“As a designer you gotta push yourself to be better than you were from the last design. You gotta love what you do. Some things can be taught, but you can’t teach good taste. Some things, like creativity, just come natural. You can’t teach it,†says another designing woman, Chelsia Lau, chief designer, strategic concepts group at Ford Motor Company. Lau notes her passion for design, along with an incredible team of dedicated designers, as what contributes to Ford Motor Company’s continuous advancement and ingenuity for their cars. More importantly, Lau attributes femininity to the company’s progressive design elements. “No one knows better the needs of a vehicle than a female. We are more sensitive to the style…how it feels. Being a female doesn’t equate to designing or having a pink car.â€
BODW has grown from 2,195 attendees to over 120,000 attendees over the course of thirteen years. This statistic shows that the symposium is not only very influential, but that design is a significant factor in various global economies. It also shows that design is not a trend; it’s a very serious industry and concept that molds businesses into brands and builds longevity for those brands.
In addition to the week-long panels and events, the DFA (Design for Asia) Awards, held as a gala during BODW, highlighted five global design categories: the DFA Lifetime Achievement Award, the DFA Design Leadership Award, the DFA World’s Outstanding Chinese Designer, the DFA Design for Asia Awards, and the DFA Hong Kong Young Design Talent Award. The awards celebrated companies or individuals who have used design to transcend cultures and restrictions with creativity, functionality, and advanced design knowledge. “The DFA Awards is not just an annual design event for Asia — it has evolved into an influential discussion platform for Asia and international designers alike. Together, we can create world-changing design in Asia and for Asia, yet also for all,†said Freeman Lau, vice chairman of HKDC’s board of directors.
In a very fast-paced world, where our thoughts swiftly change and people become interested in things, first by its aesthetic appeal, design is critical in keeping consumers engaged with products–from houses to cars and household goods to fashion. BODW is keeping up with the conversation and the direction that design is headed. It will be very interesting to see what concepts and design schemes come about from this year’s BODW attendees and how the world will react to them. To learn more about BODW, visit www.BODW.com.
(Continued on next page)