Steve Jobs might have been the face of Apple, but even after the legendary CEO passed away, Apple remains to be one of the most valuable companies in the world. Thanks to Sir Jonathan Ive, many would say. 

The chief design officer, over the last two decades, not only designed ― or as he would prefer to say, “made” ― iMacs, iPhones and the Apple Watch, but by selling billions of them, helped turn the once-tiny company into an empire, with him and his design team at the center of its success. 

Design is no longer an afterthought. It matters so much so that one can safely say that design tops the list for any business. The paradigm has shifted from “form follows function” to “form follows marketing” and, now, to “function follows form.” A time has come where “Design of Things” truly matters.

Herald Design Forum, arguably Korea’s most visible and most influential gathering on design, returns next month with the latest topics in the ever-evolving world of design. 

Under the theme of “Design Platform Creates Value through Integration,” the forum will focus on how design acts as an interface between industries, merges different values and creates new ones along the way. 

Prominent designers and industry leaders across various fields from architecture, food to 3-D printing will be here in Seoul to share their insight with the Korean audience. 

“To make great design, designers should not only seek great forms but also think strategically, taking into consideration views from the point of view of marketing and sales,” emphasizes Arik Levy, the renowned industrial designer and one of the speakers invited to the forum. 

To understand the power of design, one doesn’t need to look far.
Kia, a Korean car brand, is a fine example of design innovation. Their vehicles were once considered synonymous with cheap cars in the U.S. and actually targeted lower-income clientele with affordable prices. The outcome was grim. 

Chung Eui-sun, then-president of Kia Motors Corp. (and current vice chairman of Hyundai Motor Co.), decided to tackle the market with a focus on design, bringing in Peter Schreyer, the car designer from Audi, in 2006.
 The drastic changes resulted in a spike in brand awareness and accordingly, sales, which set the highest record in annual sales last year. Some even expect Kia to overtake its sister company Hyundai.

Shigeru Ban, the 2014 winner of the Priztker Architecture Prize, the most prestigious prize in modern architecture, is a living example of how design can change our world. 

Sure, he has built museums, company headquarters and even golf courses around the world as a top-notch architect. But Ban has dedicated a major part of his career to those hit by natural disasters. 

Using inexpensive, sustainable and energy-efficient components such as paper, wood and sometimes plastic, Ban has built eco-friendly cabins, schoolrooms and even churches in places around the world hit by earthquakes and other tragedies.

“I love to make monuments, too, but I thought perhaps we could use our experience and knowledge more for the general public, even for those who have lost their houses in natural disasters,” he said in an interview. 

Ban “represents a new model of socially responsible architect,” as another Japanese Pritzker winner Toyo Ito said, and his humanitarian works demonstrate how architecture or design permeates every aspect of our lives now, over the boundaries, converging and creating new values. 

At the upcoming Herald Design Forum, Ban will share his view with the audience, along with industrial designers Arik Levy and Tom Dixon, as well as Pixar cofounder Alvy Ray Smith and former Facebook marketing director Randi Zuckerberg. The forum will be held at Grand Hyatt Seoul on Nov. 10, under the theme of “Design Platform Adds Value through Integration.” 

By By Herald Design Forum team  (milaya@heraldcorp.com)