As a designer, most of my work has been completed on screen. I create logos, apply them to mockups, and simulate various scenarios to visualize the outcome. But at some point, I began to feel that it wasn’t enough for things to just look good — I wanted them to exist in the real world.

When working on identity design, it’s common to create mockups of logos applied to business cards, mugs, or t-shirts. But I started noticing a clear difference between building mockups and physically making the item myself. A mockup is, after all, a virtual image. Once I tried creating the actual item, I began to see how design must respond to real-world structure and materiality.

For instance, when I first printed a business card, the logo—perfectly sized on screen—looked oddly large in print. The paper thickness and color tone also felt different from what I expected. These were the kinds of details that only became visible through making, not simulating.

After a few of these experiences, my thinking naturally shifted:

“What if I designed something and actually tried to sell it?”

I started wondering what it would be like to not only design, but also build a brand, manage production, and handle distribution. It felt overwhelming at first, but I kept telling myself — “If I try, I’ll learn along the way.” That curiosity eventually turned into action.

For designers working with offline materials, most objects fall into two categories. The first includes things made by printing, cutting, folding, and gluing paper — like business cards or folded leaflets. The second includes things like t-shirts, mugs, or stickers where designs are printed directly onto objects or transferred using heat or adhesives. These are relatively low-cost and accessible — perfect for starting small.

In my case, I wasn’t confident in cutting or assembling things by hand, so I purchased a cutting machine (the Silhouette Cameo 4 Plus). Tools like this have been a huge help in turning digital designs into physical forms. Through this process, I realized that design isn’t just about how something looks, but also how it feels, functions, and comes to life through physical means.

Of course, making things by hand can be inconvenient and unfamiliar.

But one thing is certain:

When we make things ourselves, we learn in ways we couldn’t have expected.

And more often than not, we find joy in the process.

That, for me, is one of the best reasons to keep doing what I do.