The Hermit Kingdom’s New Bowtie

During the late 19th Century, Korea’s isolationist policies garnered the nation the nickname of “Hermit Kingdom.” However, after the nation divided in half along the 38th Parallel shortly after World War II, South Korea embraced globalization, along with other democratic Asian nations. And, as in Western nations, the car long ago emerged as a symbol of freedom and status.

For years, General Motors (GM) manufactured cars in South Korea as GM Daewoo and sold them under the Daewoo brand. Earlier this year, GM rebranded its South Korean operations under the Chevrolet umbrella. To create a grand-format announcement, GM Korea hired Shinseung, a Seoul-based, digital-graphics provider, to decorate the Glass Tower, a 32-story building in Seoul’s bustling Daechi-dong neighborhood, with an 82 x 164-ft. wrap that features the iconic Chevrolet “bowtie” logo.

Shinseung produced the wrap using Avery Dennison’s MPI 3709 40%-perforated window film, a product available in Asia, that’s transparent inside the building. (MPI 2728, a 35%-perforated film, is the most comparable product sold in the U.S, according to Avery Dennison.) The shop printed the wrap on an HP DesignJet 9000s eco-solvent-ink printer.

After having prepped the surface with glass cleaner, installers needed 48 hours to apply the graphics by rappelling down the building’s front and carefully applying the wrap with gloved hands and Avery Pro felt-layered squeegees.