Fans claimed that NewJeans' graphic designer was hired by RIIZE, furthering the discourse regarding the two group's similarities in aesthetics.

Here's what people are saying.

BRIIZEs, Bunnies Discuss RIIZE Sudden Changes in Aesthetic, Claim That Boy Group Hired NewJeans' Graphic Designer

The start of 2024 has already been an eventful one, with many artists announcing their comebacks, solo debuts, and many more. This also includes award shows, new endeavors this 2024, and most of all, the drama between fandoms.

In particular, two of K-pop's hottest rookie groups are consistently making buzz across communities for their parallels in aesthetics, which are RIIZE and NewJeans.

Earlier on December 28, the boy group became a hot topic in a forum, where netizens claimed how SM Entertainment "copied" NewJeans' popularized Y2K style for RIIZE's official website.

The newly upgraded homepage displayed an old-school design showing 90's internet, which many fans deemed as being too similar to NewJeans' social media app Phoning. This created a rift between the two fandoms, creating a heated argument regarding originality.

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However, another update seemed to have added to their discussion. On January 7, fans gathered in an online forum titled, "So RIIZE hired NewJeans' designer."

The post included screenshots from social media platform Instagram, showing a Story from Beater Studio, an independent company established by graphic designer Hwang Yuseon.

The Story featured a preview of RIIZE's upcoming 2024 Season Greetings, followed by a list of designated officials responsible for making the merchandise. Hwang also relayed a heartwarming message regarding the company's inception.

Read the full statement here:

"Hello. This is Hwang Yuseon.

I will be starting this year independently with Beater Studio (@beater.studio) this 2024. From 2016 until now, I have worked and learned with many people, and now, I decided to become independent so I can create something entirely on my own.

Starting this year, I would like to try various works under the name of Beater. I would also like to thank those who gave me a lot of support and encouragement."

OP then followed a caption saying, "This is the graphic designer under ADOR since NewJeans' debut, but as of January 2024, they made their own studio and RIIZE's season's greetings."

Fans called out the netizens who denied the similarities between RIIZE and NewJeans, which was brought by the earlier comparison of the boy group's website and the girl group's Phoning. Others pointed out how SM could have made the designs less similar to NewJeans' concept.

Read their comments below:

•  "People were claiming that there was nothing similar in their designs just for this to turn out that it was done by the same person."
•  "They were so hard bent over the fact that they weren't similar. Sigh."
•  "Honestly, even if it was done by the same person, if you have a different idea, it'll come out looking different. Clearly, SM's side asked the designer to make it look similar."
•  "It's my first time seeing RIIZE's seasons' greetings, but it's so similar to NewJeans, I thought it was edited."

What are your thoughts on the matter? Let us know in the comments below!

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Written by Riely Miller