ddp design fair

The 2021 DDP Design Fair is coming to an end. Let’s hear from the curators of each category (Furniture, Lifestyle & Living, Lighting, Career, Marketing and Space) about the 2021 DDP Design Fair. The curators have spared no effort to support designers and makers who have worked hard for over a year by pairing them into teams and advising on the curatorial direction.

“Seeing is believing”

Career Curator Kim Nayoung (Director of Chong Kun Dang Healthcare Design Department)

The 2021 DDP Design Fair opened up greater possibilities and certainties against the uncertainties of the future. I believe that the absolute value and essence of design is to create a better world, environment and society, and I am glad to see our efforts were successful. What we could do at this point of our journey was discovering a meaning from our dream by adding reasonable possibilities to the uncertainties of the future. The DDP Young Designer Job Fair was created to encourage young people to think about their future based on the career and life experiences of professionals who are already working in the field. Living a happy life while following your passion will help you to view the field of design from a broader perspective and shape your outlook on the world. The message of “seeing is believing” was demonstrated through the 2021 DDP Design Fair.

Achieving design convergence with stability amidst uncertainties

Marketing Curator Park Jeongho (Vice President of KFDA, Professor of Myongji University)

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, planning and preparing for an in-person event have meant carrying a project in the midst of great uncertainty. This event was especially meaningful since we have witnessed active participation as much as the previous fairs despite the limitation of visitors. In particular, initiating projects aimed at creating jobs for young people through the 2021 DDP Design Fair enhanced the social value as well. Personally, I had high expectations for this fair since I have great interest in researching design-related policies and fostering the growth of the design industry. Convergence between different sectors is now a worldwide trend not only in the design industry but also in other industries. The design industry is also working on a lot of collaborations, such as brand collaborations between different design fields. I think the DDP Design Fair’s matching program is a theme that goes along with this global trend. Since this is an event that involves the government’s support for small business owners, I think the original purpose of the fair should be focused on encouraging participation, both virtual and in-person, of citizens as much as possible.

An opportunity that has raised the stature of design

Furniture Curator Ha Jihoon (Professor of Kaywon University of Art & Design) 

This year’s fair holds greater significance since it was hosted in-person, unlike last year. Each field has worked hard to make a greater whole even in difficult situations, and I hope to see great results in the future. When there is consensus about the importance of design, there will be more companies participating in this event and more great results. First of all, we need to pay attention to “accumulation”. There was more responsibility placed on the roles of planning all products of many designers and makers who participated in the 2021 DDP Design Fair and managing the entire process until the products are showcased in the exhibition. As the Furniture Curator, I was responsible for pairing companies that can promote industrial development in the field with designers who can play a role in further developing such companies. It was a shame that the exhibition was unfortunately not held in person last year. People often get the scale of furniture wrong since there is a huge difference between seeing furniture in person and seeing furniture through the screen. There is so much meaning in the fact that we were able to create results with more focus on the physical exhibition. I think this fair served as an opportunity for the field of furniture to achieve further progress by showcasing the actual pieces of furniture to citizens and stakeholders.

An opportunity that has added fascination to products through collaborations

Lifestyle & Living Curator Han Kyungha (CEO of WOOFER DESIGN)

I believe that the 2021 DDP Design Fair was held in line with the purpose of revitalizing the manufacturing industry of central Seoul and further developing the design industry despite the COVID-19 pandemic. The fair was planned and implemented based on two tracks — one for virtual exhibition and one for in-person exhibition — so that more people were able to enjoy the fair through various channels. There were more unique designs grabbing the attention of people compared to the previous year. Furniture pieces made by young designers definitely stood out, especially in terms of quality. Bold material selection and new suggestions for functionality are the best examples that show the true potential of our designs. There are some lifestyle products that are not perfect in terms of quality. This is because those products require complex manufacturing processes and parts and there are wide variations in conditions from manufacturer to manufacturer. I think the Lifestyle & Living category should also focus more on its strengths by narrowing down the scope decisively and keeping quality as the top priority for the next fair.

A space filled with stories and participation from various people

Space Curator Lee Kanghyun (Professor of Hongik University)

Besides the exhibition, I tried to fill the space with more stories and participation from various people. For stories, we created a space for designers where they can share how their design is translated into a product and how it evolved into the final version, and envisioned how the space would blend naturally with the best products selected from the participating teams. What makes this year’s DDP Design Fair special is the unexpected connection and the expansion of relationship. We tried to show the processes of how to create new things with a combination of completely different things. Our top priority was to make the collaboration teams stand out and then represent a new image through collaborations between designers and makers and go beyond by encouraging companies to present a lifestyle, more than just a product.

Interesting stories behind products with various materials

Lifestyle & Living Curator Sohn Donghoon (CEO of Atelier Sohn)

Above all, I would like to thank the chief director and the curators of each category. Since this is the third year of the event, I think the event has made a leap forward in terms of scale and quality. That's why I already feel a greater sense of responsibility for next year's fair. While we prepared for this year's fair, we could see the capabilities of designers and makers who participated in this event. I think our mission is to build a strong relationship with the participants for the fair’s steady growth. This year’s event was held in-person so the curators of each category were able to pay attention to the quality of the actual products and make sure everything went smoothly for the event.

A journey of searching for something different

Lighting Curator Jeong Mee (CEO of EON SLD)

The collaborations based on various ideas are evolving year after year. The fair has always been pursuing diversity and scalability of ideas. From this point of view, the fair is still going through changes and making further progress. This year, the exhibition space was filled with the results of collaborations and a variety of new products showcased by companies. As a result, we were able to see more high-quality products that focused more on the details than usual. I hope all these stimuli serve as a positive influence to designers, manufacturers and small business owners in the future. Furniture was the category that featured the most various ideas and great results. I think the diversity of materials and forms created a perfect balance. We tried to allocate more space for the Lighting category compared to last year and emphasized the importance of having more fun with light and changing the space in various ways. I think Lifestyle & Living was the most challenging category because of its wide variety and diversity. Rather than products that are faithful to the basics and made of recyclable materials, attractive products that are sought after stood out from the rest.