As a VIP speaker during the 2008 Taipei International Cycle Show in mid-March, Ralph Wiegmann, managing director of the iF International Forum Design organization, paid a short visit to the island but was long on his praise of local companies for their efforts in upgrading international competitiveness. He also lauded Taiwan as already having become a major design base in Asia.



This is Wiegmann`s 13th year at the helm of Industrie Forum Design Hannover (iF), having assumed the position of managing director of the organization in 1995. Since then iF has developed into one of the world`s top design institutions.

Two decisive factors in this achievement were Wiegmann`s creation in 2001 of a new business arm, International Forum Design GmbH, as a complement to the design-promoting association Verein Industrie Forum Design Hannover e.V., and his success in integrating iF into a system of international networks.

Established in 1953 as an institution dedicated to the promotion of industrial design, iF`s first exhibition was dubbed the "Special Show for Well-designed Industrial Goods." Over the succeeding five decades, iF has evolved into a service enterprise and bridge between design and industry. Its iF awards for design competitions in the categories of products, communications, materials, and brands have become internationally recognized as a differentiation tool for buyers and consumers around the globe.

Wiegmann and his team (now with 16 members) have continually monitored the many different interfaces between design and industry so as to quickly adapt the iF design awards to changing market requirements. Wiegmann also produces a series of design-related services under the company`s own "organized by iF" label, and acts as an advisor in the making of design-related business decisions by enterprises and institutions.

Wiegmann frequently serves as a judge at international design competitions and as a moderator and conference speaker, in addition to designing and organizing his own workshops and seminars.

Thanks to arrangements made by iF Taiwan, Taiwan`s China Economics News Service (CENS), a leading provider of print, event, and online media for various markets and publisher of DIT (Design & Innovation in Taiwan) magazine, was offered a rare chance to conduct an exclusive interview with Wiegmann during his stay in Taipei.

Impressions of Taiwan Companies

Talking about his impressions of Taiwanese companies he has known over his career, Weigmann said, "The tempo of Taiwanese companies is amazing. I am also very impressed with their willingness to learn, which represents their never-ending open minds, because I`ve seen that most Taiwanese firms are always improving and improving in their pursuit of progress."

"In the past few years, I also found that more and more companies based in Taiwan are increasingly brand-oriented, meaning they have been putting more emphasis on branding work, such as Acer, Asustek, Gigabyte, and many others not only in information technology (IT) but other industries. I think they are getting better and better with branding work and putting more and more resources into branding, in a bid to catch up with big international counterparts."

Approaches to Improvement

There are some important approaches that Taiwanese companies can use in upgrading their global competitiveness, Wiegmann suggested, especially including joint efforts and common goals.

"In my eyes," Wiegmann commented, "many industries in Taiwan have great opportunities in the global market. The bicycle line is a good example, because Taiwan has a group of the world`s top manufacturers and if they can jointly conduct activities to promote the high-quality image of Taiwan-made bikes, their global market shares and product values can be expected to further climb at a fast pace."

Promotion is vital, the managing director emphasized. As an example, he cited the experience of a certain European nation where a few years ago only few skiers wore safety helmets, but the situation underwent a radical change and the ratio of helmet-wearers rapidly climbed to reach about 60% two years ago following a joint effort by all ski-helmet makers to explain, promote, and introduce the benefits of ski helmets to the public. The penetration ratio of ski helmets is expected to continue expanding at an ever-faster pace, Wiegmann said.

"Competition is a necessity," Wiegmann stressed, "but common targets among counterparts are also very important because they can effectively help different players to work together in building up and expanding the market even through the competition that always exists."

Participation in big international design competitions like iF can also be an important approach, Wiegmann said, because those who win-or even just enter-the competitions can claim that their design or innovation capability has been confirmed by international experts.

"But if a company wants to take part in (such a competition) only one time," he cautioned, "then it should not do it even the first time, because to win a prize is one thing and to participate in a famous international design competition and compete with first-class global players is another. The former can bring only short-term happiness and should not be the major goal, while the latter is so important if a company is really design-oriented and is confident enough in each of its new products. In short, the prize should be not the major target but an indicator of a company`s stronger competitiveness than general counterparts.

"The iF design competitions, in fact, have a key message behind the fierce selection process--an ongoing ability to improve participants` product quality."

Wiegmann also had advice for the leaders of Taiwan companies: "The corporate leader should define where his company wants to go and let his firm be involved in every aspect related to the goals. Once the leader decides where to go, he should share his visions and targets with all the rest of his company; because if he does not do that, the goals can hardly be achieved with an unanimous consensus in the company."

Design Trends in 2008

Regarding the latest design trends, Wiegmann said that first and foremost is unequivocally the sustainability/eco trend.



"The energy-saving movement that prevailed in the mid-1990s now is back with an even-stronger awareness," he stated. "Over next 10 to 20 years, its appeal will be dominant in the designs of any industry.

"I would say that the second on-going design trend is the pursuit of ever-lasting designs that meet the requirements of changing demographics, and that is a big challenge to designers worldwide. In short, that is the so-called universal design. I think every company has to do something about that."

For example, Wiegmann said, under this trend some big cities are constructing new buildings suitable for inhabitants aged 18 to 80 by developing various kinds of equipment and interiors featuring ease of use and entertainment value as well. "The demographic issue has been a key factor in the modern design industry," the managing director said, "because designers, especially in Europe, have found that the older generation will pay more for tomorrow and what they are really concerned about is not the money but the services they get. I think `comfort` is a very big market, and the business of making life easier and more enjoyable is going to developing at a high speed--especially among the population born in the 1940s to the 1960s."

Usability is another major developmental trend in the design industry, Wiegmann said, and it is rapidly exerting its influence in our daily lives.

"Many people now have six or more remote controls at home, but this is not reasonable," the managing director said. "I think most people recognize this fact, but to use only one really integrated remote control is, in fact, not so easy because everyone wants to use it but most do not want to program such a sophisticated device. I think the trend toward the development of higher-usability products has formed and will boom very soon."

Taiwan, an Asian Design Base

Talking about the development of the design industry in Asia, Wiegmann pointed out that Japan, with its long tradition and solid industry infrastructure, currently has the strongest design in the region.

Taiwan and South Korea share the ranking of Asia`s No. 2 design base, Wiegmann said, but the latter has famous designs mainly from big enterprises such as LG, Samsung, and Hyundai while in Taiwan designs are produced by a large group of companies of various sizes.



"Regarding design,` Weigmann said, "maybe Taiwan is positioned better than Korea because, I think, the design industry on the island covers a wider range than that in Korea and in Taiwan there are many more internationally famous brands with established design strengths in specialized fields."

(by Quincy Liang)