Hangeul Yoodle
YouTube Korea
TEAM Brand Marketing
YEAR 2025
I was a... freelance producer working on project management, content production utilizing gen AI tools, and creative direcation.
Background 🇰🇷
On Hangeul Day (October 9), YouTube unveiled a special Yoodle (YouTube version of Google doodles) — its first-ever design celebrating a national language — inspired by the origins of Hangeul and the calligraphic style of Hunminjeongeum. For 24 hours, this Korea-exclusive logo paid tribute to the creativity and cultural significance of the Korean alphabet.
The campaign aimed to amplify the Hangeul Yoodle through a holistic go-to-market approach, driving awareness and positive engagement across YouTube, social media, and press. The rollout included three core elements: a launch video, a designer interview with Tier 1 media and YouTube Korea blog feature, and a social activation with curated playlists and creator content.
LIGHT MODE LOGODARK MODE LOGOHANGEUL YOODLE ON MOBILE APP
Key Narrative
📜 Just as King Sejong’s creation of Hangeul empowered self-expression centuries ago, YouTube today empowers Korean creators to share their voices with the world — showing how language and creativity continue to connect Korea globally.
At a time when Korean culture is gaining worldwide recognition — from K-pop and film to traditional art and design — the tribute highlights that Korea’s creativity has always been rooted in its language. By spotlighting a design inspired by Hunminjeongeum, YouTube underscores how heritage sparks innovation, reminding us that the foundations of Korean culture remain a living source of inspiration.My Role
👩🏻💻 Planned and coordinated end-to-end GTM activation, crafting a campaign narrative that connected the creative asset (Yoodle) across brand, social, and press channels. Secured key partnerships with a Tier 1 national newspaper and the National Hangeul Museum to extend cultural and media impact.
🚀 Collaborated with production partners and agencies to produce a high-impact brand video aligned with YouTube’s OKRs. Drove creative concept and direction using Google’s generative AI tools (Veo3, Flow, Gemini) to develop visually compelling assets that blend storytelling and technology, pushing both creative and technical boundaries.
Brand Video
Celebrating Hangeul Day with YouTube’s special “Yoodle” in Korea! (with sound) on the YouTube Korea channel (Hangeul Day playlist)
The 20-second brand video integrates the Yoodle and promo art assets to conneect the Korean alphabet’s origins to the present. Produced with Gemini/ Veo 3/ Flow, the video features a box (함) from which the promo art letters emerge engraved with excerpts from the original manuscript of the Korean alphabet. In addition to amplifying the launch on the YouTube Korea channel, it serves as documentation of the campaign beyond the 24-hour Yoodle activation.
Development Process & Many Trials and Errors...
Playing with Door-Opening Variations
Explored multiple versions of the door opening motion before finalizing this cut — later fine-tuned the wind dynamics for a more natural atmosphere.
Wind and Box Motion Tests
Tested variations of wind motion and the box-opening sequence — ultimately landed on this version for its balance of realism and rhythm.
Focused on accurately portraying cultural elements such as the Hunminjeongeum (훈민정음 해례본) engraving and najeonchilgi (나전칠기)-inspired design on the box (함). Keeping the promo logo intact throughout the AI-generated sequence proved more challenging than expected.
PROMO LOGO 3D ASSET (LEFT) COMPARISON TO THE ORIGINAL 2D LOGO (RIGHT)
Learnings1. While there’s a common perception that AI-generated content saves time and resources, I found the opposite to be true — at least with current tools. Avoiding glitches, hallucinations, and visual inconsistencies requires significant manual oversight and iteration, making the process very hands-on, especially when working with culturally sensitive elements like heritage motifs or historical scripts.
2. The production stage also requires extra patience. Even a small edit can mean re-prompting and re-rendering entire segments. I was reminded once again that, for now, these tools are most effective in the ideation, concepting, and select production stages but not yet ready to replace the traditional production workflow.
3. The “AI-generated” label is offten associated with cost-cutting or lower creative effort, prompting an immediate negative reaction from audiences. This highlights the importance of thoughtful storytelling and transparent creative intent when integrating AI into branded content.
4. Across production studios, agencies, and internal YouTube teams, we’re all still learning how to navigate this evolving creative landscape — understanding its technical potential and limitations, legal considerations, and, most importantly, how to use these tools responsibly to enhance creativity rather than replace it.
Impact
The GTM activation generated strong organic traction, earning pickups from digital outlets and online magazines.
A curated YT playlist of ~20 creator-led content and the Hangeul Museum videos highlighting Hangeul’s artistry and cultural significance resulted in below 4-Day Performance:
- YouTube (10 posts): 3,009,000 Views & 76,453 PE
- Instagram (7 posts): 556,006 Impression & 9,049 PE
▶️ and the rest of GTM
Social Activation
YT Hangeul Day Playlist
Creator Partnerships: Partnered with creators to produce organic content celebrating Hangeul Day, showcasing how YouTube connects Korean culture and creativity with global audiences. The creator-led videos made the celebration feel fresh and relatable for Gen Z while reinforcing YouTube’s role in supporting meaningful cultural moments.
KOF Partnership: Collaborated with the National Hangeul Museum on a co-branded Instagram carousel to extend cultural engagement beyond the platform.
Comms
Sharing the Creative Story of YouTube’s First Language-Themed Yoodle
To spotlight YouTube’s first Yoodle celebrating a national language, a feature interview in The JoongAng Ilbo — one of Korea’s top-tier daily newspapers — highlighted the creative story behind the Hangeul Yoodle through conversations with illustrator Sui Lee and animator Wooyoung Kim. The piece amplified the campaign’s narrative, reinforced YouTube’s cultural credibility, and showcased how the design collaboration honored Hangeul’s heritage through creative innovation (published in print and online on Hangeul Day, Oct 9).
[Exclusive] “Something Looks Different on YouTube Today… Meet the Creator Behind the Logo that Would Amaze King Sejong”
PRINT & MOBILE