Thursday, November 5, 2009

"Designomics" Strategy for Seoul and South Korea


For those of us who sat in on the Rotman / Designworks information session yesterday afternoon, you might recall Dave talking about some work in South Korea based on how the government views design. I find it interesting how an entire city has viewed design as a critical building block for the future.

I'm not aware of any other major city that has come out publicly and stated the importance of design. And then actually did something about it. Samsung's product lines were revamped in the last 10 years with the assistance of IDEO. Other major companies in South Korea are now clamoring to get onboard as they realize it's critical to their survival in a global marketplace.

Here's an excerpt (full link below):

"As global educators attempt to define the best way to teach the world's future executives, designers, and innovators, the mayor of Seoul has sponsored an ambitious project to strengthen South Korea's national design industry.

Design Seoul Headquarters (DSH) was launched in 2007 to make design a central part of future businesses. The 100-person organization is overseen by Kyung-won Chung, the city's deputy Mayor and Chief Design Officer, who is also a professor in the industrial design department at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology. He says the
improvement of design education is critical to his mission, as new graduates provide the foundation on which the city's future prosperity can be built."


Full article here


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