Herald Design Forum has established itself as one of Korea’s leading platforms to discuss design.

The forum has shed light on the growing role of design in contemporary life since it was first held in 2011. The significance of design has been stressed by a number of key figures in design from around the world. 




It is the speaker lineups of world-leading designers that put the forum on the map.

In 2012, the forum brought together two famous automobile designers, Chris Bangle and Peter Schreyer, who talked about recent design trends, innovations and future trends in car design.

The forum was in the limelight for inviting design moguls such as Karim Rashid in 2011, British industrial designer Bill Moggridge in 2012, and Italian product designer Stefano Giovannoni and American designer Maggie Macnab in 2013. Each of them gave insightful lectures and discussions on their design innovations that reshaped the lives of product users.

Two prominent Japanese architects, Tadao Ando and Toyo Ito, spoke with Korean audiences about their inspiration from nature and key architecture projects around the world.

Toyo’s visit coincided with his winning the 2013 Pritzker Prize. His works were noted for reflecting the idea of social responsibility in design, as seen in the communal project “Home-for-All” for those who lost their homes in the earthquake and tsunami in Japan in 2011.

Top Korean designers in the international design community were also invited to discuss the future of design in Korea. Last year, Don Tae Lee, co-CEO of London-based design agency Tangerine, and Joon Oh!, creative director of AmorePacific, shared their past innovative projects with global companies and put forward a future direction for Korea to be a design powerhouse.

The forum also dealt with entrepreneurship and design-led innovations in other fields. It invited young CEO Fraser Doherty of SuperJam and the Kumaran brothers, the youngest mobile application programmers and entrepreneurs in India. They gave brief speeches during the 2013 forum.

The forum also held a market featuring products designed by young designers in parallel with lectures and discussions. The event, held in partnership with the Seoul Design Foundation since 2013, offered a valuable opportunity for young designers to promote their works and build networks with other designers and customers.

By Lee Woo-young (wylee@heraldcorp.com)