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Anne Zhang
zhangy49@gmail.com
A NEW book about industrial design was released at the second China (Shenzhen) International Industrial Design Fair on Saturday.
“Design Revolution” includes articles by 30 design professionals from home and abroad, including Li Bei, deputy general manager of Fiyta, German industrial designer Luigi Colani, Liu Guanzhong, professor with the Academy of Art and Design at Tsinghua University, Japan’s top designer Masayuki Kurokawa and Torsten Valeur, director of design with Bang & Olufsen, a premium audio and visual equipment brand in Denmark.
The book took about two years to write, and is said to be the first of its kind in China, featuring dialogues between Chinese design company executives and international design masters on various topics such as design and education, design and people, emotion and design, tradition and design, unbounded design and human-centered design.
“The writers elaborate on their understandings about design,” the book’s chief editor Shirley Feng said. “By sharing their professional experiences, they are trying to explain what good designs are.”
Following each dialogue is an article written by a Chinese design academic.
The book starts with the history of industrial design. Feng, secretary general of Shenzhen Industrial Design Profession Association (SIDA), explains how industrial design has developed in China, while Ralph Wiegmann, CEO of Germany-based iF International Forum Design, wrote the article “Design Drivers,” which explores the global development of industrial design.
Zhang Jianmin from Shenzhen CIGA Design Co. said most Chinese designers are bound within a certain area while many international designers try new things and do crossover designs.
Wiegmann said designers should try to learn and fight for the best solution rather than just follow whatever their clients want.
Many design professionals call the book a must-read for designers. The book is currently available in Chinese. An English version is being planned for next year.
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