A showcase of design excellence in Asia

HONG KONG, CHINA - Media OutReach - 30 October 2019 - DFAAwards 2019 celebrates established and emerging designers that pushcreative boundaries and pave the way for the Asian design industry. Creatives fromacross the region entered their innovative design projects into the DFA Design for Asia Awards (DFAA) and talentedyoung designers also submitted their overseas plans to DFA Hong Kong Young Design Talent Award (DFA HKYDTA), part of thefive major DFA Awards programmes to recognise local and international designprofessionals and experts.

Organised by The Hong Kong Design Centre (HKDC) withCreate Hong Kong (CreateHK) of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Governmentas the lead sponsor, 211 DFA Design forAsia Awards and 16 DFA Hong Kong Young Design Talent Award winners will be recognisedat the Presentation Ceremony on Wednesday 4 December 2019 at the Hong KongConvention and Exhibition Centre. The Awards offers a stage to some of the mostdedicated talents, encouraging the growth of creative industry and providing aplatform to establish networks with influential designers and business leaders.

"We at Hong Kong Design Centre believe that design canimprove quality of life, promote social innovation and preserve culturalheritage. It makes the built environment a better place to live, work and play.The DFA Awards programme is one of the most prestigious and important awards inthe design industry. We are delighted to see talent from across the regionshowcase their best work with an increase of 10% in DFAA submissions this year.On the other hand, the DFA HKYDTA encouraging and nurturing reputable andfuture talents are invaluable to the Hong Kong design community," saidProfessor Eric Yim, Chairman of the HKDC.

Quality design aids quality life

An acknowledgment of outstanding design in Asia, DFA Design for Asia Awards raises awarenessabout the value of good design as an essential component in quality of life fora betterment. Measured by four perspectives, namely, overall excellence, use oftechnology, impact in Asia, as well as commercial and societal success, itappreciates and celebrates the design that embodies Asian aesthetics, andculture while bringing about new design trends.

In 2019, it received over 1,100 entries from 24 economies,a reflection of the awards prestige and the growth of Asian design power. Japantops the leaderboard, followed by Mainland China and then HKSAR. Key designthemes that have naturally emerged include: Green is the new black --highlighting sustainable products and apparel design; A sojourn for the senses-- using the five elements to create artistic installations to createdestinations of the future; Old is gold -- revitalising traditionalcraftsmanship showcasing how young creatives can keep local culture alivethrough design; Design longevity -- creations that last through generations; andDesign for an empathetic world -- reconnecting people, nature and self throughdesign excellence.

The judging panel comprised of industry leaders andexperts recognised 211 design projects for their design excellence, including 9Grand Awards, 1 Grand Award for Culture, 1 Grand Award for Sustainability, 1Grand Award for Technology, 7 Grand Award with Special Mention and 192 Gold,Silver, Bronze and Merit awards from four design disciplines -- Apparel andAccessory Design, Communication Design, Environmental Design, and Product andIndustrial Design -- across a wide range of specialist categories.

Cultivating and nurturing young design talent in Asia

DFA Hong Kong Young Design Talent Award is granted to design practitioners or graduates contributing to HongKong's ever-expanding creative industry, aged 35 or below. This year, 13 of 16awardees will receive a financial sponsorship amount up to HK$5,000,000 intotal for six-to-twelve-month overseas work attachment or study to furtherstimulate design thinking.

Winners have showcased phenomenal talent across industries. Apparel andaccessory designers entered fashion capsule collections, SS19 collections infashion shows globally and international collaborations. Communication designershighlighted their work including typography, visual identity, and graphicsmerging with art. Product and Industrial designers shared a mix of homeware,household appliances, professional and commercial products, informationtechnology, and leisure and entertainment product designs, from watering potsto chairs, speakers to acoustic strings. Finally, environmental designerscontinue blending of architectural and social responsibility, hinting at thefuture of our built world.  

Design for Asia: DFA Awards 2019

An annual publication to celebrate the current year's winners, and tointroduce the design philosophy and share views and comments on the trends andthe values of Design for Asia by the international panel of judges. The coffeetable book is available from December onwards at DFA Awards official website.

High-resolution images can be downloaded at:

https://www.hkdc.hk/download/awards/DFA2019_hi-res_image.zip

Full DFAA& DFA HKYDTA winners list can be downloaded at:

https://www.hkdc.hk/download/awards/DFA2019_WinnerList.zip

DFA Awards 2019events (4-7 December at Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre):

4 Dec         Media to meet the winners

4 Dec         Presentation Ceremony of DFA Design for Asia Awards and DFA Hong KongYoung Design Talent Award

4 Dec         BODWGala Dinner & Presentation Ceremony of DFA Lifetime Achievement Award, DFADesign Leadership Award and DFA World's Outstanding Chinese Designer

4-7 Dec     DFA Awards exhibition atDesignInspire

About DFA Awards

In 2003, the Hong Kong Design Centrehas launched the DFA Awards to underpin the role of designers in society, tocelebrate design leadership and exemplary designs and projects with commercialsuccess or impact in Asia, as well as to recognise the rising force of emergingdesigners in Hong Kong since 2005. The DFA Awards, through its five major awardprogrammes, has grown in its international influence in Asia.

DFA Lifetime Achievement Award (DFA LAA)

Signify the design community's respectfor individuals who have made lifelong contributions to the design profession,education, and the society, especially in Asia.

DFA Design Leadership Award (DFA DLA)

Recognise the business leaders orcompanies who create exceptional and sustainable business success throughstrategic and innovative use of Design.

DFA World's Outstanding Chinese Designer (DFA WOCD)

Acknowledge the designers of Chineseorigin who have significant design achievement and international recognition.

DFA Design for Asia Awards

Commend a wide range of design thatembodies Asian aesthetics and culture, with influence to the design trends inAsia and for Asia.

DFA Hong Kong Young Design Talent Award  (DFA HKYDTA)

Nurture the development of emergingdesigners by providing a maximum financial sponsorship of HK$500,000 foroverseas work attachment or education.

Learn more about us at www.dfaawards.com

About Hong Kong DesignCentre

Hong Kong Design Centre (HKDC) is a non-governmental organisation, andwas founded in 2001 as a strategic partner of the HKSAR Government inestablishing Hong Kong as an international centre of design excellence in Asia.Our public mission is to promote wider and strategic use of design and designthinking to create business value and improve societal well-being, with the aimof advancing Hong Kong as an international design centre in Asia.

HKDC's flagship programmes include Business of Design Week (BODW; since2002) -- Asia's leading annual event on design, innovation and brands; DFAAwards (since 2003) -- a well-recognised annual awards that celebrateoutstanding designs with Asian perspectives; and Knowledge of Design Week(KODW; since 2006) -- an annual thematic programme that gathers the globaldesign community to explore how design can solve complex challenges of oursociety.

We also manage a Design Incubation Programme and Fashion IncubationProgramme (since 2012 and 2016) -- 2-year programmes to nurture future designand fashion entrepreneurs; and launched FASHION ASIA HONG KONG (since 2016) --an initiative combining conversations, interactions and cultural exchanges toposition the city as an Asian hub for fashion trade and business development.

Learn more about us at www.hkdesigncentre.org