There are so many exhibitions held every year, so how should we, as industrial designers, watch the exhibition scientifically and effectively?

HELLO! I haven't seen you for a long time. Have you missed Agee during this period (the beginning of the standard)? Recently, some friends left messages to Agee backstage, asking me what I have been doing recently, and why I have delayed the shift? What about the monthly shift! Then Agee can only stay with everyone here, T-T. Because the end of the year is really too busy, all kinds of meeting customers and all kinds of design projects have squeezed Agee's personal time (actually lazy). Therefore, this time it was very difficult to take a break from the busy schedule and seize the opportunity of "designing Shanghai 2019 Asia high-end international design exhibition" to update a new piece of dry goods.

Recently, Agee has been reflecting on the gains and losses of the past year, including various problems in the operation of WeChat public number. I remember that in October last year, Agee wrote an article called "Walking around: Artificial AI Intelligence Conference. Although the response was good at that time, but now looking back, the content still seems a bit sloppy. Just simply sharing some photos and experiences of the scene without thinking and digging out the stories and reasons behind it is not in line with the style of "scratching Agee. Therefore, in this article, Aji will spend more time and energy to analyze the design logic and brand story of the exhibition works, add his own views and opinions, and strive to give you more harvest and enlightenment.

On March 6, I had an early morning appointment with my friends at the Shanghai Exhibition Center, hoping to enter early. However, it backfired. No matter what the exhibition was on the first day, the popularity was always the hottest.
It took about an hour or so from the time we started queuing up to the actual admission. During this period, I had nothing to do to observe the composition of the visitors. There is a loud voice like a private enterprise owner who makes products. There are girls in twos and threes who may be illustrators or designers. There are business managers with straight suits and gold-rimmed glasses who come to make friends. There are also old people who are faltering but energetic, probably old artists... In short, people from all walks of life have it.

When I came to the entrance of the hall through the security check, the first thing I saw was this huge cone-shaped object with metallic luster. The first sight of it reminds me of the "artillery chariot" in Leonardo da Vinci's manuscript ".

After looking around the side and looking at the introduction, I realized that this device originally imitated the landing module of the proportional reduction Apollo lunar exploration program. The interior of the live version is designed as a small room for rest. The introduction card obtained on the side can see the complex structure inside the real landing warehouse.

The scene of suspected device assembly in the studio was found on the network.

The device was provided by a studio called "TIMOTHY OULTON STUIDO. Ajiite went online to find out and found that their family mainly did large-scale surrealist installation art and interior space design. Although there are not many works, they are all very interesting. Interested partners can learn more about them.

The exhibition is divided into many functional areas according to the types of exhibits. Among them, Agee is most interested in the display area of household and office supplies. Since it was the first day of the opening, the exhibition was crowded. It is almost difficult for you to stop comfortably in front of an exhibit and savor it carefully. But in the vast sea of people this glowing ladder still caught my eye. With the light luster of brass and impeccable arcs and details, this is like a work of art. At first I thought it was just a delicate shelf, but the careful little friend must have found a wire attached to the foot of the ladder. After reading the introduction manual, I realized that this is a heat sink with electricity and heat. In life, you can dry wet towels and clothes on it. The heat it emits can accelerate the evaporation of water. Its unique shape can also be perfectly integrated into various environmental styles and usage scenes.

The designer of the same heat sink with other colors is Elisa Giovannoni

I checked this agent named "Vitaliana", which mainly acts as an agent for many Italian high-end art radiator brands. This "small Scaletta staircase" is one of them. In addition, we can also see some other interesting products, such as this simple animal-shaped wall-mounted radiator. From the design style of these products, we can directly feel the unique life attitude and pursuit of Italians different from people in China, Japan, the United States and other places. In their world, music, coffee and a leisurely afternoon are essential. Life should be full of laziness and enjoyment. This concept, which is deeply engraved in my mind, is reflected in the product after finishing the book.

Unlike other products with their own independent brand display area, this small table is only placed alone on the booths on both sides of the aisle. If you don't look carefully, you might think this is an artificial marble table. But in fact this is a kind of furniture made of degraded recycled materials. Different stone patterns are simulated by mixing different materials and dyes. Although the surface does not have the smooth and delicate feeling of polished marble, it has its own unique advantages in terms of cost, weight, plasticity, adaptability, etc. In some cases, it can even replace marble products. Of course, in Agee's view, this visual style is fully capable of creating its own style.

My little friend who is familiar with me must know Agee has a special liking for household products. Of all the materials, wood is one of the materials that I often use in my design. This is a magical material. Wood of different textures and colors can bring people either warmth or high cold. In short, completely different sensory experiences.

When wandering around, I was suddenly attracted by this exquisite solid wood storage box. From the appearance point of view, the symmetrical bulging edges on both sides of the box are the core highlight of this product design. Designers may want to present a feeling of elegance and restraint at the same time as modern fashion. In terms of materials, cherry wood and beech wood are used to present two shades, one deep and one shallow, and the overall look has the charm of a new Chinese style. With the small handle on the top (if you look at it carefully, it is divided into two to hold the basket body), or hanging or standing, it can fully meet the needs of users with different use spaces and scenes. In Agee's view, a good household product is more like an afternoon tea with a light sweetness. You can imagine placing such a gadget at home. If you have nothing to do, your life will definitely improve a lot. Unfortunately, Agee was careless and forgot to shoot the product brand, which made it impossible to find other series of products in his family. If you know, please leave a message and let Agee know, thank you very much!

Next is bela DESIGN time!
The first thing I saw was this "runway-shaped" series of Bluetooth speakers. The product appearance mainly adopts the current popular simple design. Friends who are familiar with simplicity must know that the design process of this style seems simple but is full of challenges. It is an extremely test of the designer's skills to bring bright spots and vitality to the product without destroying the beauty and rhythm of the overall line.

Too little detail will make the product seem tedious, too much will immediately produce greasy exaggeration. Bela's designers have done a good job on this point. On the premise of not destroying the integrity of the outer contour, the creative focus is on the dust cover on the front of the speaker. Hollow points and line segments with different angles, sizes and shapes are presented in front of users in a delicate arrangement. Combined with the gentle light yellow of German beech wood, each speaker has its own unique aesthetic feeling.

The Bela family also brought an interesting "energy bar" charging treasure this time. Agee played with it at the scene. It felt very delicate and had moderate weight and size. Black walnut and Canadian maple also have a faint fragrance. Looking closely at the surface, there are no splicing marks. It is presumed that it is made by drilling a whole piece of wood. Friends who are familiar with wood must know that the processing of wood products is a difficult thing due to natural uncertainties. Most manufacturers choose splicing or pasting to solve the problem. Therefore, after looking at these excellent finished products, I have to admire bela's great efforts in controlling the source of wood materials and processing and production.

Miniature models of exquisite products on display in Endless Form

Although the appearance is a bit familiar, Agee can tell you responsibly that what you see is not the traditional low-polygon wrought iron furniture. According to information found on the Internet, the products of this brand called Endless Form are almost entirely randomly generated by computer programs. Team leader Zhang Zhoujie wants to pass on a new concept of digital furniture to people. Agee understands as the process of exploring the beauty of order in a disordered world.

Perhaps on some levels, this is similar to fractal art and topological art in graphic design. This is an art or science that transforms the beauty of mathematical connotation into straightforward images for people to appreciate. Some people may think that physics, chemistry, and biology are the three major disciplines that lead human civilization forward. But in Agee's view, mathematics is. All the above-mentioned disciplines are based on mathematics, and it can even be said that they cannot move without mathematics. People can use mathematical formulas to "observe" the depths of the universe that even the Hubble telescope can't see, and they can also use mathematical calculations to "spy" the most powerful electron microscopes can't explore the microscopic particle world... It's a bit far, in short, this is a team with a genius design concept, and you can search for their other design works if you are interested.

Beyond-object is coming!
I have enjoyed their products on other websites before, but I didn't expect to taste them up close this time. Beyond is good at low polygons, simple Europe, and metals. Overall high cold direction, business wind. In my opinion, their products seem to be more suitable for being put on in some larger and open spaces such as banquet halls, hotel lobbies, offices and other places to fully display their own temperament and aura. Please forgive the live picture of Agei slag. As I said before, at that time, every booth was crowded. It was really not easy to find a good angle to shoot! So to make up for it, Aggie went online to find some of their products to wash everyone's eyes.

The above are the three favorite designs selected by Agee, and the small partners should also look familiar. The highest level of making household products is to be both practical and interesting, including the basket storage box mentioned above, Bela series of products, etc. Each one has an impulse to let people want to play when they see it. Good products do not require instructions. How to guide users to explore, use and even develop new uses of products through design hints rather than text explanations is a problem that we product designers should think about.

At first sight, everyone may be as confused as I am and do not understand what device this is. In fact, this is an interesting brand called IQAir. Some small partners may have heard that their main business is to make high-end air purifiers. The exhibition work brought this time is this huge floor-standing air purifier. Agee will not repeat his incomparable air purification ability here. From the appearance alone, we can figure out that the designer not only wants to use its air purification effect, but also intends to turn it into a device artwork to present to customers.

Through another set of scenes, we can observe that the roller at the bottom of the purifier can also be disassembled according to requirements, and the upper back pendant is equipped to become a wall-mounted form. With the pure solid wood shell, the artistic atmosphere is more intense.

This is another round air purifier in their home. I checked the information and said that it was originally designed to be used in the car. The circular design is to facilitate the adjustment of the jet direction, and the special fairing can also achieve the purpose of isolating dirty and clean air. Now it is added with a bracket that can be placed on the desktop for use. Agee checked the price curiously. emmmm is not too cheap. Everyone can do what they can.

This is a set of mushroom-like lamps Agee saw in the luxury exhibit area. The foil of metal, log, velvet tablecloth and glass window suggests that this set of lamps must be expensive. The careful little partner should have found the words "PLAY OF LIGHTS" in the background. Yes, the characteristic of these lamps is that the lampshade on the top will swing irregularly, which is a bit like the feeling of the mushroom shaking after the rain hits the mushroom umbrella. It looks very vivid and interesting. This clever design method of combining dynamic and static brings a little flexibility and affinity to the original slightly serious and cold products. It makes it easier for people to approach it and play with it instead of looking at it from a distance and fearing it. I have to lament the bold ideas and attempts of this product designer!

The two exhibited works in the above picture are also cases of "play" to the extreme. The first is a hanging lamp that can simulate the natural bird call when people are approaching. The shape is also designed as a simple European bird cage to fit the theme. The second is an art lamp that hangs in mid-air and will swing its wings gracefully up and down. Agee felt that it was more appropriate than a bird like a manta ray or a devil fish swimming in the sea. You can imagine how lively and joyful the living atmosphere would be if the above three pieces of furniture were collected and placed at home at the same time!

Have many friends guessed this classic brass style? Yes, this is exactly the work of "unexpected design. As a well-known cultural and creative brand in China, this exhibition has brought us many excellent products. Due to the large flow of people at the scene, Agee only took this only photo. From left to right in the figure are paperweight, pen holder and storage box.

Aji specially searched the Internet for other products under the brand, each of which can be said to be eye-catching. Brass and wood are cleverly fused together as two materials of the same color system. The delicate wood grain brings a sense of rhythm to the originally slightly monotonous and cold brass, forming a differentiated aesthetic feeling. A quiet movement, relaxation, can be said to be a natural pair.
In addition, they also design some non-brass products such as this black multifunctional ruler. "Rule breaker" is its core design concept. The product cleverly combines two rulers and a protractor "open" through magnetic attraction. Users can split or assemble for use according to their preferences, which can be said to be very creative.
In fact, the use of magnets in the field of cultural creation is nothing new. I believe everyone must have seen maglev clocks, desk lamps triggered by magnetic attraction as switches, etc. This kind of "mysterious" power, which was even regarded as magic in ancient times, is believed to be able to play more tricks in the hands of our designers.

To sum up Agee's intuitive feelings at this exhibition:
1. Compared with the previous "furniture exhibition", the number of household, office, cultural and creative products and even 3C products in this exhibition has increased significantly. This shows that the Chinese people's enjoyment of the details of life and the pursuit of life taste are increasing day by day. People are more willing to pay for small products and design. A considerable part of the capital tuyere is also concentrated here.
2. There is a design trend that the product itself should have basic functions and beautiful appearance, and it is best to add some additional entertainment functions. For example, some pens will be designed with decompression buttons or turntables for people to play when they are bored or nervous. The demand for interest is becoming more and more important in the design of small and medium-sized products. Of course, all this is based on the premise of not destroying the functionality and beauty of the product itself. In today's highly homogeneous product market, this may also be a possible way to emerge.

Suddenly thought of an interesting phenomenon. In my opinion, some of my friends are "exhibition-watching" experts, and they are found in almost all design exhibitions. Looking through their circle of friends, they are also full of live photos of various exhibitions. They are full of senior designers. Sometimes I think, what is the meaning of watching the exhibition for everyone? Some people may just show off to pass the time or send a circle of friends (most of them are ordinary audiences and a small number of designers); Some people absorb design inspiration or wash their eyes (most of them are designers and responsible persons of product enterprises); Some people look at the design trend and the product lines of large factories (most of them are senior designers and responsible persons of product enterprises); finally, there are some people who specialize in making friends (talking about business) such as suppliers, agents and distributors. Of course, there are also idle clouds and wild crane designers like Agee who will touch and see everything.

For Agee, product designers need to be comprehensive in terms of knowledge, making friends, aesthetics and communication skills in addition to their excellent design quality. I have seen many designers with excellent design ability trapped in low-level design positions. On weekdays, I can only work passively every day and don't have much say in my own design. The reason for this situation is often that the designer himself lacks the ability and desire to express himself. It is always the right choice to contact people more than computers.
As mentioned at the beginning of the article, there are many people who design Shanghai. Everyone came with different mentality and purpose, and returned with big or small fruits. Get what you want. What qualifications does Agee have to evaluate which is right and which is wrong?


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