▲ Chi-Yi Chang, President of TDRI (second from right), and Reni Yanita, Director General of IKMA of the Indonesian Ministry of Industry (second from left), jointly signed the design cooperation agreement, witnessed by Frank Lu, Director of the Economic Division of the Taipei Economic and Trade Office in Indonesia (first from right), and Rifqi Ansari, Director of the Industrial Division of the Indonesian Economic and Trade Office to Taipei (first from left).
For the first time, the Taiwan Design Research Institute (TDRI) led a delegation to Indonesia for design exchange. In the morning of September 5, TDRI renewed its design cooperation agreement with the Directorate General of Small, Medium and Multifarious Industries of the Indonesian Ministry of Industry(IKMA). Additionally, TDRI held the first-ever Taiwan Design Talk and Business Matching event in Jakarta, which received an enthusiastic response from local businesses! TDRI President, Chi-Yi Chang, and Director General of IKMA, Reni Yanita, jointly signed the cooperation agreement. This agreement will see award-winning IGDS/IFCA designers from Indonesia come to Taiwan for a design workshop in October, with further collaboration in awards and jury duties with the Golden Pin Design Award.
▲ The first Taiwan Design Talk in Jakarta was met with great enthusiasm from local businesses, and officials from Indonesia’s Ministry of Industry also attended the event!
In response to the strong demand from local businesses for furniture and packaging design, as expressed by IKMA, TDRI invited Ryan Meng and Jasmine Wu, co-founders of STIMLIG, a Taiwanese original furniture brand with international collaboration experience. They were joined by Vice Chairman Sosi Fu of the Taiwan Graphic Design Association and designer Yuna Wang of POSINEGA, who shared Taiwanese experiences and insights on international market trends. The talk was packed, and the exchange was lively.
▲ The Taiwan Design Talk shared insights on Taiwan’s design industry and international market trends, with simultaneous Indonesian translation to ensure local participants fully understood the content.
The furniture-themed business matching saw a wide range of participants, from Indonesian wood and rattan furniture OEMs to public space furniture brands. With the decline of overseas markets in recent years, Indonesian furniture manufacturers are exploring opportunities to create their own brands and seek collaboration with Taiwanese furniture designers. Challenges in the Indonesian domestic market include a significant income gap, leading to polarized consumption. Mid-range local brands face difficulties in gaining traction, and in international markets, these companies struggle with positioning their products. In the future, STIMLIG will offer consultation services on brand development under a “market-driven design” business model, helping OEM manufacturers transition to creating their own furniture brands, while also providing product design services.
▲ After the talk, the business matching session, divided into furniture and packaging design groups, facilitated heated discussions.
The packaging-themed matching session was led by the creative design team of POSINEGA, engaging in discussions with several local Indonesian businesses. The session provided firsthand insights into the current branding and packaging challenges, covering industries such as furniture manufacturing, frozen food, and luggage. Many business representatives were deeply impressed by the packaging design cases presented during the lecture and were amazed by Taiwan’s soft power in design, recognizing significant opportunities for collaboration between Taiwanese and Indonesian design sectors.
▲ At the business matching session, Taiwanese design teams engaged in enthusiastic exchanges with Indonesian businesses, paving the way for future collaborations.
▲ The Taiwan Designers’ Talk (Design Dialogue) held at the Bandung Institute of Technology’s Design Center, with the theme ‘Crafting Asia’s Design Future,’ attracted over 70 participants, including faculty, students, and industry professionals.
The design exchange itinerary also included visits to relevant design-related industry, government, and academic organizations in Indonesia, such as the Ministry of Trade, the Indonesia Design Development Center, the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy, the Indonesia Design District, and Bandung, Indonesia’s Design Capital. The delegation also met with the Bandung Creative City Forum and visited Bandung Institute of Technology, Indonesia’s top design school. Through this in-person exchange, TDRI successfully established friendly relations with Indonesia’s design and industrial sectors, creating favorable conditions and opportunities for further bilateral design cooperation between Taiwan and Indonesia.
