CEO Doyoung Kim Founder of Asia Design Prize       What would you think if someone offered to acquire your brand for $1 million? You might consider it a fair price, or you might feel it falls far short of reflecting the years of time and effort you have invested. But emotional attachment and economic value are two different things. The passion and time a founder pours into building a brand...

  Prof. Yonghyuck Lee Editor-in-Chief, the Asia Design Prize       Tradition is an important resource from which a brand can begin telling its own story. Ingredients and production methods used over generations, patterns preserved in a region, and customs surrounding the sharing of food carry a background that other brands cannot easily claim. Connecting these resources to products and d...

Prof. Ryan Jongwoo Choi Professor at Hanyang University       Recently, I had a conversation with fellow professors about design education in the age of AI. Our discussion turned to the work students submit and the criteria we use to evaluate it. With AI, students can now produce remarkably sophisticated images in a short amount of time. Yet the level of visual execution that would once ha...

  Prof. Yonghyuck Lee Editor-in-Chief, the Asia Design Prize       An important starting point for understanding Taiwanese design in 2026 is the idea of relationships in everyday life. Among the Taiwanese award winning works analyzed in the 2026 to 2027 Asia Design Trend Report, a recurring approach stands out: connecting family life, care for users, and local memory with tangible spaces...

  Cath Kwon Creative Director of WOO.K Concept       "Headquartered in Singapore, WOO.K Concept is a brand and spatial design studio and a partner of INITIA GROUP, which operates F&B and wellness businesses across Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia. The studio brings a consistent vision to every stage of a project, from brand concept and strategy to naming, brand identity, graphics, ...

  Sami Savatli Founder & Principal of SAVATLI Architects        “Founded in Istanbul in 2009, SAVATLI Architects is a multidisciplinary practice spanning interior architecture, furniture, and object design. With a strong focus on context, proportion, material, light, and craftsmanship, the studio creates contemporary environments that balance function, emotion, and artistic expres...

  Miki Orihara Chairperson, Japan Commercial Environment Design Association (JCD) / Jury Member, Asia Design Prize       “Miki Orihara is a Japanese interior designer and producer who developed her own approach to spatial design through field experience and independent study rather than formal design education. She established her own design office in 2011 and renamed the company ODO i...

  Antoine Besseyre des Horts Vice President of Design, Asia, LIXIL Global Design       “As Vice President of Design at LIXIL Global Design, Antoine Besseyre des Horts leads multicultural and multidisciplinary teams across regions, especially in Asia. His primary focus covers Asia Pacific and Greater China, while his work also connects Asian markets with other regions through the stewar...

CEO Doyoung Kim Founder of Asia Design Prize       What would you think if someone offered to acquire your brand for $1 million? You might consider it a fair price, or you might feel it falls far short of reflecting the years of time and effort you have invested. But emotional attachment and economic value are two different things. The passion and time a founder pours into building a brand...

  Prof. Yonghyuck Lee Editor-in-Chief, the Asia Design Prize       Tradition is an important resource from which a brand can begin telling its own story. Ingredients and production methods used over generations, patterns preserved in a region, and customs surrounding the sharing of food carry a background that other brands cannot easily claim. Connecting these resources to products and d...

Prof. Ryan Jongwoo Choi Professor at Hanyang University       Recently, I had a conversation with fellow professors about design education in the age of AI. Our discussion turned to the work students submit and the criteria we use to evaluate it. With AI, students can now produce remarkably sophisticated images in a short amount of time. Yet the level of visual execution that would once ha...

  Prof. Yonghyuck Lee Editor-in-Chief, the Asia Design Prize       An important starting point for understanding Taiwanese design in 2026 is the idea of relationships in everyday life. Among the Taiwanese award winning works analyzed in the 2026 to 2027 Asia Design Trend Report, a recurring approach stands out: connecting family life, care for users, and local memory with tangible spaces...