Dr. Pang-Soong Lin, the PI of the Ministry of Education's "International Design Competition-Warring States Project in Design" and professor of Visual Communication at Asia University, observed that the Ministry of Education has been encouraging Taiwanese students to participate in international art and design competitions for 18 years. The competitions are divided into six categories: product design, visual communication design, digital animation, craft design, architecture and landscape design, and fashion design. The project targets 59 global international design competitions, and winning students are eligible for the Ministry of Education incentive funds.
Prof. Pang-Soong Lin mentioned that renowned international awards such as the German iF Design Award, the Red Dot Design Award, the Japanese G-Mark, the New York ADC, and theAmerican IDEA, known as the "Oscars of the design industry," have frequently recognized Taiwanese students. The " International Design Competition-Warring States Project in Design" has elicited participation from 61 schools, with 1,746 awarded works to date. This year, 203 entries passed the review, including 5 "Gold Awards," 3 "Silver Awards," and 11 "Bronze Awards."
This year, Asia University received awards for 33 works, among which:
- The work "ATTABU" created by students Zhang Zhenxiang, Ou Bocheng, Huang Shengwen, and Chen Yingxuan from the Department of Visual Communication won the Silver Award in the New York ADC Design Competition. They showcased the product, based in Wufeng District, Taichung City, formerly known as "A-Zao-Wu," which produces rice wine using local specialty fragrant rice. The packaging incorporates cultural creativity to market the product.
- The work "365days Taiwan Gourmet Calendar" by Chen Guoyi, a student from the Department of Digital Media, won a total of 20 international awards and received the German iF Design Excellence Award. Using visual illustrations, Chen represented various Taiwanese delicacies, combined with a traditional tear-off calendar, showcasing the significance of different Taiwanese dishes.
- The work "Stop Poaching" by Jiang Jingxuan, a student from the Department of Visual Communication, earned the third prize at the Mexico International Poster Biennial. Using a satirical approach, the work highlights the selfish and illegal activities of humans in hunting and trafficking animals.
Additionally, 30 other works received awards such as the German Red Dot Design Award and the Golden Bee Award at the Moscow International Biennale of Graphic Design.
President Jeffrey J. P. Tsai stated that since the establishment of the Creative Design College in the academic year 2007, Asia University has actively encouraged students to participate in international creative design competitions, resulting in impressive achievements and receiving support funds from the Ministry of Education. For ten consecutive years, Asia University has been ranked first in the number of awards won in international competitions within the Taiwanese higher education system. This not only boosts the confidence of winning students in their design field but also serves as a role model for other students, meanwhile strengthening their competitiveness in the workplace.
