Seoul Design 2024 will kick off on October 17 at Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP) in Seoul. Already recognized as the city’s premier MICE festival, this 11th edition stands out with its theme, “/imagine Tomorrow.” The focus is on predicting and envisioning, through design, how artificial intelligence (AI) will transform the future of everyday life.
Unlike previous years, which focused on citizen engagement and experiences as a cultural design event, this year’s Seoul Design marks a shift toward an industry-focused fair, placing designers and companies at the forefront. With a broad agenda and the latest design products, Seoul Design 2024 will expand its breadth and depth to evolve from a civic festival focused on public engagement and experience into a city-wide celebration in collaboration with Dongdaemun.
Seoul Design 2024 offers designers opportunities to work, while providing companies a platform to promote their products and develop new sales channels. The Young Designer+Corporate Brand Development Program allows emerging designers to gain hands-on experience in product development through collaboration with established companies. The DDP Design Launching Fair connects experienced designers with manufacturing companies, matching their ideas to enhance product competitiveness. Additionally, initiatives like the Startup Fostering and Design Capacity Enhancement Project, the Sustainable Product Service Market Development Project, and the SME Industrial Design Development Project offer support to design companies at various stages of business growth, helping them to navigate the market and showcase their products. These platforms will hopefully help designers connect with a wide range of experts and buyers, enabling them to take the next step forward together.
One of the standout exhibitions is Light Architecture by world-renowned media artist Yiyun Kang. A professor of industrial design at KAIST and a collaborator with Google, NASA, and BTS, Kang has presented experiential media exhibitions. At this particular exhibition, her vision of a future AI architecture that co-evolves with humanity is brought to life through a large-scale installation. The aim to make the audience recognize their responsibility in designing AI, with the hope that AI will lead to a future filled with joy rather than fear.
Another highlight of Seoul Design 2024 is the opening stage performance featuring nævis, a virtual artist from SM Entertainment. This performance delves into themes of existence beyond gods and humans—a concept that has intrigued humanity since ancient times.
On day one, the theme “AI EFFECTS” will be explored by artist Yiyun Kang, Director Sohyeong Roh of Art Center Nabi, and curator Daehyung Lee as they examine the intersection of AI and art. Day two will focus on “The Future of Design Shaped by Generative AI,” with author Gilyoung Song, Advisor Sahbeom Byun of Plus X, and patent attorney Byungjun Bok providing diverse perspectives. The final day, themed “Trends 2025,” will feature discussions led by Professor Nando Kim of Seoul National University, author Seungyeon Cho, and Director Jukka Savolainen of the AD Museum, as they share predictions for next year’s design trends and discuss the future direction of the design industry. Beginning with Seoul Design 2024, the conference program will establish itself as the premier platform for design lectures, featuring top speakers forecasting future design trends.
F U R T H E R I N F O R M A T I O N