Enhance the competitiveness of Seoul’s design industry

Support the development of the design industry

Seoul-si and Seoul Design Foundation are working together on developing and implementing a variety of policies aimed at providing specific support for creating the city’s design industry ecosystem, with focus on enhancing the competitiveness of small and medium-sized businesses operating in Seoul. The goal of these policies is to facilitate organic cooperation between small businesses and design-specializing companies for win-win synergistic effects, which in turn is expected to improve the quality of their products and services, eventually leading to raising the global competitiveness of Seoul. Under these policies, we will help develop a pool of qualified designers by helping fledgling design companies grow and provide assistance for small businesses to increase their design competencies in all aspects of their operations including product planning, design development, marketing, and market development.

Seoul’s representative design festival

Seoul Design (Seoul Design Week)

Seoul Design Week is a platform for collaboration between Seoul’s representative designers, universities, businesses, and design-related agencies that have been suggesting solutions for Seoul-type lifestyle through designs and industrial distribution platforms.
As a venue for seeking a better life through designs, it includes various programs such as: events for communication between designers and citizens, businesses and agencies, schools and local community: collaboration exhibition of designers and specialized businesses; interior special exhibitions; promotion of design products that suggest Seoul’s life design solutions; trend forum and designer PT shows and design college students' employment fair.

Seoul Design website, click here

Youth designers and small business owners meet.

DDP Design Fair

DDP Design Fair is a project that arranges meetings between designers and small business owners.

New products are created through the synergy of small business owners' product development know-how and designers’ ideas.

The Seoul Design Foundation provides support collaboration opportunities with designers for small business owners who need help in designs for the development of products so that they can complete new products and design brands.

The foundation also engages in the fair sharing of the economic added value of designs through DDP Design Fair.

DDP Design Fair is a new design platform that exhibits and introduces the products created through collaborations between business owners who dream of improving sales and designers who have ideas under the theme of all kinds of designs for small businesses.

DDP Design Fair, click here

Lead citizens’ lifestyle.

DDP design store

The Seoul Design Foundation is constructing a virtuous cycle of Seoul design brand in the form of contest selection – new product development –distribution & sales – promotional marketing to establish design craft products as lifestyle design assets in Korea and overseas and is providing project-related support such as new product development and contests through local masterpiece products and collaborations. Following the "2019 Seoul Design Brand Exhibition" as a design festival where design and craft brands get together, the Seoul Design Foundation began DDP Design Store to undertake K-DESIGN led by DDP. It developed DDP masterpiece brand product groups that can lead Seoul’s lifestyle culture by realizing traditional techniques, and it is discovering Seoul’s excellent designs and craft products by organizing experts from different fields such as design/crafts/marketing into a product store selection committee. In addition, it is promoting store products and supporting the expansion of markets in Korea and overseas by participating in overseas expos every year. It is rediscovering the design value of the Seoul lifestyle and establishing brand identity as DDP brand products are selected as new products of Seoul High Land, which reflected the Korean craft material technique and production technology. Products of DDP limited-edition brand selected and developed by 50 reputable designer craft artists are currently selling at DDP design store.

To visit the DDP Design Store

A place for design business, collaboration and education to promote youth startups

The Seoul Design Startup Center

The Seoul Design Startup Center founded and run jointly by the Seoul Metropolitan Government and Seoul Design Foundation is a sustainable support infrastructure to promote the growth of youth design startups and innovation startups. The center with spaces tailored to design startups and customized programs can help young designers launch their business as a small but promising startup, and it intends to position itself as the hub of Seoul Youth Design startups and share the growth.

Design Startup Package is a startup support program designed to help design entrepreneurs take on challenges and grow organically.

- 1:1 mentoring for design startups
- Design startup forums: One can listen to lectures by successful design entrepreneurs and motivate oneself to realize one’s dream.
- Demo Day for design companies to attract investors
- Workshops and talk concerts where problems can be solved and learning from others’ experiences is possible

To go to Seoul Design Startup Center