Welcome to the 44th issue of B.

When a brand starts up, it is often said that the brand is being "created." Without care and affection, however, a great beginning means nothing, and a brand will never grow to earn respect. We have seen a number of failures come from grand starts. This is due to a lack of constant management and improvement. The beginning is just the beginning. Good brands, in my opinion, are created in the process that comes after that.

We here at B have also been working to improve the magazine, ever since our first issue. And from this issue on, readers will be welcomed by an “Editor's Letter,” instead of our regular “Publisher’s Letter”. In it, I will do my best to share what I have experienced in the field and what I experienced during interviews home and abroad.

Unlike other magazines that undergo dramatic makeovers, B has focused on making gradual design improvements. You might not notice the changes immediately, but if you look at our issues published one or two years ago, the difference is clear. Two important design changes have been made in this issue: We have revamped our typography, the most basic but trickiest element in magazine design, and we have tried to create a clearer distinction between the visual look of each article. It is our hope that these changes will help make the editorial intentions of our magazine even clearer than before.

In this issue we introduce Vans, a Californiabased sneaker brand that has its roots in action sports. Vans is usually associated with youth subcultures, such as skateboarding and hip-hop, but the brand’s true value lies in its unwavering advocacy for a specific culture over five decades, and the progress it has achieved in convincing people to share in the free spirit Vans embodies. This makes us reconsider the meaning of 'brand management.' Vans has cared so much for its skateboarders that it seems entirely natural for the founder’s son to drive them to competitions or for the company to support injured or retired players. During his interview with us, Steve Van Doren, the son of Vans’ founder, said that the most important thing to his father has “always [been] the people.” He also quoted his father, saying, “Vans is not a shoe company—it’s a people company that makes shoes.”

A simple makeover cannot transform someone into an entirely new being. Love and continual improvement are required to bring about great change and produce true innovation. The start of a new year might not be particularly satisfying, but it will be sure to end well if you just keep moving forward little by little.

Taehyuk Choi, Editor in Chief