341 items vying for design award put on display

The products in five categories were submitted by entrepreneurs, exporters and designers for the show, which runs from today  to June 24 at the D Building, Crystal Design Center, in Bangkok.
“Excellent design and quality are still the main focus of manufacturers of lifestyle, furniture and fashion export products rather than price competition,” said Nantawan Sakuntanak, director-general of the department. “The Department of International Trade Promotion has encouraged such projects, which promote Thai designers and entrepreneurs, especially the Design Excellence Award, which has been offered continuously for five years and has attracted an increasing number of applicants year after year.”
Of the 341 products submitted this year, more than 100 are from first-time applicants. It is expected that more than 100 products will be selected for the DEmark award this year.
ML Kathathong Thongyai, director of the Office of Product Value Promotion, said the exhibition would showcase products that are outstanding in design creativity and commercial viability. He said the products had been classified into five categories. This year, most submitted products are in the lifestyle category, followed by furniture, industrial products, packaging, and fashion.
The DEmark 2012 project is being held under the theme “Unlimited Power of Design”, as most of entries represent concern about the use of environment-friendly, recycled or reused materials in their design and production process.
The organising committee has invited experts and academics to be on the judging panel, including Associate Professor Boonsanong Ratanasoontragul, dean of the faculty of architecture, King Mongkut’s Institute of Technology Ladkrabang; Usanee Sirirueng, director of the Office of Design, Department of Intellectual Property; Patcha Utiswannakul, head of the department of creative arts, faculty of fine and applied art, Chulalongkorn University; Opas Limpi-Angkanan, president of the Thai Graphic Designers Association; Sakkachat Sivabovorn, managing director and executive editor, I Design Publishing Co; Samutcha Viraporn, editor of Casaviva magazine; Amata Luphaiboon, principal of the Department of Architecture Co; Witawat Jayapani, honorary president of the Thailand Advertising Association; and two judges from the G-Mark project in Japan.
The top three winners of the DEmark 2012 award will also receive the Prime Minister’s Export Award, which is presented annually to outstanding Thai exporters of products and services. The award presentation will be held by the Department of International Trade Promotion in August at Government House.
The winners of the DEmark awards will be submitted to the Good Design Award (G-Mark) contest, to be held in November in Japan. Admission to the DEmark Show 2012 is free of charge, open from 10.30am to 6pm Monday to Friday, and from 10am to 7pm on Saturdays and Sundays.