ddp design fair

On August 25, the screening committee for the 2021 DDP Design Fair was held on the 4th floor of the Seoul Design Foundation to select 106 teams for the exhibition that features collaborative products. It gives small and medium-sized manufacturers a competitive edge in design and provides business opportunities to designers by matching designers with makers. Since last March, the DDP Design Fair has received applications from small and medium-sized manufacturers and designers through its online matching platform. 161 designers (teams) and 132 makers (teams) applied for this year’s fair, and a total of 162 full-scale prototypes were submitted (Furniture: 47 teams, Lifestyle & Living: 88 teams, Lighting: 27 teams). Then, 106 teams were selected by experts in each field (Lifestyle & Living: 46 Teams, Furniture: 38 Teams, Lighting: 22 Teams). Among the many products of designers that cater to the trends of single-person households, companion animals, telecommuting and sustainability in accordance with the changing lifestyle, innovative ideas such as an upcycled product made out of plastic waste stood out from the rest.

The DDP Design Fair is a fair that represents Seoul and aims to revitalize the growth of small and medium-sized companies by matching small manufacturing businesses of central Seoul with young designers, fostering the design industry and operating Asia's leading design business launching platform. For the 2021 DDP Design Fair, 84 types of collaborative products were developed, and 150 types of new products will be discovered and exhibited, which has increased by 110 percent compared to the previous year. The selected teams developed new design products that combine the technology of a small manufacturer with the idea of a designer. Each team received support through mentoring with experts in each field, legal advice on contracts, and professional training over the past 5 months.

The screening committee for the 2021 DDP Design Fair performed a quantitative evaluation of the chief director and curators for the entire collaborations between makers and designers participating in product development. The evaluation items include marketability, creativity, suitability for exhibition and pre-evaluation. When the DDP Design Fair is held in October, the selected 130 teams will have the opportunity of receiving grants for product development and participating in online and offline exhibitions of the DDP Design Fair.

In addition, for the “DDP Best Design Award”, all of the scores given by curators and professionals and online public votes will be tallied up together to determine the seven finalists. 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 benefits to sell their products in the DDP Design Store, grants for mass production and support for crowdfunding training courses and platform services.