ddp design fair

On October 24, the inaugural IR Pitching Competition was held. Prior to the competition, two initial mentoring sessions were held on October 9-14 and October 21. Startups learned how to make pitches to investors and buyers. Then, on October 24, the startups introduced their business ideas to investors during the competition proper. A total of 10 startups participated in the competition, and the three startups with the highest aggregate scores won various prizes.The winners of the Design IR Pitching Competition were:First place - PiQuant (CEO Hyunchae Lim)PiQuant received a grant of KRW 5 million. PiQuant pitched their 'Water Quality Monitoring IoT Solution.' One of the judges said, “The team presented a vision that water quality inspection can be used in various places in life. We assessed that there is great demand in the domestic as well as overseas market for such a product. Furthermore, PiQuant quickly improved on the design after receiving market feedback. This reflected positively on the company's responsiveness to future changes.” Another judge added, “We saw great potential in the viability of the technology and the quality of the design. Furthermore, we strongly agreed with the importance and relevance of the issue this product is trying to solve. The fact that the technology used can be expanded to various other fields was also a great bonus."  Second place - Hiz (CEO Yoonjung Kwon) Hiz received a grant of KRW 3 million won. They presented beauty care products that use natural ingredients as raw materials. The judges were impressed with the brand's story and design. In light of the current demand for K-beauty products, the brand showed great potential for growth.Third place - One + Design (CEO Kim Wansup) One + Design received a grant of KRW 2 million won by proposing the Zero Carbon Pencil. The pencil is unique in that it does not need to be sharpened. The judges were impressed with the originality of the idea, the beautiful design, and the brand and products' strong eco-friendly credentials.

Live Commerce, a special, live broadcast of products on sale at the DDP Design Launching Fair was held through the NAVER shopping channel. 200,000 people tuned in at the same time, launching Live Commerce to top spot among live, commercial broadcasts. Two rounds were held, at 2 PM and 4 PM and a total of six companies participated.1st round replay linkhttps://view.shoppinglive.naver.com/lives/14712862nd round replay linkhttps://view.shoppinglive.naver.com/lives/1471289

On October 18, overseas buyers from six of the world's leading retail companies attended the 'International Buyers' Day' and held consultations with 34 design companies.Representatives from Coming soon in the U.S., The Conran Shop in the U.K., MoMa Hong Kong, K11 MUSEA, Makiko Tanaka in Japan, and Adorno from Denmark participated in the event and held consultations with design companies. Then, on October 19 and 20, the 'Domestic Buyers' Day' was held. 44 buyers from major companies such as Lotte Department Store attended, and a total of 338 consultations with 53 design companies were held.Also, on October 18, eight international press from six countries were invited to promote the fair, which is the leading one in Korea in the area of design.Participating media organizations were: Design Milk, Design Release and Leiba from the US, UK's Dezeen, Hong Kong's Hypebeast, Italy's Design Wanted, France's Sloft Magazine, and Japan's AXIS

DDP Design Launching Fair is Korea's only launch platform for new, one-of-a-kind design products. It does this by supporting the product creation process way before the exhibition begins. It is also the country's leading design business specialized fair and attracts more than 100 domestic and foreign distributors and media every year.The DDP Design Launching Fair, held for the 6th year running, was a truly meaningful event. Not only were many talented established and aspiring designers recognized, the manufacturing technology of collaborating SMEs was proven. In all, visitors could get a glimpse at the future of Korean brands through the specialized designs.This year's Design Launching Fair, was held in three pavilions. One pavilion hosted 14 new brands developed by young designers and branded companies, another pavilion hosted 40 new products developed through collaborations between designers and manufacturing companies, and the final pavilion was home to 20 products launched by existing design companies. From household products to furniture and conceptual designs, the design fair was an opportunity for visitors to see, feel, and experience design products across various fields, from the latest trends to future industries.The 2024 DDP Design Launching Fair lasted for 11 days from October 17 to 27. It was held in DDP's Art Hall 1 and featured 40 collaborations between designers and manufacturers, 14 creations from collaborations between young designers and corporate brands, 38 new products developed by consortiums of design specialists and future -oriented SMEs, 40 sustainable design trend products from established design companies, 17 pharmaceutical design products, and 7 products from design startups that are tenants of the Seoul Design Startup Center.The event aimed to provide a launching pad for new design products as well as opportunities for market development. In addition to those, the fair also sought to promote mutual growth and success between designers and manufacturers, and secure global design competitiveness.2024 DDP Design Launching Fair Awards Ceremony and Networking PartyOn October 17 at 5:30pm, the 2024 DDP Design Launching Fair Awards Ceremony was held. During the awards ceremony, the best designs from the designer-manufacturer collaborations were announced. Oustanding designers and their teams were recognized for excellent year-long activities such as participation, development, mass production, and marketing. The best team of young designers and the best among the exhibiting brands were also recognized.  Cha Kang-hee, CEO of the Seoul Design Foundation, Lee Sang-wook, Vice Chairman of the Seoul Urban Planning and Balance Committee, and Choi In-gyu, Seoul Design Policy Officer, attended the ceremony and gave encouraging remarks. “Although 15 teams were selected as winners, I believe that everyone here is already a winner,” Cha said, encouraging all the participants. At the ceremony, a total of 15 teams were awarded, including 3 Best Designs, 2 Best Activities, 1 Citizens' Award, 2 Best Launches, 3 Best Teams, and 4 Best Consortiums. The awards ceremony was followed by a networking party with exhibitors and guests from throughout the design industry.Kanghee Cha, CEO, Seoul Design Foundation:“Today's event brings together more than 200 designers and 200 companies, with about 300 design works on display. As a former designer myself, I know how much effort and hard work goes into turning a design into a product. It is very inspiring and an incredible accomplishment to see over 300 entries on display. Although 15 teams were selected as winners, I believe that everyone here is already a winner. The Seoul Design Foundation will continue to provide various grants and educational programs to help the design industry grow further, and we will work together to help you all bring great designs to reality.”Best Designs (3)- Stoxl + Triple H- Flying Fish Studio + Doodd- Stoxl + 3D MakersCitizens' Award (1)- Stoxl + Paper PopBest Activities (2)- Found Founded + Off Gray- Be Formative + OnnbysoiBest Launches (2)- Moa Company- One + DesignBest Collaborations between Young Designers + Corporate (3)- (Ikonik) Kolon Glotech + Hongik University- (DAIV) BKID + Hongik University- (EDGE) GS Retail + Hanyang UniversityBest Consortium to Support the Industrial Design Development of SMEs (4)- Vice Versa Design Studio + Lablup Inc.- Ohseven + Project Noah- LWP + PiQuant Inc.- Design Plus Story + Ascen Korea A total of 15 teams were awarded. Side events included buyers' days, coverage by overseas media, live commerce, and a design IR pitching competition. These all helped open up a big, global stage to the participating teams, designers and companies. 

On September 6, the Seoul Design Startup Center hosted the final presentation event for the Young Designers + Corporate Brand Exhibition in its third-floor conference hall. The event featured 14 teams that presented their refined product development processes and final prototypes, showcasing improvements made after previous feedback sessions. The teams enhanced their presentations with polished PowerPoint slides, live demonstrations, and strategic emphasis on their products’ unique features.The Young Designers + Corporate Brand Exhibition is a collaborative initiative designed to foster partnerships between young designers and corporations to develop innovative new brand products. Beginning with team recruitment in March, the program had 19 teams initiate product development. By July, 14 teams advanced to the exhibition stage after rigorous evaluations by industry experts.After the final presentations, three teams were selected for recognition. The first place was awarded to Ikonik (Kolon Glotech + Hongik University), second place to DAIV (BKID + Hongik University), and third place to EDGE (GS Retail + Hanyang University).The winning teams will receive scholarships of KRW10 million won for first place, KRW 7 million won for second place, and KRW 5 million for third place. Their products will also be showcased at the DDP Design Launching Fair as part of a corporate brand pop-up exhibition. Various events related to their products will also be held at the exhibition spots.Judges praised Ikonik (Kolonglotech + Hongik University)  product’s marketability, consistent concept expression, and streamlined use of materials. They particularly commended the team's ability to plan a product using materials that emphasized the product’s simplicity and functionality.For the second place, DAIV (BKID + Hongik University), the judges highlighted their innovative approach in creatively incorporating technology into design and deriving solutions based on user behavior patterns. Judges encouraged the team to integrate more marketing strategies into their concept.The third place team, EDGE (GS Retail + Hanyang University), was praised for their thoughtful approach to problem definition. The judges noted that while the project was a strong start, they urged the team to explore more creative and detailed solutions, particularly addressing the needs of visually impaired users.

On August 20th, the Final Presentation of the “Young Designer + Corporate Brand Exhibition” was held at the Seoul Design Startup Center. During this event, 14 participating teams presented the results of their product development following the last midterm presentations. The program also included sessions on exhibition trends and career development for young designers. Participating teams showcased their refined products, demonstrating significant improvements in design and execution compared to the earlier stages. It was an opportunity to witness how much the product quality had evolved since the midterm review.The “Young Designer + Corporate Brand Exhibition” is an industry-academia collaboration project where young designers work with companies to develop new products. This initiative allows young designers to gain hands-on experience in corporate environments, while companies benefit from the fresh, dynamic perspectives of emerging talent. The program began in March, selecting 19 teams for product development. By July, a panel of experts selected 14 teams to participate in the exhibition, receiving funding for their activities and prototype production. Following the final presentations on September 6th, three top performing teams will be selected to receive scholarships: KRW 10 million won for first place, KRW 7 million won for second place, and KRW 5 million won for third place. The final products from 14 participating teams will be showcased at a corporate brand pop-up exhibition during the DDP Design Launch Fair, including product-related events and exclusive giveaways.After the team presentations, there were two follow-up lectures: one on design exhibition methodology by Jongwan Kim, CEO of Jongkim Design Studio, and another on designer career and entrepreneurship education by Nayoung Kim, Director at Chong Kun Dang Healthcare.Jongwan Kim shared his studio’s portfolio, emphasizing how to interpret a client’s needs and transform them into unique spatial designs that highlight the space's unique characteristics in the most visually appealing way. He also shared plans for curating exhibition spaces at the DDP Design Launch Fair, expressing his ambition to feature the participating teams as the main focus in the exhibition space.Nayoung Kim gave a lecture based on her extensive career in design, providing practical strategies for career development and job hunting. She emphasized the importance of understanding social trends and adapting to shifts in the design industry. Over her 13 years of career consultations in the field of design, she has assisted around 700 individuals, sharing her insights on the importance of design thinking for value-driven projects and communication for effective collaboration.Participating TeamsSini_us (Hellomisterlee + Mokwon University)Ikonik (Kolonglotech + Hongik University)Hard With (Easywith + Kyung Hee University)OVERLAP (Model Solution + Hongik University)Ayolker (Ayantu + Sangmyung University)H.LAB (Hecto + Hongik University)DAIV (BKID + Hongik University)Rizzero (LabMZero + University of Seoul)Play Here (IQ Box + Kyung Hee University)EDGE (GS Retail + Hanyang University)4cat (4work + Jeju National University)One Plus One (Lotte Mart + Sookmyung Women’s UniversityRoot Root (Stay H + Seoul National University of Science and Technology)Sip & Chill (Shinsegae L&B + Seoul National University of Science and Technology)

On August 13, the 2024 DDP Design Launch Fair held its selection process for the Outstanding Collaboration Products and Best Designs at the Grass Lounge on the 4th floor of the DDP Design Lab. After two rounds of careful evaluation, 40 outstanding collaboration products and 3 best designs were chosen. The 40 selected products will participate in the upcoming exhibition, receiving expanded support compared to last year. This includes a KRW 3 million won grant for prototype production and ongoing assistance for product development and market expansion. The 3 Best Designs—lighting (Triple H + Stocks), modular shelves and side tables (Dood + Flying Fish Studio), and air purifiers (3D Makers + Stocks)—will each receive KRW 10 million won in production support to help bring them to life. Curator Jeeyeon Choi praised the Best Designs, commenting, "It was clear that the manufacturers and designers communicated and respected each other’s ideas. The innovative use of sustainable materials stood out, offering a glimpse of products that could lead the way in the future." Curator Donghoon Sohn reflected on the fair’s progress, noting, "Over time, the Design Launch Fair has grown into something more significant. The criteria for awards and the quality of the products have matured. It’s inspiring to see manufacturers increasingly trust designers and invest in their ideas." He added that although furniture products were relatively scarce this year, the focus had shifted toward small accessories, which were now being crafted with much higher quality and substance, moving beyond mere size to captivate attention. Curator Jeong Eun Lee highlighted the social value of the collaboration products, saying, "In the early days of the fair, the emphasis was primarily on aesthetics. Now, we see a noticeable shift towards addressing social responsibilities—such as eco-friendliness, recycling, and inclusive design—which are being integrated into the products." She expressed excitement about the future growth of teams focused on these crucial social issues, believing they will continue to drive meaningful change. The 40 selected products will be showcased at DDP Art Hall 1 from October 17 to October 27, 2024, after undergoing further refinement and adjustments.

The evaluation for the Best Collaborative Teams from the DDP Design Launch Fair took place on August 6 at 2:00PM in the Seoul ON conference room, on the 2nd floor of the DDP Design Lab. The evaluation focused on past activities that demonstrated continuous development and expansion of products created through collaborations between manufacturers and designers at the DDP Design Launching Fair. Products were selected based on outstanding design quality, marketability, and sustained efforts in distribution and promotion. Among 13 applicants, two teams were ultimately chosen after a rigorous evaluation process: ‘Offgray + found/Founded’ and ‘Onnbysoi + BE FORMATIVE’. Both teams will each receive a grant of KRW 10 million won. The expert judges emphasized the importance of design quality, product viability, and continued sales efforts. They particularly appreciated the passion and determination reflected in the creation, marketing, and promotion of these products. The DDP Design Launch Fair aims to continue selecting and supporting exceptional collaborative teams, fostering the sustained production and business success of collaborative products between manufacturers and designers. Offgray + found/Founded: Learn about the design story behind "Off Gray Mood: Candles and Diffusers."Onnbysoi + Be Formative: Learn about the design story behind "Patched Basket (S, M)"