Neo QLED:

Pioneering the next generation of picture quality, Samsung’s Neo QLED delivered an extraordinary viewing experience with Quantum Mini LEDs, taking clarity and colour to new heights.

Bespoke Fridge:

The Bespoke refrigerator combined functionality with style, featuring customizable panels that allowed attendees to personalize their kitchens while blending cutting-edge cooling technology with chic, contemporary design.

The Serif:

Unconditionally beautiful, The Serif looked stunning from any angle. Whether placed on a tabletop or its detachable floor stand, it enhanced any room with Samsung’s award-winning QLED technology and seamless mobile integration.

Music Frame:

A harmonious fusion of art and audio, the Music Frame proudly displayed printed masterpieces while immersing users in powerful audio, whether connected to a TV or used standalone.

Smart Monitor M8:

A one-stop solution for work, entertainment, and design, the Smart Monitor M8 combined functionality and flair, making it perfect for modern lifestyles.

These were just a few highlights from the vast array of lifestyle products on display. Attendees were encouraged to explore, interact, and imagine how these innovations could transform their everyday lives.

Samsung Retail Locations

For those ready to enhance their spaces, products were made available at Samsung stores located at Gateway and Pavilion malls.

The event concluded with a shared enthusiasm for lifestyle innovation, inspiring imaginations and encouraging guests to take their spaces—and lives—to the next level.

The Galaxy Z Fold6 and Z Flip6 embody modern, sleek design. Through their simple, solid exterior and linear form, these devices express what Galaxy’s design identity is all about. Explore the design story behind the Galaxy Z Fold6 and Z Flip6, where modernity and simplicity converge.

* The images featured in this article are for illustrative purposes only and may differ from the actual product. Product specifications may vary by country, region, model and carrier.

Iconic and Unique

Floating Design, a distinctive and impactful design element newly incorporated into the Galaxy Z Fold6 and Z Flip6, makes it seem like the foldables’ screens float above their bodies when viewed from the side. When folded, the bold line along the side of the devices not only accentuates their sleek, linear form, but also facilitates easier opening, enhancing overall usability.

Linear form is a core aspect of the Galaxy Z Fold6 design, maximised by its effortlessly sleek and streamlined, yet balanced shape. By reducing the length and increasing the width of the cover screen, the Galaxy Z Fold6 is more user-friendly than ever before with a refreshing new look. The corners on the right-hand side of the device now mirror the shape of those on the left, resulting in an almost symmetrical silhouette when folded.

Through six generations of technological advancements and design expertise, the Galaxy Z Fold6 stands out as the slimmest and lightest among all Galaxy Z Fold models to date. Its balanced design and thin form ensure maximum comfort, adding to the desirability of this premium foldable phone.

One of the Galaxy series’ most defining features is its signature linear camera layout and this design motif takes centre stage on both the Galaxy Z Fold6 and Z Flip6. The Galaxy Z Fold6 sports a bold camera decoration that further highlights the row of three circles descending vertically from the back top left corner of the device.

Meanwhile, the Galaxy Z Flip6’s camera design exudes the vibrant, bubbly spirit of the Galaxy Z Flip series with a new camera decoration designed to match the diverse range of available body colours. The linear camera arrangements are even more prominent than in previous models, making the new Galaxy smartphones instantly recognisable.

Vibrant and Multicolored

* The Navy, Blue, Mint and Yellow images were created by generative AI (Navy, Blue, Yellow: Photoshop AI / Mint: Midjourney)

The Galaxy Z Fold6 and Z Flip6 bring a lively mood with both vivid and subtle colours. Each hue in this series evokes joyful moments connecting with nature. The Galaxy Z Fold6 is available in Silver Shadow, Pink and Navy, reflecting the confidence and sophistication of premium foldable phones. The Galaxy Z Flip6 is also available in the same Silver Shadow as the Galaxy Z Fold6, plus Blue, Mint and Yellow.

Featuring geometric shapes, the wallpapers of the Galaxy Z Fold6 and Z Flip6 seamlessly blend into the devices’ exterior aesthetics. They illustrate a graceful motion of light and shadow that mirrors the light reflecting off the haze glass on the back of the products.

The palette of the wallpaper dynamically adapts to the visual cues conveyed by each device’s colour, bringing it to life. To balance aesthetics and usability, brightness and contrast adjustments optimise the display’s energy consumption. Elegant animations amplify the sense of space created by the arrangement of outwardly extending circles and lines. Additionally, the wallpaper responds interactively depending on the angle of the display, turning the simple act of folding and unfolding into moments of joy.

The Galaxy Z Fold6 and Z Flip6 herald a new beginning for the Galaxy Z series with designs that focus on the essence of what they are. Encapsulating the very nature of what Galaxy seeks to be with even greater boldness and style, the Galaxy Z Fold6 and Z Flip6 are poised to shape the future of foldables.

For more information about Samsung Electronics’ design, please visit the Samsung Design website.

Featuring a larger Cover Screen and an expansive Infinity-O Display for the Main Screen, the Galaxy Z Fold2 5G gives users more immersive viewing experience. Built with craftsmanship and premium materials, the device offers a luxurious experience, which can be customised to match personal sense of taste.

Check out the video below to hear the story of Galaxy Z Fold2’s design.

*Subtitles are available in English, Spanish, Chinese, Arabic and Korean

* The images shown are for illustration purposes only, and may differ from the actual product. Product specifications may vary by country, region, model, and carrier.

Form that is Perfected through Perpetual Refinement

The Galaxy S9 has been carefully and delicately shaped to preserve the bare essence of design. With attention to detail and precise technology, the Galaxy S9 showcases a perfectly singular form.

Experiencing Unity through Curves

To establish a visual sense of unity in their form, the display and body come together to create a single silhouette. The Galaxy S9 boasts an enhanced design quality by adjusting the curvatures of the body and display to swerve together. Users can experience oneness from the harmonious curves that connect the body and display.

A Visually and Functionally Enhanced Metal Frame

The metal frame uses an upgraded aluminum material with improved resistance to scratches. The frame is also slightly more protruded than the glass for an increase in durability. Samsung added a Satin Gloss finish to the metallic material to give a soft and glossy shine and established unity between the body and the frame by applying the same colour to the frame and body.

Visually Experiencing Oneness

The front surface of the Galaxy S9 features a shortened length on the top and bottom part with a reduced bezel for deeper visual immersion. Furthermore, it concealed the hole used by various sensors on the top to minimize visual distraction.

Understanding Value through Usage

Some values cannot be understood by simple observation. The Galaxy S9 understands the nuances of a user’s experience and provides an optimized design.

Heartfelt Considerations and Detail in the Palm of Your Hand

The delicately crafted design of the Galaxy S9 is based on profound consideration for its users. The height and width of the Physical Key on the side has been adjusted for easier use with just one hand. The curves of the device’s sides have been gracefully reduced to allow for a much more stable and comfortable grip.

The two camera holes on the back are vertically aligned to create a slimmer and more stable look to the rear design. The camera and rear sensors are designed to blend even more harmoniously with the body. User’s comfort is further enhanced by the fingerprint sensor placed in the center to make it easier to reach with either the right and left hand.

Completing the Display Design

The all-new AOD (Always On Display) features 20 different GIF animations that are offered by default. Users can personally pick and choose images to put on display to reflect the user’s mood. The Lock Screen, which users see countless times throughout the day, has been designed to bring a sense of visual completeness. The various components of the Lock Screen, such as the text used for the clock and date, automatically change in colour to adjust and blend to the background that has been set by the user to complete a wholesome and adaptable Lock Screen.

Relishing the Richness of Sound

The Galaxy S9 has changed to enrich our lives with the richness of sound. The dual speaker’s surrounding effect emits wide and far-reaching sound. The speaker hole on the bottom of the device has been combined into a single hole to orchestrate a much more natural sound.

Colours that Embody Light, Accessories that Embody Lifestyle

Samsung instilled the sensibilities and familiarities of everyday life into the smartphone, the one device users spend the most time with throughout the day.

With refined colors and a wide selection of accessories, the Galaxy S9 harmonizes more naturally with our daily lives and surrounding environments.

The Galaxy S9’s Colors that Capture the Course of a Day

The Galaxy S9’s four colors were created from the shades of light that change throughout the day. Black is inspired by the darkness of night just before dawn; Gray portrays the soft glow of light that passes through a frosty, foggy morning; Blue is the color of water when a warm ray of morning sun shines through; and Purple embodies the colorful palette of a sunset that spreads throughout the evening sky. Through the Galaxy S9, users can witness the perfect impressions of light as it travels the course of daily lives.

Accessories Instilled with Familiar Materials and Colours

The accessory cover comfortably and delicately fits the device, while reflecting users’ taste and lifestyle. On top of the previous clear cover and silicon cover, Samsung has ramped up the selection with new materials and colors. The Weaving is an exquisite cover that sports a fabric-based weaving pattern; the Hyper Knit uses materials from sneakers to give a boost to youthful and sports-like feel; the Rugged is a witty design that looks like a mini carrier; and the Alcantara demonstrates the high-quality finish of the fine leather. With this wide array of materials and designs for the accessories, the Galaxy S9 becomes a tool to express a user’s unique taste and style.

*Covers and other accessories are sold separately.

The delicately refined design of the Galaxy S9 accompanies the user in all moments, by gently permeating into the details of everyday lives to unveil its unique value more powerfully.

To see more Samsung Electronics design stories, please visit design.samsung.com.

Of course, an idea is required to begin a business. Whether it’s a product or a service, the general tenets remain the same – is there a need for it and what will differentiate you from others offering the same? If it’s a unique product or service, the question of whether people will want or need it is obviously highly important. Finding your niche or differentiator is key.

TAKING THE GAP

Most entrepreneurial guides also speak to the capacity to adapt as a major requirement for success. This means being fully aware of the needs and desires of your customer base as well as effectively reading future trends. Samsung started in 1938 as a trading company and diversified into food processing, textiles, securities, retail and insurance. Founder Lee Byung-chul was highly adept at recognising viable gaps in markets and moving into them with tenacity and innovation.

It was in the late 1960s that Samsung entered the electronics industry, beginning its trajectory towards being one of the world’s most loved tech brands. During the 1980’s Samsung Electronics invested heavily in research and development and in 1982 it built a television assembly plant in Portugal. This was followed in 1984 with a plant in New York, a plant in Tokyo in 1985, and a facility in England in 1987. Following his death in 1987, Samsung separated into four business groups – Samsung Group, Shinsegae Group, CJ Group and Hansol Group. In 1987, Samsung opened a facility in Austin, Texas, a facility which today makes the Austin location the largest foreign investment in Texas and one of the largest single foreign investments in the United States. From 1990, the globalisation of Samsung in the mobile phone and electronics sectors has pushed the company into the centre of the international business stage.

Justin Hume, Marketing Director of Samsung Electronics South Africa, says, “The ability to adapt to changing customer needs and desires is important, but it is innovation that drives the ability to lead change and ensure a business remains ahead of the curve as a trend-setter and change maker.”

THE HUMAN TOUCH

Being able to see feasible opportunities in gaps, as important as it may be, isn’t the whole story of how to build a giant. Business gurus will tell you its about the people you employ. With today’s fast-moving technology and constant change, employees are no longer required to simply do one thing, they’re required to be multi-talented and need to also possess the ability to adapt quickly. Author Daniel Pink says in his book Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us, that as the number of jobs that require cognitive skill increases, people are more important than ever. With over 300,000 employees in 84 countries across the globe, Samsung takes pride in the creativity and diversity of its talented people and creates an environment where they have the opportunity to grow.

Hume says, “Having great people on our team is one part of our story, but what’s really important is nurturing them by creating the best work environment. We provide our employees with outstanding resources, so that they enjoy working at Samsung and can reach their full potential. We give employees the freedom to be creative and learn new things. At Samsung, everybody can be an innovator, and we make it possible through our online ideas space called MOSAIC (The Most Open Space for Advice, Intelligence and Creativity). Here, employees can share ideas for innovative products and services, or make suggestions how to improve what we are offering already. You could call MOSAIC our internal crowdsourcing system for innovation.”

REACH OUT

Technology exists to enhance the lives of people who use it and it’s this confluence that enables a tech company to go from big to great. Samsung’s core value is working hard to understand what people need and want; then pushing the limits of what technology can do; and finally using design and innovation to provide people with new experiences and aspirational products.

“What really drives all of us in our jobs is this: We believe that if we focus on what technology can do for users, we really can improve people’s lives and create positive change”, concludes Hume.

Innovation, tenacity, adaptability and the human connection are all vital elements in creating, building and growing a successful business, no matter which industry sector.

These days, businesses such as restaurants, cafes and shops are placing more and more focus on creating aesthetically consistent interiors. Samsung’s 360 Cassette, the world’s first circular-designed air conditioner, offers powerful, even airflow and boasts a design that blends seamlessly with a variety of environments, allowing proprietors to create sophisticated and beautiful interiors that resonate with customers.

Now, to make it even easier to integrate the device in a way that suits its surrounding décor, Samsung has created customizable design panels that may be applied directly to the 360 Cassette to complement each business’s individual aesthetic.

Turkey’s Zübeyde Hanım Educational Institution was the first to attach one of the stylish designs to its 360 Cassette, opting for a design panel that displayed its school symbol. Subsequent design panels have been applied in locations spanning several fields, including a suburban cafe in Korea.

A Design to Suit Every Interior

Recently, Korean café A Twosome Place customized its 360 Cassette air conditioner with an aesthetic-amplifying design panel

The 360 Cassette’s design panels allow users to customize the air conditioner’s aesthetic to match their store’s interior. To help users find the perfect pattern to suit their style, Samsung created a diverse collection of designs tailored to match any decor. Choices include a range of colors, woods and branded designs.

A Rounded Approach to Air Conditioning

Whereas traditional air conditioners may yield uncomfortable drafts and uneven airflow, the 360 Cassette’s ‘rounded’ approach allows it to provide optimum efficiency and comfort.

The 360 Cassette’s circular design is responsible for the comfortable atmosphere the appliance provides, preventing its breeze from directly contacting the skin and evenly distributing air without traditional air conditioners’ ‘blind spots.’ This design was made possible by discarding with the blades that traditionally control wind direction and instead inserting a Booster Fan, which guides air to provide even, horizontal airflow that feels pleasant in any spot.

By paying equal attention to function and design, the 360 Cassette offers businesses a versatile and efficient air conditioning solution that both looks and feels great.

From refrigerators to audio equipment, product design is continuously becoming more thoughtful, considering people’s lifestyles and how they interact with their surroundings. Samsung Electronics’ latest devices reflect this growing trend, perhaps none more so than its recently launched lifestyle television, The Frame.

Created in collaboration with world-renowned designer Yves Behar, The Frame is truly a game changer for the TV industry, transforming the conventional black box into a piece of art that adds aesthetic value to the home.

Behar attained a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Design from the Art Centre College of Design before working on various international projects. In 1999 Behar established the San Francisco and New York-based industrial design and brand management firm Fuseproject.

Behar collaborated with Samsung on a sculptural television, mounting one of Samsung’s curved televisions on an artistically designed cube-shaped base. The base contains the speakers and the bulk of the electronics. This project was unveiled at the CES in Las Vegas in 2015.

Samsung went behind the scenes with Behar to discuss what inspired The Frame, his favourite moments working with the consumer electronics giant and how he envisions the future of TV.

Q. Tell us about the collaboration process between yourself and Samsung on The Frame.

Yves Behar: Samsung and my team at Fuseproject have been collaborating for almost a decade now, envisioning new ways that displays can be experienced in the home. For The Frame specifically, we wanted to explore how the display might fit into any room of the house by augmenting its use beyond a device to just watch TV on. This is where we came up with the concept of eliminating the black box and replacing it with eye-catching artworks. The Frame is a smart television that is designed to blend into the décor.

Q. You are known for experimenting with new concepts, materials and technologies. What drives your design decisions?

Yves Behar: My goal has always been to improve people’s daily lives – and thus the world – through design. To do so, I think it’s essential to be inspired by human behaviours and desires. By bridging behaviours and objects through design, we can discover new types of experiences in our everyday lives, all the while accelerating the adoption of new ideas. Rather than designing a product that only comes to life when watching entertainment, we began to think about a display that offers new inspiration in our lives.

Q. What inspired the design of The Frame?

Yves Behar: In our smaller homes and apartments, when a television is off, its black square takes up valuable real estate. At the core of The Frame, is the experience it provides – one that allows users to enjoy a selection of artworks that are automatically displayed and naturally dimmed and brightened throughout the day. Samsung and my team built every element of the TV from the hardware to the art platform on this foundation. The user experience, for instance, is meant to emulate a digital art space, so we designed it to be simple and beautiful just like a gallery, with the artworks themselves as the primary visual focus.

Each artwork is scanned and converted into a digital format and is shown with different coloured mounting options according to the artists’ preferences. For the Art Mode function, Samsung enlisted the help of curator Elise Van Middelm, she recruited artists such as Luisa Lambri, Barry McGee and Todd Eberle, who each had works converted especially for this screen.

Q. Were there any moments during your collaboration with Samsung on The Frame that are particularly memorable?

Yves Behar: Perhaps one of the most exciting moments was when we were showcasing a prototype of The Frame we had built in San Francisco. We demonstrated the effect of adding sensors to a TV – a brightness sensor to adjust the backlight of the display and a motion sensor to turn the TV on or off depending on the presence or absence of a person.

Incorporating sensors posed a technical challenge but was absolutely crucial to creating the experience we had designed. The concept was also an entirely new one! It was very exciting to showcase this technological advancement and the passion and conviction I felt was shared between our joint teams.

Q. For you, personally, what has been the most impressive outcome of the partnership?

Yves Behar: Our design process was inherently collaborative; I could not imagine creating nearly such impactful work without Samsung’s close collaboration. Our ability to execute every detail of The Frame, from the sensors to the magnetic, interchangeable wooden bezels, so flawlessly is an achievement in itself.

For me, the most impressive aspect of the TV is its art platform, which features paintings and photographs from the world’s top galleries, as well as partners such as the Albertina Museum, LUMAS, Magnum Photos, Saatchi Art and Sedition. It’s really something to have instant access to hundreds of artworks, which are elegantly exhibited but also with a high degree of realism.

Q. What does TV mean to you?

Yves Behar: I consider myself to be a fairly typical consumer when it comes to watching TV. There are a few programmes I enjoy watching but for most of the day, my TV is turned off. In the past, I designed a piece of furniture to conceal it when it wasn’t in use.

The Frame is really a turning point as it empowers me to keep my display out in the open while simultaneously adding to my home’s aesthetic value through new artworks. I think we are witnessing a new era for televisions, one where they are a portal into art, among other things.

Q. How do you foresee the future of TV?

Yves Behar: Even though technology in the home is becoming more discreet, the television will continue to play a role in our ever-evolving homes. By asking the questions no one else is asking, designers and manufacturers like Samsung will discover new ways to integrate displays into our living spaces.

It’s important that TVs are designed from an experience-led perspective, not a technology-driven one. However, adaptive technologies will enable us to create products that are more personal and less obtrusive. The Frame is a big step in the right direction, but getting rid of the black box is only just the beginning.

Q. What’s your hope for users of The Frame?

Yves Behar: It’s my wish that consumers will appreciate the introduction of art into their daily lives and enjoy the value and inspiration that come with having a gallery-worthy work in their living space. When you buy The Frame, you are also investing in artists – sourcing their work specifically for this display. All the complexities and nuances of The Frame’s design come down to this simple experience.