Aiming to nurture the next generation, which is courageous in challenging conventions, the International New Designers Workshop encourages cross-disciplinary collaboration amongst academic institutions, industries and public sector, and each workshop is made up of members from different disciplines, genders and cultural backgrounds.To this end, over 350 students of architecture, industrial design, visual communication design, multimedia, as well as young professional in-house designers from companies and writers from design-related magazines from 48 nations have participated in this multi-cultural, multi-disciplinary workshop.
In October of 2008, the City of Nagoya was appointed to UNESCO’s Creative Cities Network of Design. This year’s Workshop is thus our first event as part of this Network. 2008 Workshop participants will include individuals from other appointed UNESCO cities, such as Shenzhen, China; Santa Fe, USA and Aswan, Egypt.
The theme this year is “Roots Finder- Design DNA”. Students and young designers from around the world will strive to understand cultural diversity and approach indigenous design by working to visualize the charm of Nagoya to create brand value based on indigenous identities. For the young generation, establishing a unique identity is in need of urgent attention. We believe that by offering an opportunity for young designers to develop an awareness of the rich culture and traditions amongst us, a spirited, fresh perspective and a strong identity will come to life.

Design Brief
Cultures from around the world are nowadays interpreted through the aesthetic of products and images. Ensuring the authenticity of such language is important for encouraging cross-cultural understanding, essential in achieving sustainable development in emerging countries. The notion of branding has shifted in recent years. Some studies show that perceptions of environmental, ethical and social responsibility are the fastest growing contributors to consumer brand value. If designed and branded intelligently, souvenir products could become the perfect medium for communicating cross-cultural values worldwide. Very often, souvenirs are expected to be affordable, kitsch and poor in aesthetic detail. Yet, shouldn’t they be the inspiring evidence of a travel experience that could otherwise be forgotten? Why can souvenir products not be more grounded in their local environment and less superficial? Shouldn’t local designers play an important role in the conception of souvenir items? This workshop is a study on the role of design in the creative tourism　industry, notably how traditional craft industries and new technologies　could be integrated in the Nagoya area. It will concentrate on cultural innovation requiring new tastes and behaviors. Its aim is to propose solutions that would help places to develop their own design culture and build their identity through design strategies.

Three phases to the workshop
1. Explore and do field research in the Nagoya area in order to analyze existing souvenirs and traditional products associated to the region. Which ones are popular? Which ones are successful design/craft pieces? Can they be more culturally relevant? How could designers enhance them?
2. Identify places or experiences that are unique to the Nagoya area. How could designers reinterpret them? Can a place/experience be meaningfully turned into a product or image?
3. From the information and conclusions gathered from the field research, start sketches and prototypes that redefine the concept of souvenirs in a culturally relevant way.

Chief Director
Russell Kennedy/ Senior Lecturer, Monash University; President Eslect 2007-2009, Icograda IDA

Overseas Directors
Dr. Nahed Baba/ Assistant professor, Textile Design Faculty of Fine Arts & Design, The University of Sharjah, UAE
Yiyang Hei/ Creative Director
Minhau Jin/ Deputy Director, Shenzhen Creative Culture Center; Editor of creative page, Shenzhen Economic Daily
Michael Namingha/ Museum of Fine Arts (FOCA) Santa Fe, New Mexico; SITE SANTA FE (New Years Eve Fundraiser) Santa Fe, New Mexico
Riaan Gideon William Rhode/ University of Stellenboch
Sali Sasaki/ Director, FCI Research
Sidhika Sooklal/ University of Pretoria

Japanese Directors
Tatsuro Funahashi/Product Designer; Advisor to Chubu Design Institute; Member of the Judge’s Committee for the Good Design Award (G-Mark); Lecturer, Nagoya University of The Arts
Haruhiko Ito/ Product designer
Seiko Mizuno/ Director, Mizuno Craft Design Office
Kennichi Suzuki/ Architect, Doctor of engineering, Professor, Nagoya City University Graduate School of Design and Architecture

Participants
Award winners of NAGOYA DESIGN DO! 2008. Delegates from UNESCO’s Creative Cities Network, including Santa Fe, USA; Aswan, Egypt; and Shenzhen, China.Youth UNESCO Laboratory Nagoya. Designers and students from 15 universities in nine countries/regions: Japan, Australia, China, Egypt, Lithuania, South Africa, South Korea, Taiwan and the USA. The universities are Aichi Prefectural University of Fine Arts and Music, Aichi Sangyo University, Daido Institute of Technology, Musashino Art University, Monash University, Nagoya City University, Nagoya Institute of Technology, Nagoya University, Nagoya University of Arts, Nagoya University of Arts and Sciences, Nagoya Zokei University, Nanzan University, Soul National University, University of Stellenboch, South Africa and University of Pretoria, South Africa.