Creative Industry Week in Shanghai

Events / Product design

The Shanghai International Creative Industry Week was held 15-21 November. More than 60 Dutch creative companies showed their work in a 2000 m2 exhibition space. Check out this design.nl report from Dutch company Mattmo, a cross-media studio specialised in visual communications.

By Mattmo concept | design / 20-11-2007

From hats to architecture
Over 60 members of the Dutch design community are here: the International Creative Industry Week in Shanghai. The venue is at The Old Millfun 1933. The thought that the immense and impressive building used to be the biggest slaughterhouse in Shanghai is quickly pushed aside. The Dutch participants, ranging from a solitary hat designer to 30 architectural firms, fill a complete floor in the Dutch Design Expo. And not surprisingly, as Shanghai seems more booming than ever.

New partners
For us the main reason to be in Shanghai again is to meet with potential partners to open a Mattmo office in Shanghai. After a lengthy and thorough Chinese orientation in which we invested in building a bit of a network we cannot wait to start. And it seems to have paid off. From Beijing to Xiamen our friends come flying in to introduce us to a diversity of parties who are interested in joining forces with us. At the exhibition a mother introduces her undergraduate daughter who has never spoken to a foreigner, but impresses us by hesitantly addressing us in almost fluent English. An eager businessman tells us: “I will become your partner, but not now. Just tell me how many of my flags you want to buy, a hundred thousand?”

Beer and cheese
Holland Day attracts a lot of visitors. The local guests look at Dutch snacks, cheese sandwiches and cookies with slight suspicion. The Heineken beers are welcomed with big smiles. We join in the Pecha Kucha night.

"Your red is good"
Brand identity has a different meaning in China. As does the appreciation of original creativity: “How much for that logo in blue?” Our visits to two contrasting design agencies reveal how complex Chinese visual communication culture can be. We are introduced to intricate designs, built up like a puzzle. Ancient myths and sagas are combined with Chinese characters, completed with colour symbolism and placed in a contemporary setting. A visitor studies our company colour brochure appreciatively: “Your red is good. You will be very successful in China.”

Rapid change
Every day we are more aware of the fact that China is changing rapidly. Whereas last year business cards were presented ritually – with two hands and a slight bow, now the protocol is often followed or even preceded by a handshake. “Have you been to the Shanghai World Finance Center yet?” our interpreter asks us standing at the Bund looking over the Huang Po River. We expect to find the familiar view of the prestigious Grand Hyatt Hotel on the Pudong side. In what seems to be only a few months the even taller landmark has risen next to it. The dynamics are infectious. And we enjoy being part of it to the max.