The Herald Design Market, a sideline event of the Herald Design Forum 2014, was a rare occasion for visitors to experience how design enriches our daily lives.

During the five-day event that ended Sunday, nearly 6,000 people visited the venue at the Dongdaemun Design Plaza in central Seoul.

Under the theme “Design Your Life NOW,” the annual design market featured some 60 up-and-coming design and food companies this year. They also put their works and products on sale after a through screening by Herald Corp., the organizer.

NOW is an acronym for “natural, organic and well-being” ― the key ingredients for a healthy yet fun life, officials said.

Products ranging from organic food to handmade stationery items and clothes by young designers were displayed during the event. 

Some popular booths included those of the premium organic whole food company Organica, coffee roaster Anthracite, natural honey-maker Urban Bees and jam manufacturer Kaya Korea.

Organica, an affiliate of Herald Corp., produces Just Juice all-fruit-and-vegetable juices and organic grain products.

Another popular booth was that of Herald Fashion, a brand of clothing designed by students of Herald Donga Institute of Art and Fashion.

“As many young designers have participated in the brand, we offer more unique and diverse styles but at affordable prices,” said a Herald Fashion manager.

Some high-profile food and lifestyle experts also visited the design market to share their knowledge about the latest global design trends across industries.

Peter Callahan, a renowned caterer and food stylist, introduced his genre of food that brought about a whole miniature food boom in the U.S., during a “Food Talk” session on Thursday.

“We try to make every ingredient a decoration. It’s all about the details that make the difference,” he said.

“Just have fun with cooking, that’s the easy shortcut to make food more beautiful and taste as good as it looks.”

Other lecturers included Park Jin, CEO of beekeeping company Urban Bees; Kim Geun-woo, director of Urban and Rural Lab; and Ewha Womans University professor Lee So-hyun, who talked about sharing lifestyles.

On Sunday, the professional calligraphy project team 40000 entertained visitors with a demonstration of its work.

The Herald Design Forum and Herald Design Market are among the biggest design-related events in Korea, inviting some of the most respected names in the field of design every year.

This year’s speakers included architecture guru Rem Koolhass, fashion designer Oliver Theyskens and art toy artist Chris Riggs.

By Lee Ji-yoon (jylee@heraldcorp.com)