The second annual Herald Design Forum is bringing together the world’s most prominent designers and industry experts to Seoul as they get ready to take part in a three-day conference in southern Seoul.

With design becoming the keyword in all fields of businesses, well-known names in the industry such as Ando Tadao, architecture professor at Tokyo University, MUJI’s art director Hara Kenya, ex-BMW chief designer Chris Bangle and Peter Schreyer, chief design officer at Kia Motors will join the event at the COEX Auditorium.

Other participants include Joon Oh, director of the design department at Hyundai Card; contemporary artist Zhang Xiaogang; concept artist Steve Jung; Herald Corp. chairman Jungwook Hong; Park Seo-won of Big Ant International; and Bruce Duckworth, judge at Cannes International Advertising Festival 2012.

While the top designers and experts will take part in the event from Thursday to Friday, the event itself will kick off Wednesday with the semifinals of the Korea Herald’s student presentation tournament, in which 10 teams will compete.

“Design is creation. It infuses new life. Design is culture. It creates new experiences and lifestyles,” said Lee Young-man, chief executive and publisher of Herald Corp. “And design is the ultimate industry. Good design is the highest form of value, one that captures the hearts of consumers.”

With a slogan named “Re-imagine,” topics under discussion at the country’s biggest design forum will range from Tadao’s “Design Containing Nature” to Kenya’s “Design for Sale” and Hyundai Card Oh’s “Design Management, Design Competitiveness” on Thursday.

The topics will also touch on concept artist Jung’s “World of Concept Design in Films” and Duckworth’s “New Paradigm of Creativeness.”

Yun Chea-gab, independent curator and the country’s commissioner at the Venice Biennale 2011, and Xiaogang’s special joint session, focusing on the theme of “Art Questions Time,” will be held on Thursday.

Mentoring session for college students will also be staged by Park, head of Big Ant International, and Hong Ji-yoon, who is a fusion Oriental artist and lecturer at Hongik Art and Design Institute.

Those registered for the premium program will participate in a design-storming session attended by two famous designers in the auto industry ― Bangle and Schreyer. Then they will engage in a networking dinner along with a private auction, which will display Tadao’s art pieces for the special group.

On the last day of the design forum, Herald Corp. chairman Hong will lead another special session with Bangle and Park on “Sharing Wisdom: Classic, an Everlasting Source of Creativity.”

By Cho Ji-hyun (sharon@heraldcorp.com)