ddp design fair

Every year the fair is different, what`s unique about this year?

The participants feel more experienced and relaxed. The enthusiastic attitude and willingness to participate in the fair is also different from other years. As we are already in our fifth edition, I can feel that the participants are aware of the intention of the fair and are flexibly moving in the direction of their work. In addition, personally I think it is meaningful that the platform has secured a database of makers who are skilled in handling materials and implementing techniques properly over the years. When I heard that the DDP Design Launching Fair online platform secured a list of makers and asked them to mass-produce products after seeing their portfolios, I cheered, and this is something I am looking forward to even more.

I`m curious about the in-person mentoring week.

It was easy to listen to the participants in a one-on-one format, explaining their prototypes with different charms, answering their questions, and giving them everything I knew and as much advice as I could. Among them, there were many questions about pricing when mass-producing products, and after the fair, I applauded their enthusiasm to actively try mass production. Of course, there will be many difficulties, but that is also part of the process to make a good product, so we must overcome it. Oh, and the participants also mentioned that the mentoring time was too short, so I think it would be good to increase the time next year.

What is a "good product" to you? 

I would like to see designs and products that are pleasant, healthy, and comforting to look at rather than carrying too much meaning. I know I`m going to be living an emptier as I get older, but wouldn`t it be nice to feel happy every time I look at "something" that I`m going to keep around for a long time? After all, a lot of these products will eventually be thrown away... so thinking about how to keep them around for a long time and sustainably is the first step to making them worthwhile.

Since you have such a broad view of products, I`d like to ask you for some advice. 

It could be applied to fashion accessories, beauty, or stationery, but I think the packaging for these products is a little weak. When you make the packaging, it`s complete, but there are quite a few participants who think of it as something else. It`s also important to think about how the product is displayed with the packaging, so that the product is visually appealing to the consumer at first glance.