Interview with Kim Hyemin, Manager Who Created 'IM Hyeminche' at DGB Daegu Bank
"I never imagined that my handwriting would top the popularity charts and attract the attention of hundreds of thousands of people."
Kim Hyemin (photo, 33), the manager who developed the free handwriting font 'IM Hyeminche' distributed by DGB Daegu Bank since June, shared this sentiment in an interview with our newspaper on the 13th. IM Hyeminche is a handwriting font based on Gothic typeface, characterized by Kim’s distinctive neat handwriting, with a nearly square, tightly packed shape and orderly, straight strokes. It is also praised for its rounded corners, which give it a comfortable and cute image.
Born in 1989 and belonging to the 'MZ generation,' it is somewhat surprising that she can produce such tidy handwriting. Kim said, "When I was in elementary school, I encountered various fonts implemented on computers and thought, 'I want to infuse my handwriting with personality.' Since then, I started using a few different handwriting styles depending on the situation, and IM Hyeminche is like my signature among them."
During her early days as a new bank employee working at a branch, she would carefully write thank-you cards to customers by hand, letter by letter. This dedication to handwriting in her work helped her refine her penmanship beautifully.
Meanwhile, when meetings were held with several professional companies to create fonts for digital content, a company representative happened to see Kim’s diary handwriting and suggested making a font out of it. This proposal led to the birth of IM Hyeminche. This is the first time in the financial sector that an employee’s handwriting has been developed into a font.
Kim emphasized, "If the company had regarded fonts merely as computer programs, it would have been difficult to justify the budget for production and the decision to distribute it for free. Thanks to the company members who recognized that fonts themselves can become content, shape brand image, and generate infinite synergy when combined with other media, IM Hyeminche was able to see the light of day."
As of the 3rd of this month, IM Hyeminche (bold/thick version) ranked first in popularity on 'Noonnu,' a commercial free-use font platform, and the promotional website for IM Hyeminche set up by Daegu Bank has attracted over 300,000 visitors in just over a month, gaining significant attention. Daegu Bank has prioritized applying IM Hyeminche to the mobile version of its customer consultation chatbot, Andy (ND), aiming to approach customers with a friendly and soft image instead of the stiffness often felt in chatbots.
While free fonts typically support 2,350 characters, IM Hyeminche supports all 11,172 characters that can be expressed in Hangul, preventing any display errors when using neologisms or special characters. Kim said, "I often receive feedback that it’s hard to believe this font was made by a bank because it’s so cute and highly readable." Recently, inquiries about using IM Hyeminche have been coming in from broadcasters, game companies, and emoticon designers.
She also shared, "I often hear people ask why I don’t create fonts as an individual to make a profit. But as a member of a special organization like a bank, it is much more rewarding to contribute with a font bearing my name as part of socially responsible management." Kim added, "I hope many people?content planners searching for decent free fonts, students preparing presentations or reports, small business owners looking to strengthen marketing?experience the effect of beautiful handwriting content through IM Hyeminche."
IM Hyeminche can be downloaded from the Daegu Bank website and its dedicated site on PC or mobile devices.
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