International industrial design festival opens in Shenzhen

Ralph Wiegman, president of the organizing committee of the German IF Design Award, will give a speech titled “From Trends to Brands” at the CIIDF’s industrial design summit forum held today. Time: 9:15 a.m.-12 p.m. Venue: Bao’an Hengfeng Haiyue International Hotel

Rune Domsten, chairman of a Danish electronics industry council DI-ITEK and vice president technology at Prevas A/S, will give a speech titled “Design Doesn’t Do It Alone — The Product Needs Intelligence” at the CIIDF’s industrial design summit forum held today. Time: 9:15 a.m.-12 p.m. Venue: Bao’an Hengfeng Haiyue International Hotel

Zhu Tao, president of the China Design Association, will give a speech on “Combination Innovation of China Design and Made in China” today at CIIDF’s the industrial design summit forum. Time: 9:15 a.m.-12 p.m. Venue: Bao’an Hengfeng Haiyue International Hotel

Liu Guanzhong, a professor at the Academy of Art and Design, Tsinghua University, will give a speech on “From ‘Create Objects’ to ‘Construct Matters’” today at CIIDF’s the industrial design summit forum. Time: 9:15 a.m.-12 p.m. Venue: Bao’an Hengfeng Haiyue International Hotel

Jonas Sverdrup, CEO of Seidenfaden Design Copenhagen, a Danish design company, will give a speech titled “Branding in the Perspective of Cultural Differences Between China and Europe” tomorrow during the Shenzhen User Experience and Industrial Design Forum. Time: 9:30 a.m., Dec. 5 Venue: Sydney Hall, Marco Polo Shenzhen

Daniel Szuc from Australia is a co-founder of Apogee, a Hong Kong-based user experience design and usability consultancy, will give a speech titled “Positive Design Impact” tomorrow during the Shenzhen User Experience and Industrial Design Forum. Time: 10:50 a.m., Dec. 5 Venue: Sydney Hall, Marco Polo Shenzhen

Mikkel B. Rasmussen, chief strategy director of a Danish creative company ReD Associates, will give a speech tomorrow at the Shenzhen User Experience and Industrial Design Forum. Time: 10:10 a.m., Dec. 5 Venue: Sydney Hall, Marco Polo Shenzhen

? A small cellphone signal base station designed by Nokia, Siemens and Shenzhen Rone Industrial Design Co., wins this year’s Good Design Award.

A multi-functional sense light designed by Shenzhen CIGA Design Co. wins the 2013 iF Design Award.

A delegation of design experts of seven Austrian companies will participate in the Sino-Foreign Design and Industry Business Matching Seminar today.

Birds on the Cloud, a design work by Shenzhen Tiening Iron Art and Sculpture Co. Courtesy of Shenzhen Industrial Design Profession Association

Anne Zhang

zhangy49@gmail.com

TOP international and domestic designers will gather in Shenzhen this week to share experiences and creative ideas as well as build connections during the 5th China (Shenzhen) International Industrial Design Festival (CIIDF).

The festival started with a tour by international designers to art venues in Shenzhen and Hong Kong at the weekend and will conclude Sunday. An opening ceremony will be held today in Longgang District.

Crossover & Symbiosis

Titled “Crossover and Symbiosis,” this year’s CIIDF encourages designers to break boundaries between industries, organizations and countries and try to create designs that meet diverse demands.

Industrial design has been applied to many aspects of people’s lives including urban planning, social security and public infrastructure, which requires designers from different cultural and professional backgrounds to work together and cope with a changing market, said Feng Changhong, director general of the Shenzhen Industrial Design Profession Association.

The festival includes several major activities such as an international industrial design summit forum, an exhibition of Bao’an District’s achievements in industrial design, networking events for Chinese and foreign design companies, the 2012 Hong Kong Business of Design Week and a HiUED user experience annual meeting.

Cooperative

partner — Copenhagen

In the past, Shenzhen has cooperated with Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, Finland and Sweden to hold the CIIDF. During this year’s festival, Copenhagen will be the cooperative partner.

Scandinavian design is among the best in the world. It is known for its succinct and elegant style. Danish design in particular is known for its simplicity and practicality and the country’s designers have excelled in many design areas including architecture, furniture, silverware and china.

By establishing a strategic collaboration with Copenhagen, Shenzhen has drawn many top international designers to attend the festival, the festival organizers said.

Global design leaders

The festival features top designers and brands from both China and abroad.

More than 50 designers from Denmark, Germany, Finland, Sweden, Norway, the United States, South Korea and Singapore are invited to give speeches and participate in a networking event and an industrial design seminar.

Among them are Ralph Wiegman, president of the organizing committee of the German IF Design Award; Rune Domsten, chairman of a Danish electronics industry council DI-ITEK and vice president technology at Prevas A/S Co.; and Mikkel B. Rasmussen, chief strategic director of a Danish creative company ReD Associates.

In addition, more than 600 domestic manufacturers and design agencies, nearly 100 top brands from home and abroad, and more than 3,000 professional designers will take part in the festival. The participants are from a variety of sectors, including IT, communications, electronics, finance, Internet technology and medicine. During the design festival, more than 60 Chinese designers will conduct panel discussions with international designers.

Initiated in 2008, the CIIDF is co-organized by the National Industrial Design Innovation Alliance, the Bao’an District Government and the Shenzhen Industrial Design Profession Association.