While students in creative fields are encouraged to think outside the box, one designer at the 28th Young Designers’ Exhibition 2009 (YODEX) has done the opposite. Chow Chen-ming’s (周振明) “Perfume” is a box that can collect a scent, say in a forest or in a bakery. The box retains the odor and can reproduce it using digital technology.
YODEX, held at the World Trade Center from Thursday to May 17, showcases design projects from students who are selected through competitions within their schools. It is recognized by the International Council of Societies of Industrial Design (ICSID) as the largest student design fair in Asia.
The entries are “students’ graduation final projects” said Jessica Chang (張智捷), a spokeswoman for the Taiwan Design Center (台灣創意設計中心), which organized the event. “They are not always very professional but the students’ ideas are very creative.”
Students from more than 90 local and 25 international institutions will participate in this event, with entries from Australia, China, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the UK and the US. Up-and-coming young designers’ submissions cover the spectrum from fashion, industrial and graphic design, to communication, interior and multimedia presentations.
The criteria rest on five categories: creativity, marketability, presentation of Taiwan’s culture, environmental considerations and safety. With the future of the world such a hot topic, it will be interesting to see what the next generation has in store.
“Most of the students in Taiwan have a laptop and they love to ride bicycles,” said Chang. “So a group made a bike that can fold into a desk so you can use your notebook [computer] at it.” The Shu Tong bike, designed by Shih Cheng-yin (施正茵), Lai Wen-yi (賴穩伊) and Hung Pei-shiuan (洪珮軒), has an attractive streamlined design as well as an interesting function.
Other designs, such as a cart that allows a dog to carry its accessories (leash, bowl, jacket), or a bench that turns into a rather unwieldy magazine rack on wheels, are perhaps less obviously sellable. Entries in the fashion category range from exquisite to outlandish.
One of the things the judges will be looking for, said Chang, are “products that are marketable, and able to be reproduced.” Ultimately the goal is to have students use the exhibit not only to gain international exposure, but as a platform to launch a post-graduation career.
In this sense, the ability to think outside of the box, in terms of creativity and originality in design, is not to be outdone by the ability to be able to also think inside the box, in terms of practicality and salability.
The exhibit offers a glimpse into what is currently happening in design around the world, and what direction we are heading in. If Chow’s Perfume box could be used as a gauge, the future, embodied in the youthful explorations of these designers, might just smell like teen spirit.
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