Asia’s creative heart is beating in Taiwan

In the past ten years, Taiwan’s economic landscape has been subject to serious changes.  Formerly, Taiwan was known for cheap mass production; but recently domestic companies have been focusing more and more on quality and design thus becoming a rival to Japan and South Korea as design nations. This is because Taiwan has developed from a mere production site to a knowledge-based society. It is, for example, reflected in the continuous development of high-tech industry. Thanks to well directed public promotion and private commitment Taiwan’s creative industries can report their greatest success - an annual growth rate of 7.5 %. Accordingly, the production value of 10.6 billion Euro generated by the creative industry in 2003 has risen to more than 12 billion Euro in 2005.

The creative industry doesn’t need to fear worldwide comparison with others. Results achieved in international design competitions by Taiwanese companies such as BenQ, Asus, Qisda, Tatung and design studios such as Duck Image and Nova Design account for this fact. In this year’s red dot award: product design, 45 products from Taiwan alone have been awarded, another twelve got an honourable mention. For being a crucial factor in their respective category five products have been actually awarded the highest distinction, the red dot: best of the best. This is an outstanding success in the light of altogether only 50 “red dot: best of the best” awards.

The international umbrella organisations Icsid (International Council of Societies of Industrial Design), Icograda (International Council of Graphic Design Associations) and IFI (International Federation of Interior Architects/Designers) have discovered the potential Taiwan is holding for the future of design. They will hold their first common congress as International Design Alliance (IDA) in Taiwan in 2011 which more than 2,000 designers from all over the world are expected to attend.

More information: www.tdc.org.tw