ddp design fair

 In the fall of 2023 in Seoul, there are many events taking place. I saw an article that said there are more than 40-50 pop-up stores per weekend in Seongsu-dong. It is literally the age of pop-up stores. Many brands are trying hard to make their presence known, whether it is to introduce new products or to promote their products. Unlike traditional fixed stores, these are limited-time events, lasting as little as a day or as long as a few weeks, but that limited time is what makes people come to pop-up stores. It's also a fun way to visit Seoul. 

 Recently, I have taken up gardening as a hobby. I've been planting crops, starting seeds, and experiencing the trials and tribulations of being a beginner gardener in my 50 square meters of space. When I go into the gardening community to do research and ask questions, I find that people are enjoying gardening in a lot more ways than in the design community. Whether it's on a desk at work, on an apartment terrace, or on the roof of a house, there's always an amateur gardener with a small pot and a plant in some sort of airy, well-drained space. The gardening community shares the joy of gardening by exchanging tips on how to cut branches for planting, at what angle to cut them, and what kind of soil to use for planting.

 It was so much more free and fun than the design community and design-related events, which often share very realistic information such as job information and about qualifications, how to win design awards, and design as an industry. I felt so envious of the small warm interaction of sharing the small pleasures of gardening that can be enjoyed in your spare time. For us designers, is design a tool to compete for survival as a profession/industry, or can it be a culture that can be enjoyed?

In the current design scene in Seoul, designers are questioning whether they are enjoying, communicating, and enjoying the pleasure of designing together, and as an indicator of industry, design is often evaluated by quantitative measures. Design can be a genre of culture, like film or art, or it can be a collaborator to help other industries/cultures grow. As designers, we may have to use design as both a profession to make a living and as a culture for pure enjoyment.