A Look into 2018 Taiwan International Student Design Competition’s Promotional Campaign-The New Asia Design Workshop, May 19 and 20

Creative and design powers are emerging in Southeast Asia, the Taiwanese government launched the New Southbound Policy in recent years to strengthen ties with Southeast Asian countries. And the 2018 Taiwan International Student Design Competition (TISDC) held the second New Asia Design Workshop on May 19 and 20 at Asia University in Taichung to encourage design students in Taiwan to have more international exchanges. TISDC is organized by the Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Education, executed by the Department of Visual Communication, Asia University and sponsored by iSee Taiwan Foundation and Sayling Wen Cultural and Educational Foundation. This time, three leading designers based in the countries included in the New Southbound Policy were invited as the lecturers of the workshop: Tri Anugrah from Indonesia, Ashish Deshpande from India and the Singapore based English designer Federico Fiore.  During the two-day workshop, three lecturers enlightened the students with their abundant experiences and innovative concepts in design. The three lecturers helped students strengthen their abilities in collecting ideas from local culture in Taiwan as well as expand international perspectives so that their design could be more dynamic. 

The purpose of the workshop is not only to foster international exchange, but also to create a great opportunity for design enthusiastic students to learn from the international designers in person.  The workshop attracted 85 students from 14 different high schools, colleges and universities around Taiwan to participate.  Director of the Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Education, Ms. Yen-Yi Lee was also invited to join the event.  The New Asia Design Workshop adopted the theme of the competition this year, “Breakthrough & Innovation”, and the international lecturers guided students to brainstorm and realize their ideas. Lecturers provides the students with perspectives and thinking from different disciplines, and helped students to apply them into their design. 

To bridge the communication gap, interpreters were assigned to help students as they interact with the foreign lecturers. Without the language barriers, students were able to understand and have in-depth discussion with the lecturers. 

We received many positive feedbacks from the participants of the workshop. Many expressed that they were delighted to spend their weekend learning in the workshop, and even though the duration of the workshop was only two days, both the lecturers and the students devoted themselves fully into the event and the result was fruitful and inspiring.  The two-day workshop allowed students to get a hang of the detailed process of design thinking, acquaint with friends from different design discipline, and experience intense teamwork within two days. Participants expressed their gratitude for the Taiwan International Student Design Competition for granting them the opportunity and that wish to participate similar events in the following year. 

A special thank goes to Director Tian Jie Zhang of the Department of Visual Communication for the opening remarks and the encouragement for the workshop attendants

Students listening attentively to the introduction of the workshop in the opening ceremony

Students and the lecturer at the opening ceremony of the New Asia Design Workshop

Indonesian designer Tri Anugrah lecturing at the workshop for the Visual Communication group

Indonesian designer Tri Anugrah discussing with the students of Visual Design group during the workshop

Indian designer Ashish Deshpande lecturing at the workshop for the Product Design group

Indian designer Ashish Deshpande discussing with the students of Product Design group during the workshop

Singapore based British designer Federico Fiore lecturing at the workshop for the Digital Animation group

Singapore based British designer Federico Fiore discussing with the students of the Digital Animation group

Tri Anugrah with the students of the Visual Communication group

Ashish Deshpande with the students of the Product Design group

Federico Fiore with the students and TISDC Executive Team

Students presenting their works at the end of the workshop at the Ando Hall of Asia University Museum of Modern Art

The New Asia Design Workshop had a successful close