DDP Design Launching Fair brings artists, businesses together

Arts & Design

Published: 29 Oct. 2023, 07:10

DDP Design Launching Fair brings artists, businesses together

Visitors explore the DDP Design Launching Fair, part of Seoul Design 2023, at the Dongdaemun Design Plaza in Jung District, central Seoul, on Tuesday. [YONHAP]

Seoul Design is one of the capital city’s largest events that celebrates the latest trends, lifestyles and design concepts.

This year, for 10 days at Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP) in Jung District, central Seoul, the event is filled with design-related exhibitions, design fairs and conferences moderated by experts in the design sector.

Since the Covid-19 pandemic has seemingly all but come to an end, Seoul Design has been returning bigger and bigger with each edition every October.

One of the main events, the DDP Design Launching Fair, acts as a platform that matches young designers with small businesses to collaborate on developing new products. The fair is in its fifth year.

Both parties benefit from working together, as small businesses are able to keep in touch with the latest trends due to the young designers, and the young designers are able to get opportunities and experience to enter the market through the manufacturing channels of the small businesses.

This year, 182 teams participated and 60 were selected to showcase their prototypes during Seoul Design 2023. In most cases, they will be further developed and upgraded before being sold later on.

Four of the 60 teams were awarded the Best Design Award, a prize given by the Seoul Metropolitan Government. Three were chosen after undergoing evaluations by a judge panel, and the fourth was chosen via public voting online.

The Korea JoongAng Daily met with the designers and small business owners who were awarded the Best Design Award this year at the fair on Wednesday to learn what makes their products one of a kind.

All 60 projects can be found on the DDP Design Launching Fair’s website, which is also available in English. Seoul Design 2023 continues until Nov. 2.

″Vibe Ladi Lamp″ [SEOUL DESIGN FOUNDATION]

Vibe Ladi Lamp

This long, yellow double-sided interior lighting device was inspired by the design of a radiator. It was made in collaboration with designer Yoon Kyoung-hyun and smart lighting company Mudix.

The many wing-like panels covering the light strip on one side allow the user to lift or lower them however they want, stemming from Yoon’s desire to “control” the flow of light, similar to how one can adjust the wind flow of an air conditioner by its flaps.

Mudix’s expertise helped turn it into a smart device that can be controlled through its smartphone app. The user can change the colors of the light by selecting one or multiple on a color wheel. There are even recommendations to fit the moods of various venues, including a street food vendor or nightclub.

“There are lots of instances that require a change in atmosphere, like when you’re partying with your friends, watching movies or drinking wine,” Yoon said. “But you can’t buy new lighting to match every situation, which is why this collaboration was meaningful. It acts like one objet d'art that can easily switch up the moods however and whenever you want.”

″Circular Connection″ [SEOUL DESIGN FOUNDATION]

Circular Connection

These matte aluminum trays, used to store small items like jewelry, car keys or stationery, may look like any other similar product, but upon closer examination, their “polygon pattern” stands out.

According to its designer, Jeon Beom-sik, and Yu Ji-chang, the CEO of manufacturer Saehyun Tech, the texture was made “by accident.”

“At first we were thinking of a smooth curve, but when it went under the machine at Saehyun Tech, there was a program error that ended up printing it this way,” Jeon said. “But we liked the feel of it, so we shifted our plan to keeping it this way.”

To emphasize the newly-found wavy patterns, Jeon said he “omitted all other elements” of the trays.

Another merit that the tray has is that it lasts longer than plastic and is more environmentally friendly.

“I typically worked with plastic, so when I first matched with Saehyun Tech and learned that they manufacture aluminum, I thought of it as a challenge,” Jeon said. “I was excited to try working with a new material, so it was a new opportunity for me.”

“And it’s our company’s first time collaborating with a designer,” CEO Yu added.

″Extension″ [SEOUL DESIGN FOUNDATION]

Extension

This furniture piece acts as both a side table and small bookshelf. Made from stainless steel, it remains true to accessory brand Thincker’s identity of using that particular material with the help of designer studio, Studio Look at.

“I’ve personally always thought there was a certain beauty to steel,” Thincker’s CEO Ahn Jeong-hyun said. “The material has contributed to the development of human civilization and the purpose of its use has changed from survival to convenience and now to enjoyment, so I wanted to try out a wider range of items using steel.”

The piece was processed in two different ways, with the bottom surface polished like a mirror to give an effect like the room space is collapsing into it.

“We tried to simplify the manufacturing process by refraining from using sprays or powder coating,” Baek In-yeop, one of the designers at Studio Look at, said. “The aim was to minimize any pollution and to highlight the beauty of the stainless steel material itself.”

″XCIX″ [SEOUL DESIGN FOUNDATION]

XCIX

These series of lifestyle items were made by recycling discarded materials, especially aluminum. The products range from hangers, pencil holders and ashtrays to business card holders.

Made hand in hand by designers Lee Si-san and Kim Byung-sub, these products were made by bending them or drilling holes into them.

XCIX is the one team that was selected by online public voting on the DDP Design Launching Fair’s website.

BY SHIN MIN-HEE [shin.minhee@joongang.co.kr]