▲ 2024 YODEX Key Visual Design
The world’s largest graduation exhibition for design students, the “Young Designers’ Exhibition (YODEX),” celebrated its 43rd edition from May 24 to 27 at the Nangang Exhibition Center! Organized by the Industrial Development Administration of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and executed by the Taiwan Design Research Institute, this year’s theme, “Beyond Sustainability,” responds to the global trend of sustainability. It not only focuses on environmental and material sustainability but also emphasizes socially conscious solutions. The event featured approximately 3,500 works from 10,000 design students across 116 departments from 55 Taiwanese schools. Additionally, 12 top international design schools took part, including Harvard University, Chiba University, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Chulalongkorn University, and Aalto University. YODEX showcases the talent of young Taiwanese designers and the diverse values brought by design.
The exhibition’s curators, emerging architects Yashin Tzeng and Zoyi Lin, interpret the “Beyond Sustainability” theme with the “Borrowed Objects Project.” They use raw materials such as wood, bricks, and metal pipes as display structures, panels, and furniture without additional processing. After the exhibition, the materials will return to the recycling process, reflecting the innovative policy of net-zero sustainability and circular economy, creating a resilient and sustainable Taiwan. The main visual design is led by Peter Chang, art director of the design studio ddd.pizza, featuring the YODEX brand identity with simple layouts and element arrangements to create diverse variations, giving the exhibition a fresh look.
▲ The themed area uses raw wood materials, which will be processed for other uses after the exhibition, creating secondary value and reflecting YODEX’s commitment to sustainability.
This year’s “YODEX Industry-Academia Cooperation” breaks away from the traditional single-company topic model, emphasizing “joint topics and innovation-driven” collaboration to respond to young students’ creative expressions. Ten well-known local enterprises and organizations, including SYM, NOVA Design, Keisei Pharmacy and so, have participated in cross-disciplinary collaborations under four future living scenarios: “Learning Life,” “Healthy Life,” “Mobile Life,” and “Experiential Life,” attracting nearly 700 submissions from universities across the country.
▲ The event area uses building materials like bricks and metal pipes, cleverly transforming them into seating for the exhibition before they are used in future construction.
Building on a decade of industry-academia collaboration, this year expands to “Innovative Industry-Academia-Research Cooperation.” Hengstyle collaborates with National Taiwan Normal University, National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, and National Yunlin University of Science and Technology to refine home appliance recycling processes and redesign products, establishing a waste material recycling ecosystem. Additionally, the “Taiwan-Japan International Industry-Academia Collaboration” connects enterprises and schools across borders to address sustainable development issues and propose solutions.
▲ The “Take a Look” section displays works from international schools, showcasing the creativity of students from the US, Thailand, Malaysia, Finland, Japan, Mexico, and Hong Kong.
Looking ahead, YODEX believes that the new generation of design will not only express aesthetics but also become a crucial tool for solving global problems. Through continuous promotion of cross-domain cooperation and innovative research and development, future design will lead industry development in environmental protection, technology, intelligence, and humanities, becoming the core driving force for industrial transformation and creating an unprecedented future. YODEX is an annual event to witness how Taiwan’s young generation uses design to respond to current and future issues. We welcome everyone to join us in witnessing this design revolution and look forward to the limitless possibilities of the future.