DEmark event showcasesThai talent in product designs

On exhibit are the creative works of Thai designers that have won the Good Design Award (G-Mark) from Japan.
The Office of Product Value Promotion plans aggressively to promote more Thai products with good design quality to markets abroad.
At the roadshow, all the winners of Design Excellence (DEmark) and G-Mark awards will be displayed at one place to be experienced by all prospective local and foreign buyers, who can visit the event free of charge. It runs until the end of the month at the Grand Hall on the first floor of Siam Discovery Complex.
Wuthichai Duangrat, deputy director-general of the Commerce Ministry’s Export Promotion Department, said yesterday that the Office of Product Value Promotion launched a project in 2008 to grant DEmark emblems to Thai products that excel in design.
The awards presentation has been held every year under the concept that good design can add value to products and enjoy strong demand from the market.
Last year, there were more than 340 entries to the DEmark project and new entrepreneurs participating in the programme increased by 30 per cent. Altogether 94 entries were selected by the committee to receive the DEmark emblem last year and were submitted to the G-Mark contest in Japan in August. Of them, 61 entries or about 60 per cent were awarded the G-Mark emblem.
It is a good opportunity for Thai exports with good design, especially those that have been granted the G-Mark emblem, as they have received strong interest from consumers in Japan.
ML Kathathong Thongyai, director of the Office of Product Value Promotion under the Commerce Ministry, said many Thai entrepreneurs had raised their profile at the G-Mark contest.
“This year, we have seen the great success of Thai entrepreneurs at the G-Mark competition. Thais are well known for their skilled work and refined craftsmanship as well as truly unique designs.
“It is quite different from Japanese designers, who focus on hi-tech and modern technology issues. The design entries that have been awarded the DEmark emblem will also be successful at the G-Mark contest as well as in the Japanese market, as they can create a sense of warmth and positive impression among the Japanese.”
The DEmark Roadshow, in central Bangkok’s shopping oasis, allows prospective buyers both Thais and foreigners to get close to quality products, as part of the Department of Export Promotion’s strategy to promote acceptance of design-oriented Thai products by consumers here and abroad.
THE NATION