Dr. Lee Jiwon CEO of Valueformer       In the 1980s, Japan was in the midst of an economic boom. The market was overflowing with flashy and extravagant products, yet Muji emerged from the exact opposite direction. The brand name itself meant “no-brand quality goods,” and it began as a private label for the Japanese supermarket chain Seiyu. Its philosophy was simple: remove the unneces...

INDEX offers a more dimensional view of the design landscape across Asia by introducing design studios and companies that demonstrate clear design philosophies and notable achievements. Spanning graphic design, branding, spatial design, product, digital, and motion, INDEX focuses on emerging practices and looks beyond portfolios to examine how they work, where their ideas come from, and what they ...

Prof. Ryan Jongwoo Choi Professor at Hanyang University       We often misunderstand designers as creators who bring something out of nothing, like a god of creation. But to be precise, that belongs more to the realm of inventors who discover entirely new principles, which is quite different from the true nature of design. Looking at the history of industrial design, no great outcome has e...

Sungmin Park Architectural Design Team Leader at IPARK Hyundai Development Company “‘PARK OASIS,’ awarded the highest honor, Design of the Year, at the Asia Design Prize, is a project that interprets space not as form, but as a flow of experience. Through the structural concepts of circulation, center, and connection, it weaves together the city, people, and everyday m...

Sungmin Park Architectural Design Team Leader at IPARK Hyundai Development Company “‘PARK OASIS,’ awarded the highest honor, Design of the Year, at the Asia Design Prize, is a project that interprets space not as form, but as a flow of experience. Through the structural concepts of circulation, center, and connection, it weaves together the city, people, and everyday m...

Jarut Chanprapanont & Kumphol Ponpisute Co-founder, Studio Marketing Materials “Studio Marketing Materials (SMM) is a Bangkok-based design studio working across strategy, culture, and visual execution. Since its founding in 2015, the studio has developed a methodology that treats branding not as surface expression, but as a system aligning vision, process, and outcome. Through...

Dongyup Lee Founder, CROSS2 Inc. “CROSS2 Inc.approaches product design not as the creation of form, but as the process of designing structures that solve problems between products and users. Rather than relying on aesthetics or trends, the studio focuses on defining why certain forms and functions are necessary, building logical solutions grounded in patents and technology. The co...

  Jimmy Chang CEO, UID Create       “Founded nearly two decades ago, UID has developed an approach to design that moves beyond conventional product styling and visual identity. Rather than focusing only on form, the studio sees design as a structural process that connects manufacturing, communication, and social context. Through projects spanning industrial design, branding, exhibition...

Dr. Lee Jiwon CEO of Valueformer       In the 1980s, Japan was in the midst of an economic boom. The market was overflowing with flashy and extravagant products, yet Muji emerged from the exact opposite direction. The brand name itself meant “no-brand quality goods,” and it began as a private label for the Japanese supermarket chain Seiyu. Its philosophy was simple: remove the unneces...

INDEX offers a more dimensional view of the design landscape across Asia by introducing design studios and companies that demonstrate clear design philosophies and notable achievements. Spanning graphic design, branding, spatial design, product, digital, and motion, INDEX focuses on emerging practices and looks beyond portfolios to examine how they work, where their ideas come from, and what they ...

Prof. Ryan Jongwoo Choi Professor at Hanyang University       We often misunderstand designers as creators who bring something out of nothing, like a god of creation. But to be precise, that belongs more to the realm of inventors who discover entirely new principles, which is quite different from the true nature of design. Looking at the history of industrial design, no great outcome has e...

Director Junwoo Shim Founder of  SUNNY ISLAND       “Run for your life!” The urgent voice of the announcer, delivered alongside a warning message filling the screen, was clearly different from conventional disaster broadcasts. In 2024, NHK’s emergency broadcasting no longer remains calm and formal in tone. Moving away from a purely informational approach, it now uses more direct an...