The 2024 International Design Factory Week (IDFW) was held in Bogotá, the capital of Colombia. This distant country is over 20 hours away by flight from Korea, where Design Factory Korea is located. Nevertheless, our director willingly attended to gain insights that would contribute to the development of Design Factory Korea.
On the first day, before the official program began, ice-breaking activities were conducted. The first activity was a "treasure hunt," where participants searched for items that reflected South American cultural characteristics and shared their names and features while forming teams. This not only helped build camaraderie among participants but also allowed them to connect more closely with the culture of South America. Additionally, activities like 'DFGN Bingo', which highlighted the characteristics of the institutions or universities participants belonged to, were organized to facilitate getting to know each other.
From the second day, there were discussions and presentations regarding collaborative projects between design factories. Our Yonsei University had previously conducted joint classes with eight countries, including Brunel University London and Hanam University, led by Ford Motor Company last semester. In a project where Ford awarded the top three entries, our university secured third place. It was agreed to continue similar projects next year, and discussions focused on improvements and enhancements for this project over the two days.
This year's event has transformed into an educator-centered academic conference, a change that was clearly evident in the newly introduced 'DFGN Unboxed 2024' session. Participants in this session, who served as presenters, were required to prepare presentations on their design education experiences in advance. Felipe and Sara, the facilitators of IDFW, asked our director to present on the toolkit during the DFGN Unboxed session when they visited DFK in this June. As a result, the director took the time to explain how this toolkit can be used as an educational tool and what advantages it offers.
This gathering of design-focused institutions from around the world, discussing the future, presents many models that can serve as examples for the growth of Design Factory Korea at Yonsei University. Additionally, it provides firsthand insights into international design education and serves as a starting point for overseas joint classes and exchanges, as stakeholders from universities and educational institutions across various countries come together.
