Global forum will be held Oct. 5-6 with participating global companies, designers and students


With less than a month to go, organizers have begun preparing in earnest for the iDEA Herald Design Forum to ensure the successful hosting of the first forum of its kind in Korea to open in Seoul on Oct. 5.

The forum organized by Herald Media will last two days at the Shilla Hotel, central Seoul, with the attendance of global industry designers and scholars as well as prominent Korean figures.

The organizer of the international gathering recently inaugurated the secretariat that will exclusively deal with the forum.

The forum is drawing much attention from domestic companies, the design industry and schools as it is being held at a time when the importance of design in industry is increasing.

The two-day forum will bring together leading designers and futurists from across the world to hold discussions under the theme of “design changes the world.”

Leading the roster of experts attending the event are brand futurist Martin Lindstrom, former BMW chief of design Chris Bangle, industrial designer Karim Rashid, and Simon Anholt, a pioneer in the field of nation branding.

Leaders from Korea’s design industry including Innodesign chief executive Kim Young-se and creator of the hit animation “Pororo the Little Penguin” Choi Sang-hyun will also participate in the upcoming event.

The event will kick off with an opening address by Lindstrom, who will focus on the importance of creative forces in the marketing world, followed by three main sessions; “National and City Design,” “Industrial and Corporate Design” and “Culture and Design.”

The first session will be led by Anholt, who has advised more than 26 governments as an external consultant. Anholt coined the term “nation branding” in 1998 and has been encouraging governments to coordinate their macro- and microeconomic policies to build strong brand identities.

Environmental activist Danny Seo and urban design planning expert Richard Register will join the discussion about ecological city planning.

The sessions on industrial design and incorporating cultural elements into branding will be joined by local experts, including Lee Bae-yong, chair of the Presidential Council on National Branding.

In the run up to the forum, The Korea Herald will also hold a design presentation competition for university students. Applications to enter the competition are open until Sept. 19.

A total of 10 teams will be selected to compete for the finals on Oct. 5, the opening day of the two-day forum.

The winners will be given a plaque and prize money along with the opportunity to present their design at an exclusive, VIP roundtable session in which only the speakers and opinion leaders of the forum will participate.

The students will have to submit ideas based on the main theme of the forum, which is that design can change the world.

The presentation must be conducted in English, but judging will be mostly on the idea and content of the entries, and not on language aptitude.

The finalists will be announced on Sept. 26 at www.herald-forum.com, where details of the contest are available.

By Choi He-suk  (cheesuk@heraldcorp.com)