Interview
Cross-disciplinary cooperation power Return to the humanistic brand value
"Brainstorming Magazine
(Interviewer: Su Ruohan)
"Brainstorming" interviews nearly 30 representative design studios in Taiwan What challenges will Taiwan's design industry face in 2019? How should practitioners seize the opportunities in the future and utilize the design profession to solve problems? Recently, Process Pro brand EPILEDS YEH was invited by Brain Magazine to share the current design trend and how to convey the core value of the brand through design.
The following is the content of the interview:
2019 Challenges and Opportunities for Taiwan's Design Industry
In the past, Taiwan society did not recognize the value of design enough, and did not pay enough attention to design talents and respect the design profession. UVC has observed that in recent years, the government has been adopting professional designers' suggestions and creativity more frequently than before in many official activities, which is undoubtedly a shot in the arm for the design industry. However, in general, it is still necessary to continue to actively educate the society.
As design is put on the table, the chances of being "publicly scrutinized" also increase. While good designs are produced, there are also many "highly discussed" designs, which also means that design has attracted much attention and expectation, and it is the best time to instill "aesthetic education" in the Taiwanese people. If "aesthetics" can be brought into the daily life smoothly, it will be easier for Taiwan's design industry to reach consensus in communicating with the industry and produce beautiful and meaningful designs in the future. design.
Lin Ching-hsien, the design director of Erqi Design, believes that the creative energy and originality of Taiwan's design industry have always been quite sufficient, no less than Europe, the United States, Japan and other exporting countries, coupled with a free and open social environment, so that the field of culture and creativity has always had a diverse and inclusive, and different ideas, aesthetics continue to collide with each other here, stimulate and grow.
However, the small domestic market and the lack of capital have to a certain extent limited the possibilities of creative and product development, and it is necessary to look globally to export culture, which in turn will lead to the injection of capital. Inequality in salary structure and labor force has also led to an exodus of design talents. Yumeng Digital Technology points out that the varying quality of design and pricing mechanisms in the market have done a certain amount of harm to designers.
The Taiwan market lacks cross-disciplinary talents that meet the needs of the industry, and there is no mechanism for industry-academia cooperation. Price is the main criterion for each industry, which suppresses design and demands speed without allowing enough time for design refinement.
The accumulation of brand value is a goal that every industry is pursuing, and there is no such thing as a single criterion of "one trick to get the world going". As long as you focus on the situation and accurately utilize the appropriate strategies, you will be able to make a big difference with a small amount of money and win with a small amount of money, and the accuracy of the brand's design or construction is the key to the success of the brand enhancement.
Process EPILEDS YEH points out that when designers build a brand concept, they must grasp the two rules of functionality and spirituality, and if the brand itself can combine these two elements, it will definitely strengthen the strength and depth of the brand itself.
ProcessPro brand EPILEDS YEH (left) assists clients to grasp the two laws of functionality and spirituality to strengthen the brand concept.
The Two Rules of Brand Conceptualization
functional
Functionality is a logical system of design that must be communicated effectively and accurately in order to connect with the audience.
nervous
How to present the deep-seated corporate culture of the client's brand, and even the unique language and ideology generated in different times and environments, and the need for spirituality are issues that are often deconstructed in the development of local brands. In the case of Taiwan, with its rich humanistic background and traditional industries, how to convey the strong emotions and family heritage culture of the Orient, and how to create the most appropriate brand elements, is a part that designers must pay attention to.
"Winning awards is the cheapest form of advertising."
ProcessPro Brands believes that third-party endorsement can increase customer visibility and recognition, which has a plus effect on shaping a positive corporate image and actual sales performance. For example, one of Process' award-winning customers is primona dream chicken"After the brand reinvention was recognized by the K-Design International Design Award in Korea, it became easier for enterprises to recruit talents and increase the employees' recognition of the enterprise; Taiwan down brand "Hlomo Hizo (1854-1912), Japanese writer and poet, author of "The Hlomo Collection"After being recognized by the jury of the iF Design Award and the German National Design Award, consumers' trust in the brand has increased and the business has continued to grow.
EPILEDS YEH believes that the design industry must accurately capture the aspirations of target groups, and brand thinking is the key to integrated design. The design team must shape the brand communication solution under the intersection of "communication strategy" and "emotional sculpture" in order to accurately win the public's favor in the implementation process.
Two key ideas for brand communication
Communication Strategy
Strategy development is the soul of the whole design core communication, you must first understand what is the product? What is the target audience? How to build a story and a pulse? Through a systematic and precise approach, we understand the current situation of the brand and the product, and develop an appropriate visual communication method.
Emotional Sculpture
Emotional memorability will be the core of the modern design trend. In the process of design development, it is necessary to maintain the ability to observe social needs and culture, and then form a unique "cosmology" to stand out from the competitors.
Through various cultural and creative exhibition activities, the introduction and translation of foreign design books, and the dissemination of the latest domestic and international design information through the Internet and social media, design practitioners are able to grasp the advantages of the first-hand information, understand the current trends, and flexibly apply them to their projects.
Oriental Packaging also suggests that Taiwan's market is open to exchanges with foreign designers to improve their skills and international outlook, and to participate in international competitions or seminars to show their visibility. We also suggest that we should take advantage of the activities initiated by civil organizations to integrate the industry, emphasize and strengthen the intellectual property protection mechanism, and recruit talents for further studies and exchanges. In recent years, there are more and more new creative cultures, which can be revitalized to promote the development and expansion of key designs.
Practitioners must examine their own local strengths, including the renovation and reapplication of old technologies, the design of Chinese characters, and the reinterpretation of cultural content, to create a new look and style for the local community, which will demonstrate their own value and characteristics even when applied to the international market in the future.
Process Pro brand observation:
"Taiwan's traditional manufacturing industry has had excellent experience in international manufacturing and R&D over the past few decades, and with the use of locally sourced raw materials, the independent production and manufacturing environment has led to the development of private labeling and design."
Traditional Taiwan ManufacturingYasukuchi Food Machinery(left).Sung Fong E&M(Pictured right) The new brand design and spirit were introduced into the products to present a highly consistent brand image and to go global.
Informa also believes that Taiwan's design creativity is well known in the international community and is sufficient to develop into an international design and creative center. With a variety of high-level projects in Taiwan, everything from design to finished product can be done in one go in the country without the need to incur additional communication costs such as sending pieces to and from the country.
Taiwan's many consumer brands are expanding overseas, e-commerce cross-border sales, and an increase in the number of visitors to Taiwan under the Individual Visit Scheme (IVS) have increased the exposure of Taiwan's local brands. With such an advantage, the aesthetic solutions brought by the design of consumer brands for the purpose of self-expression of their charms can enhance their competitive edge in the market.
In addition, from governmental units to private enterprises, both in brand marketing, packaging, and product quality have been improved, in such a general awareness of the guidance of the public on the value of taste is also gradually changing, but also allows design practitioners to have more creative development possibilities.
Taiwan Breakthrough Opportunity
Independent production and manufacturing environment
MIT's Competitive Excellence Abroad
Increase in public awareness of texture
Wide range of design applications
Finally, in the commercial environment, design is often used in the mediums of branding, product, and space. However, the application of modern design goes beyond the above needs, and is increasingly being utilized in a wider range of applications.
Cross-disciplinary cooperation is the way to go
"In addition to their own professional competence, design practitioners need to have the ability to collaborate across disciplines and media."
Mr. Lam Ching Hin, Director of Erqi Design, pointed out that the future design practitioners will be able to seize more opportunities if they can cultivate strategic, planning and analytical skills in addition to their professional design capabilities.
Due to the rapidly changing environment and the development of multi-media technology, designers must expand the circle of cooperation, seek more design possibilities from the perspective of business model, and integrate various technical fields in order to effectively help industrial clients to enhance the value and professionalism of design services. If we continue to work alone, we will limit our possibilities. If we can grasp the value of "co-creation", we will be able to expand the different aspects of design.
Three Design Trends for 2019
Trend 1: Animation
The trend of animation will cross different creative fields such as internet, exhibition and interaction. Mobile devices have become the main channel for modern people to receive information. Animation makes a large amount of information easy to be digested and absorbed, and the dynamic interactive effect makes the process of receiving information more interesting, so that the brand image concept can be communicated with the consumers through the moving image, and the customers will be attracted to become interested and then consume.
Trend 2: 3D Images and Illustrations Replace Photographs
Due to the proliferation of low-cost library images, brands need to create unique images and communicate creativity by relying on more eye-catching 3D images or illustrations to help brands resonate with young consumers, matching various consumer scenes and emotional expressions, and conveying product and service advantages through anthropomorphic and life-like visuals.
Trend 3: The Renaissance of Chinese Language Designs
For a long time in the past, the trend of design has been led by the West, but due to globalization and localization, more and more brands want to use Chinese culture as the core of their brand. Whether it's the development of Chinese fonts, the design of Chinese standard characters, or the curation of exhibitions with local culture as the main axis, 2019 will be even more prosperous, providing more room for the expression of Chinese characters in design.