Design competitions are an important milestone for every student during their course of study. Competitions not only test students’ understanding of design; they serve as a comprehensive display of the individual’s creative and conceptual abilities. The scope of evaluation in modern design awards extends beyond craftsmanship and aestheticism and places more emphasis on “planning”. The design process is the amalgamation of numerous plans, from topic selection to actual creation of the finished work. Thus, the evaluation cannot rely purely on exquisite visual expression but must also expore how the artist methodically advanced their plans, accurately interpreted the topic, and clearly conveyed their concepts to a target audience.

This article is based on my experiences both as a student competitor, and more recently, as an industry judge. It explores the crucial stages of a project, from topic selection, establishing a target audience, and design trade-offs to practicing cooperation. I share how to achieve balance among these aspects to create works that possess both depth and quality.

1. Planning: From topic selection to interpretation

Topic selection is the first step in the creative process.  The decisions at this stage affect the project’s subsequent direction and outcomes. The topic cannot simply reflect the creator’s own viewpoints; the creator must also consider whether the topic can resonate with spectators or users. Over the past few years, many project topics have become fashionable, including environmental protection, culture, religion, and small farms. Other social issues have also gradually become hot topics. Although these topics have attractive elements, they are also highly homogenous. At the beginning of the creation process, all creators must consider the question of how to find a new and original topic with the potential for penetrating introspection.

Starting with topic selection, every step of the planning process requires a clear, precise design philosophy to transmit ideas to the audience in the ideal manner. This allows the work to go beyond aesthetic exploration and express profound meaning.

2. TA: Defining a clear target audience

Another important aspect of the design process is defining the target audience. Every design needs to clearly answer the question of “Who is this for?”; otherwise, regardless of how complete or detailed the vision, it may be lost. During the judging process, we repeatedly discuss whether the target audience is clearly defined, and whether the audience’s needs are reflected in the design.

With some works, although the synthesized form is extremely well realized, because the plan itself lacks clear objectives, or the direction is too vague, it is ultimately eliminated by the judging panel. Even if the design appears very attractive, if its core fails to genuinely touch the audience, the work loses the majority of its significance. To put it another way, if the creator had more precisely oriented the work toward their target audience and adjusted the relevance, the results would be completely different.

3. Trade-off: Artistic balance within the design

In the case of a completed project, the time spent creating the work can extend for several weeks or longer. Designers have ample time to explore or develop various creative ideas. However, it is precisely because of this long-term investment that the work can sometimes become overextended and jumbled. By overloading a design with unnecessary elements, the work can actually lose its focal point and become excessively complex.

Learning what to keep and what to omit is an important concept in the creative process. Design is not simply about “more” or “quantity”; it also needs a perspective of what’s “appropriate”. An outstanding design does not necessarily need numerous elements or components; rather, it just needs to present its topic using the most suitable vehicle. Excessively divergent items can muddle the work’s topic or even weaken its overall impact. Creators should try to eliminate unnecessary elements and spotlight the central focal point. Through subtractive design, it is possible to emphasize the work’s persuasiveness and aesthetics.

4. Integration: Teamwork and collaboration

When creating works as part of a team, it becomes necessary to consider how to control the quality of every team member’s work. Team members with different backgrounds, skill levels, and ideas can bounce off each other to spark fireworks of innovation, but such groups frequently develop problems of uneven work allocation or unclear project direction. How can the team achieve the effective management and coordination needed to integrate work details and ensure that each link in the chain can achieve the same stylistic standard?

Design teams can establish a design coordinator or art director whose role is to clearly understand each member’s strengths and weaknesses. When a certain team member’s performance does not meet expectations, the design coordinator must promptly make adjustments to ensure the project maintains consistent standards throughout the development period. This sort of integrated effort not only elevates the overall quality of the finished project, in the process it also teaches each team member to cooperate and get along, thereby achieving the best results.

5. Material: Integrating the work’s vehicle

To showcase design results, an understanding and proper application or materials is an important supplementary element. Appropriate materials or craftsmanship can give people a deep lasting impression while clearly transmitting the design concepts and ideas to the audience. In a design competition that requires the physical exhibition of the work, selecting appropriate high-quality media to express your design ideas becomes the key to advancing to the next phase.

An appropriate vehicle not only helps to explain the ideas behind the design but also guides spectators to understand the work’s deeper meaning. The pairing of materials and design should complement each other. To understand the materials’ characteristics and their application techniques, creators must actually create prototypes and engage in experimentation. This way they can avoid ineffective and superfluous additions and make the work more complete through concise and accurate expression.

6. Freedom: Explore your own design path

Throughout the creative process, many designers face outside pressures (from classes, teachers, peers…). Both market demands and other people’s expectations can impact the initial plan composition. However, design creation is a journey of self-exploration and expressing ideas. During an individual’s exploratory process, every creator should remember that good design is rooted in long-term design viewpoints and accumulated life experience. The most profound task is to start from your own most authentic ideas and seek the best balance among the audience, the marketplace, and yourself.

In reality, the gap between design creation and an award-winning work, doesn’t only hinge on the degree of aesthetic refinement. It also involves how, starting from the overall plan, the creator carefully considers each design strategy down to the smallest detail. Whether it’s clearly defining the target audience, making appropriate trade-offs in the design, or the team’s internal teamwork, these elements jointly lead to the work’s final outcome. Design is not only an exhibition of skill, it is also a means of conveying thoughts and feelings. In both team collaborations and individual creations, the conceptual core should seek personal breakthroughs and face each design choice honestly.

Image: Design – Find different penetration points (I Promise)

Image: Design – Find different penetration points (We Promise)

Image: Mixed Media Exploration

Image: Media Integration

Image: Golden Butterfly Award winning project – Taiwan Monster Research Report (Flâneur Culture Lab)