Anna Zhao

    anna.whizh@yahoo.com

    FIFTY of the world’s top designers have brought samples of their work and shared their experiences at the first China (Shenzhen) Industrial Design Fair, a four-day event that ends today.

    The fair at Shenzhen Convention and Exhibition Center in Futian District is showcasing prominent works by exhibitors from eight countries with strong design traditions: Finland, Denmark, Sweden, South Korea, France, Germany, Italy and the United States. Some exhibits are making their first appearance in China. Italian exhibitors have presented the world’s first roadworthy car that can be assembled within one hour, for example, and Canadian designer Jim Kor brought a model car he created with a 3-D printer.

    Danish exhibitors brought household designs such as LED lights. Dorrit Boilerehauge, CEO of Danish Designers, said the fair has provided a good chance to learn about Shenzhen’s design tradition and look for opportunities for collaboration.

    “Shenzhen’s designs are very forward-looking, modern and contemporary. We want to extend the dialogue with Shenzhen designers to serve as future partners,” Boilerehauge said.

    She said design is about story-telling and communication.

    “Designers should be interested in other people. They should study people, talk to them and find what they like and their values. Design is user-driven innovation,” she said.

    Polish designer Robert Majkut said designers should find a match between cultural backgrounds when working in different markets. He also suggested that designers use materials indigenous to China, such as bamboo and paper, to build a design language with Chinese clients.

    “You don’t have to drop your value to do Western styles — keep your value and raise it up. Use simple materials in better ways and put magic into products,” Majkut said.

    He said Poland has the strongest furniture production industry in Europe but doesn’t have a globally recognized brand, unlike countries such as Italy, France and Switzerland. China struggles with similar problems.

    Majkut said the concentration of minds in Shenzhen could benefit the industry as a whole.

    “The mix of challenge, knowledge, imagination, cultural background — all elements must go together to make good design,” he said. “Design is to explain our specific philosophy, spirit, emotion and background, and finally show them in something untouchable.”

    The Finnish delegation at the fair includes six industrial design agencies.

    Jaakko Waananen, CEO of Finnish design company Diagonal, said Finland has a very strong design ability and hopes to open up cooperation with China’s growing market.

    “I believe we’ll form a perfect fit with Chinese partners, because Finnish companies have good design quality and are good at innovation so we can help Chinese companies reach the global market easier,” Waananen said.