ddp design fair

The in-person festival “Seoul Design 2022”, which seems like a long-awaited gift, kicked off on October 19 and has received a lot of attention from its first day amid a flurry of camera flashes. As a festival everyone can enjoy together through various events, it continued to see a record breaking number of visitors who have affection for the DDP, but also overseas visitors, which has been steadily on the rise. Among the events taking place, the “2022 DDP Design Fair”, which is being held at DDP’s Art Hall 1 and 2, is at the center of an even more intense spotlight. The DDP Design Fair, which celebrates its fourth anniversary this year, is establishing itself as a business platform that represents Korea while retaining a high level of recognition compared to its short history and creating innovative products that have never existed before through collaboration between designers and makers. Based on designers’ imaginative designs that might have never seen the light of day and skillful makers’ manufacturing techniques, their products do not simply pursue visual beauty. In answer to concerns about the environment and the coexistence between human and nature, a variety of products are taking the center stage at the event. After entering DDP’s Art Hall 1, passing by the Corporate Brand Zone and stepping into Art Hall 2, you will first meet five curators who are experts in each field. As mentors of 120 teams of designers and makers, they have been on a long journey of collaboration together, offering mentoring advice from the perspective of consumers. All the products created through this process are showcased in different color zones. The zone you will first encounter is “Finding Myself: Living Coral”, a color that symbolizes our beautiful daily lives after the COVID-19 pandemic. It is filled with products that enrich everyday life.You can also meet sustainable designs as well as sophisticated but playful designs at the next zone titled “Imagination and Adventure: Lavender”, a color that restores and improves physical and mental health. The “Reset Life: Calming Coral” zone, which is full of items that grab your attention at first sight, represents a colorful life after returning from the dull, monotone world. The last zone, ”Everyday Life: Verdigris Green”, a color that means “green of Greece”, consists of products that go well with the color that creates a sense of familiarity and stability. Among the many products on display, the Best Award-winning products, decorated with white curtains in each space, draw our attention. The “DDP Design Fair” exhibition features products you can enjoy using your five senses, allowing you to touch it, see it and sit on it, and will be held until October 28. Don't miss the chance to meet products that make your life beautiful up close.

Numerous design products are released, but it is common to see them being easily abandoned and fading out from the market. Much hope is pinned on the DDP Design Fair to cope with shorter product life cycles, from creation to extinction. The 2022 DDP Design Fair, being held for the fourth time, officially kicked off on October 19, 2022 amid great anticipation and enthusiasm and showcased sustainable products for the environment and people. This year’s theme is “Beautiful Life”. The event introduces new, competitive products which had been developed over several months by designers and makers who were destined to meet each other through the matching program. This year’s event holds greater significance because it has bolstered its scale as a comprehensive design MICE event. This time, “Seoul Design Week”, a citizen’s design festival that has been held for the last 8 years, and the “DDP Design Fair”, which has been held for the last 3 years, take place together. After emerging from the long, dark tunnel of the pandemic, the DDP Design Fair, which is held as an in-person event for the first time in years, received outpouring support from experts as well as ordinary citizens, as the high demand of early bird tickets indicates, and is held at DDP’s Art Hall 1 and 2 from October 19 to 28. When you enter the exhibition space, Art Hall 1, you can see the Fashion & Beauty Brand Pavilion leading the future of design, along with a digital exhibition titled “Beautiful Life: Newance”, which was curated according to the theme of the fair. Art Hall 2 features one-of-a-kind products presented by 120 collaboration teams, which were given the freedom to express themselves and their personality in a colorful space. Visitors will be the first ones to see the new products showcased by 19 design studios at the Launching Pavilion, which is located past the Collaboration Pavilion filled with products based on a variety of ideas. Various events held during the fair make the venue even more attractive. The “B2B Buyer’s Day” was held for two days from October 19 to 20 to facilitate business between buyers and design companies that have been waiting for the new products of the DDP Design Fair for a year. Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon and design officials participated in the opening ceremony on October 20. The “International Design Trend Forum”, which will be held on October 21 at the conference hall, is also in the spotlight. This forum to be held with the theme of “Lifestyle Design: Trends, Changes and Opportunities” brings together design experts from home and abroad, including Lee Jungmin, CEO of Trend Lab 506, Lee Younghye, CEO of Design House Inc., Sanghee Lee, Head of Samhwa Paints’ Color Design Center, and Shin Taeho, Collaboration Curator of the 2022 DDP Design Fair and CEO of LAB. M. 0 and Maezm, Lim Sungmook, 2021 Best Award winner and DSLSM Director, Jeong Seungmoon, 2022 Best Award winner and CEO of LIGHT.FAB, to talk about the theme of the event, “Beautiful Life,” from the perspective of design trends. At the “Gala Dinner: Design Networking Party” to be held on October 27, the steering committee of , curators, design companies, designers, young people, makers, buyers and journalists will gather together to talk about the present and future of design. At this venue, six winners selected by juries of experts and a winner of Citizen’s Award selected by the votes of citizens will receive the “DDP Design Fair’s Best Design Award”. Another event that is sure to be a crowd-pleaser is “Seoul Design Tracking: Seoul Design 2022 Spot”, which handpicks and introduces special places, including popular attractions in Seoul, design cafés, design shops, public exhibition spaces and design studios, centralized around three venues, the DDP, the Seoul Design Startup Center and the Seoul Upcycling Plaza. Based on the new design products created by the most promising designers and the technical and manufacturing capabilities of makers recognized around the world, the DDP Design Fair, which best represents the most powerful, passionate energy of Seoul and sheds light on the industrial and public values of design, as well as our hope and message for a better life, a sustainable and beautiful life, will be held until October 28. The events run until November 2, so hope you enjoy Korea's largest design festival to the fullest.

This is your first time participating as a collaboration curator.Since 2007, we have maintained our relationship in a flexible way by working independently and also collaboratively as part of a team based on different perspectives. This is our first time participating the DDP Design Fair, so we felt a little nervous because this process had a direction or form a bit different from the works we have done as a design duo. However, it was a great opportunity to meet a whole bunch of new people as well as innovative products, leaving us with even greater curiosity and excitement. What did you think of the collaboration products reviewed during the evaluation process?We gave a round of applause from the very beginning of the collaboration, which was started with the purpose of matching designers and makers to create products. As someone working in a creative field, we were surprised to see high-quality products being designed and manufactured within such a short period of time. Along with creative ideas, there were a lot of items that could be useful in real life, so we felt confident that the participants would be able to mass-produce great products that bring design into our everyday lives. Based on your experience, what kind of advice would you give to the participants?We hope that all participants can more effectively and strategically use the DDP Design Fair as a stepping stone for their next plan than simply participating in the fair out of a sense of obligation. Individual achievements will make us look forward to the future of this fair. If they step out of their comfort zone and try to understand a different perspective, we believe they would be able to come up with results that could satisfy everyone. We also hope that the DDP Design Fair creates a platform that encourages the participation of a more diverse group of makers. Compared to the large number of talented makers, it’s a shame they are more hesitant in participating in the fair. We’ve heard that you will be also responsible for curating the space of the DDP Design Fair.Rather than individually introducing works from a variety of fields, we are thinking of a way to display all kinds of works together in a showroom. It would be nice if the entire exhibition could appear as a single scene while highlighting each participant. We should also consider focusing on the sustainability of the exhibition. In addition to the selection of materials for the exhibition space, we are thinking of various ways to find further meaning even after the exhibition comes to a close. What is a design for “Beautiful Life”, which is also this year’s theme of the DDP Design Fair?It seems that a design for “Beautiful Life” — this year’s theme — means discovering the value of togetherness beyond a life for each individual ever since the pandemic broke out. In this respect, the collaboration exhibition will have a greater meaning this year. In addition, spaces and objects closely related to our lives are now enjoyed from a perspective that is totally different from the past, and expectations for design, which plays a central role, are changing as well. Amidst this change, we believe that designs that make life beautiful should be something easily handled and enjoyed by designers, makers and users.

You have participated in various collaborations besides the DDP Design Fair. What are the distinctive characteristics of the DDP Design Fair, in terms of collaboration?When I first participated in “Euljiro Lightway”, I thought it was created for a good cause, but I wondered, “Would it be able to get good results?” Six years later, I am amazed to see all the participants actively participating in the fair, brimming with confidence. It seems like they are creating their own collaboration style, taking a much more mature attitude towards collaboration. It has grown in scale, too. I think it has been possible to proceed and move forward on a large scale based on thorough preparation because people had high confidence and trust in the DDP Design Fair. The scale has grown from the outside. What changes have been made in terms of content?Rather than following existing trends, the fact that the thoughts and concerns of young designers and makers are reflected in the outcomes seems to be a positive change. A trend is a pattern that a designer must read, not a direction to follow. The interpretation of a new trend includes reading the trend of the times, making something that reflects it, enabling a lot of people to use it and building a bond of sympathy. Preparations for the DDP Design Fair are well on track, but is there anything that can be improved?The preparation period is too short. I think it should be at least a year. It is because trial and error is an inevitable part of the process of creating something new. If there is no time for trial and error, we have no choice but to come up with safe, fail-proof ideas, which makes it more difficult to expect original and imaginative products. I am afraid that a lack of time can be an obstacle to pushing for bold and new ideas. We’ve heard that you are living and working in Sweden right now. Can you feel the popularity of K-content, even in Sweden?These days, when I go abroad and meet people who work in the same field, I get a lot of questions about Korean designers, Korea's most iconic design events and when they are held. Such great attention and curiosity about Korean designs could translate into significant advantages for Korean designers. I think it's a very good time to explore overseas expansion. What are your advices to designers who are actively working in the industry at a fortuitous time?Renowned designers we all know come across as snobbish and overly confident, but once they start a project together, they show an attitude of accepting and respecting the opinions of others and try to work things out together. When working on a collaboration, it's important to know what you want to pursue, but what is more important is knowing what your partner wants. Although this may be a straightforward expression, designers are not artists who create works that reveal their inner selves. They need to have an open mind to get a result that satisfies the needs of their client or partner. Could you briefly introduce the brand (studio) you had recommended for the Launching Pavilion?There are many design studios, but I tried to find a brand that knows how to explore things based on its own philosophy and values. In this respect, I think Bacci For Dwelling (BFD) is the brand that best suits the Launching Pavilion since it has a clear and compelling vision and pursues sustainable designs based on simple formative beauty. This year’s theme for the DDP Design Fair is “Beautiful Life”. What is a beautiful life to you?I think I use the word “beautiful” when I find something touching or relatable, not when I see and say about something on the outside. However, this kind of moment never comes when I am busy working and leading a hectic life. Even if I am not doing anything, I can have this moment only when I feel completely comfortable focusing on myself. I get inspiration for my work when I take time to focus on myself and communicate with objects and life forms around me.

You gave a lecture at last year's DDP Design Fair, and this time you participated as a curator.I have done a lot of collaboration projects as an in-house design expert, but I feel nervous and excited from the start of this journey to work with a variety of people, including individuals, studios, makers and companies. When we discussed on how to highlight the strengths of each product, we had a clash of opinions stemming from a difference in views, but this inspired me to pursue further opportunities. This process is a series of interesting decisions, such as focusing on each and every product that is completely different from home appliances while figuring out how to balance it with other products as a curator. Which item did you find most intriguing, especially products that are completely different from the products you have worked with?When I look at a product, I instantly take on the mindset of a consumer. I can’t help but find myself attracted to practical products that I need. There was a product that made me gasp. It was a partition that boasts exceptional formative beauty and is transformable according to the buyer’s lifestyle and tastes and preferences that are segmented from the micro- to the nano-scale. I was just amazed at the clever sense of design of young Korean designers. Please tell us about a studio you would like to recommend as an expert of home appliance design.I would like to recommend a couple of studios. My first recommendation is Youm Design Studio, a small studio run by a professor at Baekseok University, which commercializes the works of students with a sense of purpose and passion. Face masks designed and produced by Youm Design Studio are comfortable to wear and stylish enough to be worn like a fashion item. As someone who tried it on myself, this is the product I have recommended to others after listening to the feedback of people around me. The second one is Intops, a company specializing in color, material and finishing (CMF). It is a manufacturer of a variety of products that help save the environment using eco-friendly composite materials. One of its products, Tower Blocks, combines a game with environmental issues, so it is easily approachable by anyone. It is expected to see high sales and create a lot of attention when displayed. In addition, I would like to recommend some companies that design and manufacture products and materials representing their brand’s unique characteristics. What are the ongoing trends in home appliance to watch in 2022?Maybe the butterfly effects that come from the recovery to normal life? Emotions that have been suppressed for a long time are expressed through design, a sense of liberation and a pleasant deviation, and bold lines and colors that have never been tried are also applied to home appliances. It seems that home appliances, which used to bring together unusual mix of elements, will be more entertaining with eye-catching visual elements. What are your advices to those who aspire to be home appliance designers?As someone who has worked as a designer for 22 years, looking back on my career, the most difficult part was the process of constantly creating designs different from my previous ones. When I felt the pressure of creating something different, it was difficult for me to focus on the essence of the product, which made me neglect the basic values of a home appliance. The most important thing is to think about the essence and keep the middle ground. It is because if you only put value on the form, the product is highly likely to have a short life cycle. What does the fair’s theme, “Beautiful Life”, mean to you as a curator?When I heard that the theme of this year’s fair is “Beautiful Life”, as an extension of last year’s theme, “Wonderful Life”, I thought, ‘Ah, I will finally have some time to enjoy a beautiful life every day that I had not known before.’ As I see things slowly returning to normal, which is very different from when I felt anxious wherever I went, I think our return to normal represents true beauty. We still need to remain cautious, but I am really looking forward to the DDP Design Fair, which will be also held in person. I hope we can live a more relaxing life next year than we did this year.

It is great to see you again as a director of the Seoul Design Festival and a launching curator of the DDP Design Fair.Yes, this time as a launching curator, I am not only facilitating collaborations in various ways to develop good products, but also playing the role of introducing brands, which are diamonds in the rough, to the public. As individuals, makers as well as companies participate in the DDP Design Fair, which has distinctive characteristics differentiated from other design-related events, I was so excited to see a variety of products more than I had imagined. Of course, regardless of the scale, we are trying to evaluate and advise designs and products with absolute transparency to live up to its title as a fair. Please tell us more about the distinctive characteristics of the DDP Design Fair.Being held for the fourth time, we already know that the DDP Design Fair is a new form of matching platform that connects designers and makers, so I will not mention more about this part. In my opinion, what sets it apart from other events is that participants and curators share the journey of creating new products, instead of exhibiting and promoting products that are already made. Also, you will find it interesting when you see the age bracket of who participates and visits the DDP Design Fair. Most people are in their 10s and 20s at the Seoul Design Festival while there are a relatively large number of people in their 40s and 60s compared to those in their 20s and 30s at the Living Fair. Meanwhile, the DDP Design Fair encompasses all ages, which indicates that many people feel more comfortable with the fair itself. What are your standards for the curation of the DDP Design Fair, which is full of charm and amusement?Since our goal is to create products that can be sold and purchased, in some respects, it is important to select products that will be in high demand and are likely turn the business into a success, but instead we focused on their potential of growth through this fair. Even if it is difficult to create great results right now, we are trying to put more value on how much are you willing to commit and your. You are currently working in so many different fields. Is there any reason behind this?I never hesitated in rushing to any place that needed design, just as I do now, so I had more opportunities to work with more diverse people in various fields. Design should contain a meaning and message, which is more than making something visually attractive. Making a profit is important, but we need to believe in the power of design to do good. I think a designer has a responsibility and mission to find disadvantaged areas where design is needed and put it into practice. I am curious about the brand you had recommended for the Launching Pavilion.I recommended BE FORMATIVE, a creative brand that designs and manufactures products including tableware, rugs, chairs, lighting, etc. When the results of our efforts to promote design are placed in a space, it makes me feel that humans are communicating with the space. A space is created based on humans and objects. People use objects to share and cherish their experience in a space. The more I looked at and experienced the products of BE FORMATIVE, which fulfill their responsibilities and add more flavor and vibe to the space, the more I was amazed by their uses. I hope the brands or studios recommended by the curators including me steal the spotlight at the Launching Pavilion. To make this happen, I am thinking about setting specific standards for the benefits we should provide. We are now living in a world filled with designs. What is a beautiful life to you?It is very touching to see a design that has a playful yet clear message. It is not be an exaggeration to say that I became a designer because I wanted to deliver that kind of emotion. A moment of being touched leads to a heart-warming experience. Perhaps, a beautiful life is a life filled with these moments.

To make a long story short, with so many exceptional products to choose from, tension filled the air throughout the evaluation process. Juries deliberated over entries and went into a heated debate to select excellent teams. They made brief comments on the evaluation process, saying that it was a difficult time which had left them with lingering feelings even after the evaluation process was over. On August 18, full-scale products, which were created based on great planning skills, ideas and product quality and submitted by 166 teams out of more than 180 teams paired through the online matching platform, arrived one after another, revealing themselves on the table for evaluation. Since the products were completed in a very short period of time, it seems all teams have focused all their energy on their product. As a result, each and every product had an irresistible charm of its own that is downright impossible to miss out on. Each team received support through mentorship with collaboration curators as well as legal advice on contracts for production and professional training while creating products that make our lives beautiful in line with the 2022 DDP Design Fair’s theme, “Beautiful Life”, based on the coexistence of humans and the environment. The evaluation to select the 2022 DDP Design Fair’s excellent teams for collaborative product development was divided into the categories of furniture, lighting, home décor and fashion & beauty. The evaluation was carried by juries of experts representing each field, including collaboration curators and launching curators, taking opinions from experts of various viewpoints into consideration. The key criteria for evaluation include “commercial value” combined with future potential of mass production, marketability and practicality; “suitability for exhibition”; and “creativity”, which represents innovativeness, new technology and convergence of materials. Excellent teams were selected based on the total and average scores of each jury. The top 120 teams will have the opportunity of participating in online and offline exhibitions of the DDP Design Fair to be held in October and receiving grants for product development. Three teams will receive the “Seoul Mayor's Award” while four teams will receive the “Seoul Design Foundation CEO Award”. The awarded teams will receive various kinds of support for mass production.

Thisis your first time participating in the DDP Design Fair as a curator. By participating inthe DDP Design Fair, I found out that there are so many designers and makers,more than I could imagine. Seeing people in different fields made me feel likeI was reading an interesting book that I had never read before. I had many“eureka” moments when I was reading through the descriptions and proposals theyhad submitted, but they also made me tilt my head in confusion since I had somequestion marks about their way of communication, which was slightly differentfrom how I communicate with others. Whatdo you mean by “slightly different from how you communicate with others”?Not everyone, but most of the young participantsare only communicating online. Due to the current situation of COVID-19 and themethodological trend, online communication became a natural thing. Perhaps holdingonto old-fashioned ways and methods makes me a stick in the mud, but from myexperience, I think the best way to communicate is to meet in person and givedetails on the intention of the design, its meaning and the production process.It is because talking in person and receiving some unexpected feedback can takeyour work in a new direction, especially in a positive way. After all, it isthe humans who make what people use, so I think there is a huge differencebetween having people around and not having people around. In that regard, Ihave high expectations for the DDP Design Fair, which will be held in person,since we can get more synergy in communication just by bringing peopletogether. Communication is expected to play a vital role forthe new Launching Pavilion. What branddid you recommend for the Launching Pavilion?It is a lighting design studio calledMorphere that captures the bond created between space, light and people. Ithink the brand really knows how to express the atmosphere created by light andthe emotions of how each individual sees and feels it with its own style. Anotheradvantage of Morphere’s lighting is that it can fit into any space and can beexpanded in a variety of ways thanks to its modular design. It seems thedesigner has put a lot of thoughts into each and every step, from productdesign to manufacturing, assembly and boxing, to create high-quality products. What advice would you giveto those who want to become the next Baek Jong-hwan?Our motto, “tryto look at things with different angles”, has not changed since the day thecompany was established, but I recently added one more sentence. “Easy yet depth-seeking,and fun yet serious.” It is a little bit of homage to an old Korean saying thatmeans, “Simple yet not humble, and splendid yet not extravagant.” To others, itmay look easy and fun, but it also has the depth and seriousness without losingbalance. It is important to keep that attitude. We created that phrase, but itis also the message we want to say to those who work in the design industry. Anotherthing I posted on my social media was the true importance of good physicalstrength as well as emotional health. You cannot come up with great ideas anddesigns if you get sick or you are under a lot of stress. Based on acombination of great physical strength and mental health, plus a goodpersonality, I am sure that you will become a good designer. Thisyear’s theme for the DDP Design Fair is “Beautiful Life”. What is a beautifullife to you?When I use thesubway, I always walk along the Gyeongui Line Forest Park. Even it is a busymorning, I see people taking pictures of “things” that look beautiful to them,such as flowers, facades of buildings and shadows. It was really touching. Thisis what makes a beautiful life. Even if you do not go somewhere special, you canfind beauty in everyday life. What makes a beautiful life is ultimately up toyou. I hope the products to be revealed at the design fair are recognized asbeautiful objects, giving some visitors time to appreciate the beauty.