ddp design fair

Everyoneis busy preparing for the DDP Design Fair. What were your top priorities forthis year’s fair as a curator?Since I am now running a store thatsells lifestyle products, I could not help but focus on product marketability. Thisis because when you create something new, the top priorities would be the valueof the product as a commodity and the number of units to be sold. One of thenotable features of this year’s fair are eco-friendly products based on avariety of recycling and upcycling ideas. In the past, the quality of productsmade of recycled and upcycled materials was not as good as we had hoped for. However,nowadays, if you don't mention it, they look like brand new products with highquality finish and design, which makes me feel proud. What is a marketable product? Abest-selling product is not always a good product.It is something that can be evaluateddifferently by each person, but for me, product marketability is all about thefit and finish, seeing how neatly and perfectly it is finished. It is alsoimportant to keep a good balance for the entire design, not having too much ortoo less of something. As a living stylist, I have been keeping a hawkish eyeon countless products, including objects, accessories, furniture pieces, etc.for a long time, which naturally helped me have a keen eye for design. Wasthere any fair product that has captured your heart?Since we are still in the phase ofpreparation, a vast majority of products were not yet completed, but there werea few that caught my attention. Among them, when I first saw recycled fabric, Ihad the feeling that this kind of product could be on the market right away. Iwill be more assured of the success of other products after I see the finaloutcome, however, there are quite a few teams I am looking forward to duringthe development process, so if I have the opportunity, I would like to sell thoseproducts at my store in the future. Could you briefly introduce the brand you had recommended for the LaunchingPavilion?After realizing thepreciousness of everyday life and having more affection for home, a little bitof joy would be the cherry on the top for our space at home. mohs is a designerbrand that makes witty and unique products that bring us such joy. It is abrand that I really treasure in my heart, so personally I am very pleased to showcasethe brand at the Launching Pavilion during this year’s DDP Design Fair. Iam curious about the living trends suggested by rooming, which is the firstgeneration of home design shops.When I meet people in the home andliving industry, this is what they say. The preferences and tastes of eachindividual have become more diverse and broader since the COVID-19 pandemic, soit is difficult to pinpoint “what is trendy right now”. When we had little timeto stay at home before the COVID-19 outbreak, we brought things into our homeeven if we felt 60 percent satisfied. However, now we carefully select thingsbased on high standards until we feel 100 percent satisfied and then make apurchase. It seems that people have developed a keen eye for good products asthey started to know themselves better. They naturally start purchasingpractical products first. Once they have an eye for choosing good products, itnever goes backwards. The trend is not led by a certain product or design. Thetrend these days is to create a variety of trends according to each person'staste. These trends could be a piece ofadvice to those who make products.Designers and makers have to make high-qualityproducts in order to satisfy consumers who say they would choose to buy built-to-lastproducts, even if they can buy only one item because of its high price. Thisnew consumer behavior is setting strict and demanding standards for those whomake products. There are some companies that try to stay in the competition byoffering products at low price, however, such products are not likely tosurvive in the market in the long run. In fact, once you buy something, it isnot easy to throw it away. However, it is also true that many of them end up inthe dumpster. I think creating high-quality, durable products is a smart way thathelps our environment and gives buyers an opportunity to save some money.

Please share your own standards of selecting products, especially as CEO of Innometsa, a brand that excites many people.  We are living in a world full of designs, but it is very unfortunate that designs have a short life span. I am trying to avoid products with a short life cycle, from creation to extinction, which come and go easily. Innometsa import built-to-last products with high satisfaction levels for material and design. Also, for this year’s DDP Design Fair, I tried to select and evaluate products based on my personal preference because products to be launched at the DDP Design Fair have a short timeline, not long enough to show the participants’ great passion and enthusiasm.   What would be a great example of products that strike a perfect balance between material, design and practicality? One great example is Rosendahl’s wooden monkey, a Danish classic, which was first produced in 1951 and is still loved by many people across the globe. In Denmark, this monkey doll is traditionally given as a gift for newborns. This small children's toy, which not only contains materials but also an identity in terms of value and a story handed down from generation to generation, has been loved as a lifestyle object not just in Denmark but also around the world. It is certain that the wooden monkey will also be loved by generations to come.   What makes Denmark special among many European countries? While doing business with various countries in northern Europe, I started to open my eyes to their sensible practicality and was pretty sure that their products would be a big hit. Among them, Danish products were the most attractive to me. Of course, when I first started my business, the reaction of people around me was tepid, even downright skeptical. However, it turned out just as I expected, and design and lifestyle products with practicality started to gain huge popularity. Our products continue to draw great interest and attention from the public. As consumers have a wider range of choices, one major characteristic of recent consumption trends is that consumers are not biased toward one designer or brand.   Do you have any plans to export Korean products to customers overseas besides importing goods from overseas? We are probably not at the stage yet to start exporting goods, but we are in the midst of preparation to make that happen. That is why participating in the DDP Design Fair as a curator is also a great opportunity for me. As the fair progresses, I would be able to see which products both have marketability and influence. I do not expect getting a huge response from the beginning as I did when I introduced European products, but I would like to steadily introduce Korean design products bit by bit, even if the results are small.   I know this is your first time, but how would you evaluate the DDP Design Fair so far? I want designers and makers to think more broadly before they design and make products. After seeing some of the products, I had an impression that they were made to be marketed only in Korea. I hope designers and makers can bring up ideas that would also appeal to customers abroad, and I know that they already have the skills they need. In addition, they need to streamline the design for products with excessive frills since those products could be only appealing to a small audience and create difficulty in global expansion. Even though more and more people are starting to recognize the DDP Design Fair, it would be also great if experts could find designers or makers who would participate in the fair to drive further growth of the fair, other than receiving applications from candidates.   The Launching Pavilion is moving toward that direction at this year’s fair. What brand did you recommend for the Launching Pavilion? Fl.art Object. It is a brand that aims to create a variety of works based on ceramics. I recommended the brand based on its potential growth, which extend to both domestic and global expansion opportunities. The brand’s new approach to ceramics, transforming ceramics into two dimensional images, was particularly impressive. I am looking forward to what kind of products Fl.art Object will showcase at the Launching Pavilion.   What kind of platform do you expect the DDP Design Fair to be in the coming future? Whenever I go to similar fairs held overseas every year and talk with designers, I hear how much support they receive from their home country. I always get envious of them since I still do not think Korean designers and makers are getting enough support from the government. The small size of the domestic market itself might be one factor, however, I still feel that designers and makers are not provided with sufficient support from the government. Even though the DDP Design Fair, which marks its fourth anniversary this year, continues to grow amid high expectations, I hope the scale of the fair gets bigger than it is now with more active support.

The matching process has recently ended, and this is your third time being a curator for the DDP Design Fair. I feel more responsibility since I need to devote enough time and energy, but being a curator for the same event three times ensures the continuity of the process, which is a great advantage for me. It helps me grasp the overall context of the fair, such as the difference between this year, last year and the year before and what needs to be improved. This allows me to give more realistic advice to the participants, which helps them create better products that satisfy consumers. It is not an easy job, however, every time I participate in the fair, I feel more excited and more rewarded for my efforts.   Did you find any difficulty in matching designers with makers? I did not find it difficult. Instead, I have higher expectations for the potential outcomes that could turn out be pleasant surprises. Different ways of matching designers with makers based on the strengths and characteristics of each maker, as well as various personalities of designers, may deliver results beyond expectations. That’s why we are doing our best to develop unique but practical products, not just ordinary products. These processes, in my opinion, are very important. They are all about working together to get the best results, not the results we already have. Despite the sharp criticism, worries and pains, I think this will be a bitter but valuable lesson that cannot be taught anywhere else in the world.  You have directed a lot of design projects. How would you define the DDP Design Fair? Back in the ‘70s, the concept of design did not exist. At that time, there was an organization called the Korea Design & Packaging Center (KDPC), whose name literally meant “making things look pretty”. However, the decline in manufacturing and the rise of service-oriented industries have resulted a large number of makers and independent designers, instead of in-house designers, in line with the paradigm shift in the design industry. As a sole owner of a business or a small-scale business owner, they have been at the forefront of everything, from start to finish, including concept definition, planning, design and manufacturing. Nevertheless, there are some things that are difficult or even impossible to manage all alone, such as advice from various experts, product promotions, showrooms, etc. I think the DDP Design Fair is a great problem-solver which understands exactly what designers and makers are struggling with and comes up with solutions to the difficulties that they are facing. It strikes a perfect between designers and makers in order to satisfy the needs of both sides, without being biased toward one side. It is an epitome of level playing field.   You seem to have great affection for this fair. Nonetheless, do you think there is something that could be improved? Many people should benefit from the fair as much as possible since the funding comes from taxes paid by citizens. I wish there were a training program that would allow designers and makers to make a quantum leap and develop products with great potential. It may be difficult to create a new program right away, but hopefully someday, we will get the chance to create such program as each edition of the fair improves with time.   K-content is all the rage at the moment. Please give some advice on how to grow as a global designer. I totally agree with film director Martin Scorsese’s quote, “the most personal is the most creative”, which was mentioned by Bong Joon-ho during his speech. I think his quote is a true principle that could be applied to any field or industry. To make a high-quality product, designers must think like an artist and create work that represents their own identity. In doing so, they would be able to come up with a creative design differentiated from others. In that sense, it is important for designers and makers participating in this year’s DDP Design Fair to have their own identity. I think this is the key factor for globalization. No need to concern ourselves with what others are doing, or what is fashionable in countries around the world. As South Korea attracts attention worldwide, if you take great pride in what you do and focus on your work, your work will win applause not only at home but also abroad at some point. 

Could you tell us about how the mentoring is going for the designers and makers paired in teams? Instead of making prototypes driven by the situation, we are developing prototypes based on a clear direction. It means that there are many teams working on eco-friendly products centered on circulation of resources. As we aim to create products, not artworks, we are talking with each other in more detail with a variety of ways, including the temperature felt by consumers, practicality, distribution processes in Korea and even distribution prices.   It looks like two-way communication rather than mentoring. There are many veteran makers with a lot of experience and a growing number of designers who are making important contributions in the industry as much as popular designers, so I try to be cautious with my position as a curator. That’s why I try to tell as much as possible from the perspective of a consumer, instead of giving advice as a mentor. After all, this is a process of making a product for consumers, and a product survives in the market only when consumers find it attractive and buy it.   You have only seen the initial prototypes, but is there any product that has captured your heart? I have only seen the initial prototypes, but I could tell from the first sight that there were quite a lot of teams with great potential. Looking at the careers of designers and makers, I was pretty sure that high-quality products will be launched. Also, there was a product I wanted to purchase right away, which was a toy car made of wood. Even though I am not interested in wood and cars at all, I felt that warm materials and generous curves added to the commercial product were designed to evoke emotions that transcend age. Practicality is essential, but I think it is also important to make products people want to keep for a long time. Like this wooden car.   Despite all the expectation and attention, there are some things that could have been better. Um, to be honest, I could not help but feel I have seen some of the products somewhere else before. The fair’s purpose is to develop and launch new products, but I felt it would have been better if we could put more thoughts into things and bring them to the next level. Of course, they may not be copies of other products in the market, however, this was the impression I got after traveling around the world and seeing a lot of products.   What kind of attitude do you expect from the participants of the DDP Design Fair? I was also one of the judges two years ago and was surprised to find that the best product selected by consumers and the best product selected by the judges were completely different. The conflicting results show that there is no right answer, however, I think designers and makers should know how to compromise in order to meet consumers’ needs with more adaptability and flexibility. Participants need to have an open mind once they submit their application for the DDP Design Fair.   Returning as a curator for the second time, are there any suggestions you have for the DDP Design Fair? As well as other curators, I was pleased to see many previous participants joining this year’s fair again and excited to see the DDP Design Fair establishing itself as an unmissable event. I think one of the remarkable achievements is that the fair is recognized as a turning point and a great platform for promotions, especially for domestic designers and makers who work on a small scale or individually. Moreover, I am confident that the fair will be served as a textbook example for more and more people as we archive data for each year’s event. However, we need to enhance the quality of the finished products. This requires a sufficient amount of time. When it comes to product development, the longer it takes, the better it gets. I heard that some people hesitate to participate because of the deadline stress. Wouldn’t it be a lot better if we could have more time to prepare? Also, while designers quickly get information from a variety of sources, makers seem to have a hard time getting information about the DDP Design Fair. I also suggest creating a more accessible platform to attract more talented makers.

You have participated as a curator since the first fair. What makes this year’s fair special compared to the previous ones? I think the biggest difference this year is that we focused more on smaller things. We used to pay more attention to the collaboration itself, which was mostly about the appearance and scale. However, this year’s fair is more about quality and reflects each individual's emotions a lot.   What is the reason behind this? Many of us have been spending more time indoors while we are going through the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. This made us communicate more with objects and spaces, perhaps considered insignificant, we had never paid attention to until the pandemic came along. It seems that we are starting to care more about things that are familiar but considered unimportant. We are now having a huge interest in things that used to be regarded as minor and trivial. Emotions coming from interest in our surroundings, concerns about our environment and relationships with people were fully displayed in the initial prototype. I could see that designers and makers have developed unique styles of their own. One more noticeable change is that designers and makers are embracing the collaboration, which once seemed as something alien to them, as a very natural process, and it looks like they are trying to find more meaning beyond the collaboration.   Could you be more specific about finding more meaning beyond the collaboration? All designers and makers must have had a purpose when they created something, however, as time goes on, they feel frustrated and start to question, “Am I creating something that would end up becoming a white elephant?” I’ve been there, done that. Even though they thought they had made something useful, once the spotlight swings elsewhere, they start to question, “Why did it fade into insignificance?” I have noticed their efforts to find answers. I have also been encouraged by how hard they tried to offer greater usability and practicality and extend the product life cycle.   You may feel like you are growing together with the fair. How do you feel? I feel great pride in growing together with the fair every year. It is surprising how different things are now than they were even just 4 years ago, so I am already looking forward to how innovative and different it will be in the future. I still have great ambitions for the fair. I hope to discover star designers in Korea through the DDP Design Fair.   What advice would you like to give to designers and makers who have participated and will participate in the DDP Design Fair? We are now living in a world where the role of people who design and make things is becoming increasingly important. It also comes with greater responsibility. A small object can have a huge and good influence on the other side of the world, so I hope designers and makers can gain more confidence and courage in this aspect. However, this should not be confused with arrogance. It is a pity to see an eye-catching cover letter that does not focus on the basics but looks pretty on the outside. It is also important not to be misled or swayed by “someone else’s creation” seen from social media. We all lead different lives anyway, so there is no need to be envious or self-conscious about following the trend. The more time you spend to stay true to yourself and do what you love, the clearer the path becomes for you.   This year’s theme for the DDP Design Fair is “Beautiful Life”. What is a beautiful life to you? I think a beautiful life is seeing other people enjoying objects or spaces I created. Designers cannot be happier when they are able to increase happiness through interaction based on relationship and interest. It is because if there are more designers who can have a positive impact on the lives of others, even with small and trivial things, the world will become more beautiful.

The matching process has ended successfully. 220teams of designers and 110 teams of makers submitted their applications throughthe online matching platform (ddpdesignfair.or.kr), andmore than 180 teams were paired with each other through workshops that tookplace in June and July. Currently, the teams are having endless meetings withthe 2022 DDP Design Fair’s theme, “Beautiful Life”, in mind, and what’sespecially noteworthy about this year’s event is its effort of creating a sustainableconsumption culture through designs. Plastic Bakery Seoul, which bakesplastic instead of bread, makes upcycled products using natural plastics madefrom plastic waste in the form of polymers. The founder felt pity for productsthat are disposed when they are no longer useful and was heartbroken to see theenvironment deteriorating at a rapid pace, which led him to put a lot ofthought into circulation of resources and create home and lifestyle objectswith a melding of environment and craftsmanship.In addition, Studio Chon started from a project as thefounder became aware of Isopink, which is mostly used and thrown away aftermaking furniture models before going to production and also an insulationmaterial used at construction sites. It focuses on building a closerrelationship with architecture and continues to take great steps towardfulfilling its ambition.Lowlit Collective produces lighting,furniture and art piece objects using plastic scraps that cannot be recycledeven at waste sorting sites. It is a company that connects people, environmentand design and is trying to come up with ways of how to create somethingbeautiful and useful with recycled resources. There is a lot of expectation andinterest about what kind of products all the paired teams will present. After each team's product development isfinished, the top 120 teams will be selected through two rounds of review byexperts. The selected teams will be awarded 1.5 million won for productdevelopment and will be given the opportunity to exhibit their work at theCollaboration Hall and on the online platform throughout the year. They willalso be entitled to receive support for profile and studio photoshoots, as wellas a video shoot for the behind-the-scenes story of the collaboration betweenthe designer and the maker. Plus, they will have a chance to publish theirinterviews about the product and the designer in the “2023 Design Trend Book”. Amongthem, 7 teams, including six winners of “DDP Design Fair Best Awards”, which representthe best products, and one team for “Citizen’s Award” selected by the votes of citizens,will be granted 5 million won for mass production cost, an opportunity to moveinto the Seoul Design Incubating Center and sell products at the DDP DesignStore, both online and offline, and a chance to promote themselves as anup-and-coming designer. Collaborationproducts to be developed after a four-month journey has already got theattention of consumers who are expecting something new and unique and will beintroduced to the public through the DDP Design Fair held at DDP Art Hall 2from October 19 to 28.

Therewas a buzz of excitement at the DDP Design Fair’s workshop, which was held inJune ahead of the event’s official opening in October. This is because 220teams of designers and 129 teams of makers finalized through the onlinematching platform (ddpdesignfair.or.kr) attended workshops, which were split intwo days, first on June 2 (83 teams participated) and later on June 24 (44teams participated), to find their perfect partner for collaboration with greatenthusiasm. Thisyear’s theme is “Beautiful Life”. It is very simple and clear, but it holds adeep meaning inside. It is a theme for everyone who has come to realize howbeautiful an ordinary life is by experiencing the standards and values of lifethat have changed before and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Collaboration teams planto develop new products across categories, such as living (furniture, lighting,lifestyle products, stationery, etc.) and beauty (shoes, fashion, cosmeticpackage, jewelry, etc.) for ordinary but beautiful life moments that happenevery day. Inearly July, more than 180 teams of designers and makers were paired with eachother and are currently developing new products to be presented at the DDPDesign Fair. Collaboration products to be developed after a four-month journeywill be introduced to the public through the DDP Design Fair held at DDP ArtHall 2 from October 19 to 28.

A seminar was held to celebrate the opening of the DDP Design Fair on the special stage of Art Hall 1 for two days from October 22 to October 23. On October 22, the seminar’s first session was held under the theme of “Design Marketing”. The first presenter, Hoonkyu Choi, the managing director of IOne Design, addressed the topic of “Furniture & Objet” and stressed that there should be a lot of unique products (furniture, etc.) that can also become objects. Looper CEO Yongwoo Lee, focused on crowdfunding and addressed the topic of “Besides products, what else do successful crowdfunding projects sell?”. In addition, NoTag CEO Woong Choi addressed the topic of “Design , How to Sell?” and offered his thoughts about how to find new opportunities in overseas markets.On October 23, SuperBin CCO Fori addressed the topic of "SuperBin - Waste culture: Turning waste into money. Making recycling fun.” and suggested to solve the waste problem through design. Sanghee Lee, Director of the Color Design Center of Samhwa Paints addressed the topic of ”SHIFT: 2022-23 Color Trend”, and Coway Senior Researcher Jihyun Lee address the topic of “Home Appliance Trends of 2022 for Wonderful Life”. Lastly, Nayoung Kim, Director of Chong Kun Dang Healthcare Design Department, concluded the seminar by addressing the topic of “Job Search Strategies in 2021: Reading the trends will lead to a successful job search”.This seminar was held both virtually and in person and was full of great content so that young job seekers were able to obtain useful information and wisdom for their career through the Young Designer Job Fair, as well as various topics related to waste, which is one of the most pressing issues in today’s society, and the color and product trends for next year.