On 8 April 2023, the 2023 International Symposium on Design Education and Industry Innovation was successfully held in the Ningbo Innovation Center, Zhejiang University.
 

The 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China has defined the high-quality development as the top task of building China into a modern socialist country in all respects, which has further highlighted the overall situation and long-term meaning of high-quality development. We shall implement new designs and new innovations to stand still in a new journey in the new era. On 8 April 2023, the 2023 International Symposium on Design Education and Industry Innovation was successfully held in the Ningbo Innovation Center, Zhejiang University, exploring the development issues of design education and industry innovation in the historical background of booming technologies such as internet, internet of things, big data, artificial intelligence, metaverse and so on.

 

The Symposium was jointly organized by Higher Education Press, Ningbo Innovation Center, Zhejiang University, and NingboTech University, undertaken by the International School of Design, Ningbo Innovation Center, Zhejiang University and the School of Design, NingboTech University, and co-organized by the User Experience Industrial Branch of China Industrial Design Association, Zhejiang Computer Industrial Association, Accademia Italiana, and Botticino School of Restoration, Italy. The supporting units were the UN Technology Bank for Least Developed Countries, World Eco-Design Conference (UN Consultative NGO), School of Software Technology, Zhejiang University, Nottingham Ningbo China Beacons of Excellence Research and Innovation Institute, Engineering Research Center of Computer Aided Product Innovation Design of the Ministry of Education, and the National Eco-Industrial Design Institute.
 

The Vice Director of the Construction Leading Group of Ningbo Innovation Center, Zhejiang University, and Party Secretary of NingboTech University, Hu Zhengyu, Director of Ningbo Innovation Center, Zhejiang University, Yin Jianwei, Director of Art Branch of Higher Education Press, Liang Cunshou, Associate Senior Editor of China Education Daily, Li Xiaowei attended the Symposium and congratulated for the hosting of the Symposium by speeches.

 

More than 10 experts from Peking University, Tsinghua University, Zhejiang University, Royal College of Art, U.K. etc., of home and abroad presented their reports encompassing international design talents training at the Symposium. In addition, representatives of enterprises, such as Shanghai Xiaoji Internet Technology Co., Ltd., Ningbo Fotile Kitchen Ware Co., Ltd. also attended and spoke at the Symposium. When facing the disciplinary development of design in the era of “Design 4.0”, experts hold different academic opinions.

 

The Dean of the International School of Design, Ningbo Innovation Center, Zhejiang University, Prof. Luo Shijian took the International School of Design as an example, to address that design education shall insist on the “4-in-1” high-quality development model of “Put talents, standards, organization and design first”.

 

Prof. Peng Feng, from the School of Arts, Peking University shared “Get Design Involved in Life, From Critical Intervention to Constructive Intervention”. When the meaning of temporary design does no longer lie in pursuit of beauty, but in the involvement with reality. “Knowledge is developed to solve problems”, we shall get design involved in life, to serve life.

 

Prof. Fang Xiaofeng, Associate Dean of the Academy of Arts and Design, Tsinghua University indicated that cultural innovation and design innovation are 2 major missions in the new era, and the daily life is the source of cultural innovation, it provides space and objects for cultural innovation. Hence, regardless of cultural innovation or design innovation, they shall all originate from life, and be applied to life, design innovation must be able to render the distinctiveness of daily life.

 

Prof. Graeme BROOKER, Department Head of the Royal College of Art, U.K. discussed the impacts of development mode and strategy to the design discipline in an innovative way, from the angles of environmental protection and climate change while analyzing them.

 

Prof. Ji Tie, Director of the School of Design, Hunan University analyzed in specific issues of lax definition of “ big data of design”, shortages of design software and tools, scattered design platforms, deficiencies of China’s original data system and digital design ecology and so forth existing in the current domestic design industry, he transformed the traditional linear education procedures into a meshed design innovation system based on big data, he introduced a new disciplinary paradigm of China’s “Design 4.0” driven by data intelligence.

 

Prof. Liao Xi, Vice-Chancellor of Jiangnan University took the construction of the School of Design at Jiangnan University as an example, shared the 4E strategy in relation to the international cultivation of postgraduate students in design - Engage, Enlarge, Enrich and Empower.

 

Prof. Sun Xu, the University of Nottingham Ningbo China concluded that there are 2 core problems in design and manufacturing talents cultivation in higher education institutes, and he took the talent cultivation practice at the University of Nottingham Ningbo China as an example, shared a new paradigm of design and manufacturing design cultivation driven by innovation through international cooperation.

 

Du Yixue, editor of Higher Education Press shared “Refection on Textbook Construction in Undergraduate Level of National First-Class Universities ”, and her opinions in design as an editor.

 

Xue Mengru, Assistant Professor International School of Design, Ningbo Innovation Center, Zhejiang University further shared the strategies and practices in cultivating international design leading talents implemented at ZJU-ISD.

 

Wang Xinkai, Associate Professor, NingboTech University shared “Carry Out Designs in Motherland”, and went through the founding history and students cultivation and practices of the School of Design, NingboTech University.

 

Li Hui, Founder of Shanghai Xiaoji Internet Technology Co., Ltd. analysed the trends of current product design in the angles of enterprise construction, product design etc., of Xiaoji, he believed that we shall break rules to design, and develop our own new art by weeding through the old.

 

Li Shu, Leader of Industrial Design Group of Central Research Academy of Ningbo Fotile Kitchen Ware Co., Ltd. shared the construction and appliance of design aesthetics under the cultural system of Fotile combining with the development history of Fotile.

 

Moreover, Prof. Filippo Pernis of Accademia Italiana, Prof. Salvatore AMURA, Chancellor of Botticino School of Restoration, Italy were also invited to share their perspectives in design education and industry innovation.
 

To stand still in Ningbo, serve Zhejiang, and look into the future. The serial International Symposiums on Design Education and Industry Innovation is an exchange platform forged by Ningbo Innovation Center, Zhejiang University, and open to experts, scholars, and entrepreneurers in design industry to speak out. By sharing and discussions on professional construction over and over, they will surely bring new concepts and directions for design education and industry innovation.