The 2016 World Design Capital bidding campaign is now in full swing, and Taipei city's much anticipated official bid book and bid video have recently been unveiled to much fanfare. The 5-volume book, which dynamically presents the “design” thinking that has brought such dazzling accomplishments in municipal building initiatives, features unique “dragon-scale binding (龙鳞装).” The 7-minute video features 11 internationally renowned design talents, and showcases more than 20 iconic Taipei landscapes. The depth and breadth of Taipei design development are on glorious display.
City Design and Transformation Campaign
At the formal unveiling, Taipei City Mayor Hau Lungbin said the bid book and video give a comprehensive overview of the city, as well as of the dynamic design energy of Taiwan in general. Overall coordination for the book and video was the responsibility of the Taipei city government's Department of Cultural Affairs. The bid book was written by the Taiwan Design Center (台湾创意设计中心), which handled the 2011 IDA Congress in Taipei, and designed by Chen Junliang (陈俊良), two-time winner of a Design for Asia Award (亚洲最具影响力设计大奖). The bid video is the work of the music video production studio Grass Jelly (仙草影像), winner of the 2013 iF Communication Design Award.
Mayor Hau stated that the city's World Design Capital bid would be effective in marketing Taipei internationally, and would place design thinking front and center in all municipal building endeavors, launching a “City Design and Transformation Campaign” and making Taipei a true innovative design capital. Citing Helsinki as a prime example, the mayor pointed out that as a result of its World Design Capital bid and selection in 2012, the Finnish capital was the focus of many media reports, which created tremendous publicity and resulted in positive growth in its economic and industrial development.
A Collectable Bid Book with a Traditional Chinese Dragon Scale Cover
Faced with keen competition, each applicant city brings its unique set of special skills to the fray. In a surprise move, Taipei has made the binding of its 5-volume bid book a splendid display of its design capability. It is built up layer by layer with what appears to be “dragon scales,” and the cover features a collection of classic Taipei images, including a treasured work by famed calligrapher Tong Yangtze(董阳孜), artifacts from the National Palace Museum's (国立故宫博物院) priceless collection, the art of internationally acclaimed picture-book creator Jimmy(几米), esteemed designer Ray Chen's (陈瑞宪) Eslite Bookstore (诚品书店), and an overview map of Taipei in the style of a traditional shanshui (山水) painting.
A special type of paper with a distinctive texture has been used for the book. The box it comes in, specially created by master craftsmen, is made of Taiwan-grown moso bamboo and also features “black jade” (墨玉) that is unique to Hualien(花莲). The exquisite case gives this dragon-scale set even greater value as a work of art worthy of addition to one's collection.
“Adaptive City” (不断提升的城市) is the content theme, exploring Taipei’s special development features and its incorporation of global design trends. Research, exhibitions, lectures, meetings, publications, marketing, and social networks are being utilized to develop “WDC Legacy, Taipei Model” contours. In addition, stressing collective designer cooperation, a dual top-down and bottom-up approach has been adopted, mobilizing participation and maximizing capability. Kicking this off has been the “Stir Design Project” (设计师搅动计划), with the public, studios, school design departments, and other participants from the private sector joining in the campaign to make Taipei a city with a design vision. Another initiative has been the “Public Policy by Design” plan, launched in 2012, in which design professionals are an intrinsic part of the public policy planning process, and user needs are the foundation, thereby developing policy that better meets people's requirements.
A Classic Bid Video: 11 Representative Personalities X Over 20 City Scenic Locations
Though just seven minutes long, the bid video took 10 months to create, during which 22 individuals were interviewed and 47 locations were used, from which 11 of the most representative figures and over 20 of the most iconic sites were chosen, followed by 6 months of animation and other post-production work.
Numerous renowned international arts and culture professionals are featured, including Lin Hwaimin (林怀民) from the world of dance, sculptor Ju Ming, and calligrapher Tong Yangtze. They bear witness to the rich nutrients in the Taipei cultural soil. The smooth-flowing images and melodic background music allow the city's designers and local brands to let their firsthand stories unfold at their own pace; we meet Xiao Qingyang (萧青阳), nominated many times for Grammy awards in album design, Wang Chen Tsaihsia (王陈彩霞), creator of the Shiatzy Chen (夏姿•陈) fashion brand, and meet industry-leading brands from a variety of sectors, including Asus, hTC, and Giant.
In the video's opening sequence, rare Taipei historical maps are linked together, expressing old and new and clearly conveying the city's vibrancy and its constant growth and transformation. The Adaptive City bid theme is front and center, as is the “Design is People” concept, echoing the objective behind the founding of the World Design Capital program by Icsid, the International Council of Societies of Industrial Design.
The full video has been uploaded to various social networking websites (YouTube, Facebook, etc.). Everyone is enthusiastically invited to have a look, forward it to as many friends and contacts as possible, and show your support by clicking on “Like.”
The Best Birthday Gift for a 130-Year-Old City
Icsid will announce the first round of WDC finalists in August, and will then visit each city in September. Taipei city will hold the 2nd Design & City Exhibition (第二届设计城市展) in September, showcasing its “Design is People” focus and demonstrating how design guides municipal policy and how people in the private sector are energetically taking the initiative with their own projects, in the quest for World Design Capital laurels this November.
Next year will be the 130th anniversary of the founding of Taipei City. The city's best possible birthday present, of course, will be a successful application for 2016 World Design Capital designation.