Since its inception in 2003, “Taiwan Design Expo” has become one of the largest annual design exhibitions in Taiwan. Organized by Industrial Development Bureau, Ministry of Economic Affairs, and executed by TDC, the Expo collaborates with different a municipal governments every year through call for submissions; targeting local lifestyle, culture, and unique industrial features, the Expo utilizes design thinking to reinterpret the meaning of the new age, and presents the present and future of local design and industries through exhibitions and diverse activities, hoping to explore domestic and international issues of design and industries by curating thematic exhibitions.

Generating Influences for Local Design and Cities

With rapidly developing technology and changing social values, a coexisting, harmonious, yet contradicting relationship exists between the past and future, and traditions and modernity, of industry and life, in which “Design” plays an important role of converting and mediating. From a human-oriented perspective, and through connection of the uniqueness of a city and expertise of design, design can be utilized to examine and comb through the features of the city to reedit locality through diverse aspects and build an urban brand.

The core value of “Taiwan Design Expo” is to continuously elevate the people’s design aesthetics; combining resources of the industry, academia, and government, the Expo aims to bridge multiple parties, including industries, designers, general public, and government agencies, to turn the whole city into a stage of aesthetics. In addition to showcasing magnificent grandeur, another aim is that, after the Expo closes, all the essences and nutrients facilitated by the Expo can remain in the host city, and continue to mature, opening up another door of great influences for the host city through design.

2022 Theme

台灣設計設計台灣

Taiwan Design Expo‘22 in Kaohsiung － twdesign.tw

A hundred years ago, the harbor was a starting point for Taiwan's modernization, opening up new possibilities for the future. A hundred years later, the city, governed by a great sense of design concepts, has accumulated creative potential, opening up new scenarios.

Let’s mobilize the energy of Taiwan’s design industry and start by returning to an important site in history. Let’s open a dialogue between history and design and find ways to restore memories of the city. Let’s get to know this land better and give more meaning to the present and the future.

Taiwanese design will take off from Kaohsiung, the open mind and cheerful character of this seaport city blend cultural ideas from all around, meeting the challenges of the world with a brave heart, presenting the unique character and original power of the city. Let’s make waves around the world with design and creativity realized in a mountain, river, and seaport setting!

Chief Curator

Shih, Che

Deputy Mayor of Kaohsiung

He currently serves as Deputy Mayor of Kaohsiung and was formerly the Head of Bureau of Cultural Affairs, Kaohsiung City Government; Head of the Information Bureau, Kaohsiung City Government; Convener of Cultural Tourism Division in Kaohsiung Organizing Committee; Chairperson of Kaohsiung Music Center; Chairperson of Public Agency of Kaohsiung Cultural Institutes; Chairperson of Kaohsiung Philharmonic Cultural & Arts Foundation; President of Bureau of Labor Insurance, Ministry of Labor.

Chi-Yi Chang

President of Taiwan Design Research Institute

He currently serves as President of Taiwan Design Research Institute, Director of World Design Organization, Professor of NYCU Graduate Institute of Architecture, and Vice Chairperson of Xue Xue Foundation. Formerly, he was Deputy Mayor of Taitung County and concurrently Head of Taitung County Cultural Affairs Department, CEO of Taitung Design Center, President for General Affairs of NYCU, and Chairperson of NYCU Graduate Institute of Architecture.

Consultant

Aaron Yin

Assistant Professor of the Department of Animation and Game Design at Shu-Te University

University professor, designer, and curator - Formerly, he served as Head of Bureau of Cultural Affairs, Kaohsiung City Government (2016-18), Chairperson of Kaohsiung Public Library, and Chairperson of Kaohsiung Philharmonic Cultural & Arts Foundation (KSO & KCO). Other titles include Director of Public Agency of Kaohsiung Cultural Institutes (Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts, Kaohsiung Museum of History, and Kaohsiung Film Archive), Director of Kaohsiung Music Center, and Director of Kaohsiung Cultural Foundation, etc. Currently he teaches at Shu-Te University.

Ming-Tsung Lee

Founder and CEO of Searchlight Culture Lab.

Sociologist and writer. PhD in Anthropology from King’s College, Cambridge and CEO of Searchlight Culture Lab - He currently teaches at Taipei National University of the Arts. He is the producer and host of See You at the Market on PTS, which has won three awards at Golden Bell Awards. He was also former Editor-in-Chief of Golden Tripod Award-winning government magazine, Very Pingtung. He has published several books so far, including Thing-ology and I Read, We Meet, and is committed to promoting public sociology and public cultural education.

Han Wu

Co-Founder of 5% Design Action

He is a long-term promoter of a design revolution in Taiwan, and has coordinated international art fairs and exhibitions in the past. He was Chief Coordinator of 2022 Matsu Biennial, one of the authors of The Power of Design, and the recipient of 2020 Good Design Award Best 100 and 2019 Design for Asia Awards (DFA).

Key Vision Concept

Kaohsiung, a city once supported Taiwan's industrial economy, but now exports Taiwan's creative designs; she is a marine capital in the appearance of a world's large port city, and a design island stunning on the global stage; and she inhales and exhales the wave of communication with the world, leading the way to the dream of designing Taiwan.

The main visual design utilizes the vast blue ocean to illustrates Kaohsiung's pattern, vision, and her passionate and great-hearted city character; the interlaced graduation of blue-green squares on the sea presents the architecture of the Kaohsiung harbor area and the image of the mountains and the sea, where design forces from all over the world meet and grow.

The waves blooming on the sea symbolize vessels driven by Taiwan's design power, fully loaded with creativity and ready to export Taiwan's design energy.

Where the blue color reflects the city character of a marine capital, the yellow color echoes the brave and progressive design power of Taiwan.The wave patterns spreading layer upon layer responding to the theme of this year's design exhibition, ""twdesign.tw"", symbolizes the exchange and collision between Taiwan and the world in design, making Taiwan shine on the waterway of the world.

Local Remote

Created in Taipei in 2020, Local Remote skillfully incorporates experimental creations, strategic concepts, with an open-ended design logic, and has created an innovative and contemporary experience that links virtual space with reality. Design is real, and it is free. We believe that design is a cultural practice that links the current times with a sensory exploration.

Key Vision Concept Video

27design

The studio has been deeply engaged in motion design for many years. It is known for its high level of cross-disciplinary integration. It has created animations and visuals for over 100 international brands, including Disney, IKEA, Gogoro, Pinkoi, McDonald's, and Subway. It even has coordinated the 31st Golden Melody Awards ceremony visuals. It has been responsible for many national-level projects, such as the 2017-2021 National Days, World Flora Exposition, Universiade, Taiwan Lantern Festival, Taiwan Design Festival, Creative Expo Taiwan, and Citizens Sports Games. Its works are full of diversity and comprehensive styles and have been often recognized by international design awards, such as Red Dot, Golden Pint, MUSE, and IDF.

Cheng-Hsuan Lin

As the director and founder of the 27Design Studio and the co-founder of Motioner, he has been deeply engaged in motion design for many years. He has created animations and visuals for over 100 internationally renowned brands, including Disney, IKEA, Gogoro, Pinkoi, McDonald's, and Subway. He also served as the visual coordinator of the 31st Golden Melody Award Ceremony and the directors of many large-scale projects, such as the 2017-2021 National Days, World Flora Exposition, Universiade, Taiwan Lantern Festival, Taiwan Design Festival, Creative Expo Taiwan, Citizens Sports Games, and the 30th, 29th, and 25th Golden Melody Awards.

Design Zone Map

Design Island is the main stage of the 2022 Taiwan Design Expo. In the past, the Penglai Business Port was a “pillar for economy” for the Port of Kaohsiung, and helped Kaohsiung to embrace the world through shipping and trade. Now, this pillar of economy is completely transformed into Design Island which allows torrents of design works to be showcased ashore. Ten design exhibitions are displayed at the vast exhibition area of more than 10,000 pings - the largest in the history of Taiwan Design Expo. This miraculous place, which once witnessed Kaohsiung’s export-driven economy, undergoes another metamorphosis and displays Taiwan’s wonders in design.

Beanincave

Based in Kaohsiung for many years and dedicated to creating unique visual effects for every project, this visual team is skilled in integrating different design areas and blending graphics, motion, arts, and technologies with one another.