Taiwan’s international Golden Pin Concept Design Award wrapped up its call for entries for 2016 on 15 June, and the award has once again broken the record for the number of entries received.
Of the 3,380 entries received from 11 countries in 2016, design concepts from China and Taiwan make up the bulk of the participation figures. New countries spotted on the entry list in 2016 include Australia, Israel, and Thailand. Malaysia and South Korea, countries with marginal representation in 2015, saw a significant jump in their entry numbers in 2016, an indication of the award’s growing reputation.
The Golden Pin Concept Design Award, launched in 2015, is an annual award that offers a total of NT$900,000 (more than US$27,000) in cash prizes. Entrants are encouraged to consider philosophies, ideologies, principles, or areas of thought attributable to huaren culture or lifestyles in their submitted concepts, as well as the Chinese concept of zhongguan (中觀). While separately the words mean ‘center’ or ‘middle’ (zhong 中) and ‘to observe’ or ‘to watch’ (guan 觀), the meaning of the combined phrase is much deeper–something akin to ‘mastery gained from the perspective afforded those at the center of things.’
While philosophical Chinese concept of zhongguan may seem difficult for someone unfamiliar with Chinese language to understand, this year, entries from international participants revealed some surprising and perceptive interpretations.
- Designer Noa Razer from Israel entered a series of ceramic Chinese stools adorned with decorative motifs from cultures around the world. Named “Stoolim,” the series explores integration, influence, and synthesis between cultures.
As with last year, designers from countries and areas outside of Taiwan with large huaren (Chinese-speaking) populations were once again keen participants in the award.
- Guan-Yu Chan from Malaysia took the woven dish covers commonly used by Chinese families living in the southern parts of the Greater China region and adapted them into a modern pendant light-dish cover combo. The resulting work, called “CAGE–Dish Cover Design” by the creator, adds a touch of contemporary luxury to a once utilitarian object and ensures it is no longer relegated to the kitchen cupboard or market stall table.
- Jiahui Tan of Fable, a boutique design agency in Singapore, entered “PLAY,” a cultural book commissioned by the National Heritage Board (NHB) for a community exhibition. The work, which takes the structure of DNA for its visual language, plays on the meanings and structures of the English letter ‘Y’ and the Chinese character ren (人), which means ‘man’ or ‘person’ in English, as well as a famous Chinese idiom (前人种树, 后人乘凉) that encourages people to appreciate the efforts of their predecessors in providing the comforts people enjoy today.
- From Hong Kong, Yiu Hoi Lun’s poster “Migrant Worker” attempts to highlight the suffering many migrant workers in China face during the Chinese New Year holiday when they attempt to leave the cities and return to their family homes in the countryside. The designer was inspired by images she saw on TV and the internet of people breaking down in tears as they waited in endlessly long lines in the rain, snow, freezing temperatures just to buy their train tickets.
- Calvin Sio of Hylé Design Macau entered “Fond of Shar[ing]–Food Serving Board” into this year’s award. The platter is inspired by the Chinese dining custom of sharing food from multiple dishes placed in the center of a table. The platter also comes with a set of interchangeable handles. Inspired by the shape of the armrests and backs of Ming Dynasty chairs, the handles allow for easy gripping of the platter from multiple angles around a table.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, entries from Taiwan and China offered some of the most complex and deeply considered fusions of contemporary design and zhongguan.
- Through the tableware series, “Home Craft,” Taiwanese designer Yu-Rui Liang attempts to create a contemporary use for the traditional craft of Chinese joss paper, also known as ghost or spirit money. The forms of the cups, plates, candle holders, and other utensils in the series are also inspired by objects found in religious shrines and temples in Taiwan.
- “Roaming Through [the] Garden,” a typography system created by Chinese designer John Yan, incorporates architectural elements of the Classical Gardens of Suzhou–a UNESCO World Heritage Listed historical site–into the character design. He hopes that as readers take in the font, they will feel as though they are walking in a classical Chinese garden.
While most entries were received in the Product Design category, as was the case in 2015, the number of entries submitted into the Spatial Design and Packaging Design categories rose by over 50%. Entries into the Visual Communications category remained more-or-less stable.
Running since 2015, the Golden Pin Concept Design Award is one among three awards in the Golden Pin design award group. The annual competition is open to submissions from students, professionals, and corporations from around the world, and accepts product and project design concepts in four design disciplines: Product Design, Visual Communication Design, Packaging Design, and Spatial Design. Concept designs must not be available in the market, nor may they be produced within the year of the award.
In 2016, entries will be assessed in three stages by a carefully selected international jury. All entrants that pass the second round of selections will be awarded a Golden Pin Concept Design Award Design Mark and a certificate. Best Design of the Year winners will receive one of three cash prizes awarded at a grand ceremony in Taipei, Taiwan in early December, each worth NT$300,000 (approx. US$9,800).
The Golden Pin Concept Design Award is executed by the Taiwan Design Center and organized by the Industrial Development Bureau, Ministry of Economic Affairs. The Ministry of Economic Affairs acts in an advisory capacity.