Business of Design Week (BODW) in Hong Kong is Asia’s leading brand and design event. Since its premiere in 2003 the number of visitors has increased by a factor of seven. With trade fairs, exhibitions and international forums, the BODW creates a platform for business representatives and designers to network and exchange ideas. Every year a different partner country is invited to the BODW. In 2011 Germany will present itself in Hong Kong under the motto “Brand New Germany”. The Frankfurt-based German Design Council is organizing the presentation.
“The BODW offers a unique opportunity to present German design, lifestyle and creativity and to rejuvenate Germany’s image and that of its brands and products in the region,” says Andrej Kupetz, CEO of the German Design Council. “Germany’s image in Asia is largely marked by the solidity and quality of its products. In an exhibition we will tell the full success story of German products and show the latest developments and the prospects for German design in the 21st century.
Ever since the Bauhaus, German design has stood for functional and efficient forms, so that it is clearly positioned in the international context. “The Americans think in different dimensions, whether it’s cars or bathtubs,” says Kupetz. “And Japanese design is similar to German except that it tries to be more harmonious. Design with rounded corners, if you want.” Traditionally the best examples of German design are to be found in car making, furniture, kitchens, tableware and bathrooms. Although fashion accessories and lifestyle products have been increasingly catching up recently.////
