Leveraging the company’s resources in newspapers and websites, the uDesign platform targets Taiwan’s cultural and creative products, aiming to serve as a conduit between the designers and consumers.
“Original designs hailing from Taiwan have won accolades and recognition in various international competitions, but they seldom translate into commodities or achieve economies of scale,” UDN President Wang Wen-shan said.
“The web-based uDesign platform seeks to link these innovative creations with the market by integrating resources while promoting the global presence of Taiwan-designed products.”
Collaborating with Institute for Information Industry’s Creative Industry Center, Taipei National University of the Arts-based KD Art Culture Industry Innovation Incubation Center, Taiwan Normal University and Taiwan Designers’ Web, uDesign boasts a lineup of 120 Taiwan designer brands and features over 3,600 products in store.
It is expected that via crowdsourcing and online shopping functions provided by the platform, small creative startups will more easily access consumers, market their products and raise funds for developing new projects.
“The platform is a means of constructing communities, fostering talents and developing the industry,” UDN said. “Our ultimate goal is to help those creative minds make their dreams come true.”
UDN plans to build upon the platform’s potential through a design award set for launch in September. Original concepts and commercialized products can enter the competition offering a cash prize of up to NT$300,000 (US$10,000). (YHC-JSM)
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