The Design Trash Container Among the Main Characters of the 2024 Edition

The Red Dot Design Museum in Xiamen

The Red Dot Design Museum in Xiamen is the third and most recent Red Dot museum, following those in Essen and Singapore. Opened in 2018, it hosts over 10 design exhibitions annually, showcasing more than 1,000 projects from around the world. That same year saw the launch of the first Social Design Action, an exhibition aimed at showcasing the most interesting innovations in China and contributing to the evolution of global design.

The event aims to create a dialogue to foster cross-cultural influences from around the world, encouraging exchange and integration in a pluralistic and diverse environment. By bringing together designers, initiatives, and creative ideas from around the globe, it seeks to inspire a problem-solving attitude through design thinking, promote social innovation, and facilitate social development through the power of design.

The Social Design Exhibition

In its 2024 edition, the Social Design Action enters its sixth year. The exhibition, scheduled from July 13 to September 21, will feature 68 exceptional design works from 26 countries and regions worldwide. These works have been categorized into four chapters: “Diverse Individuals,” “Dual Environment,” “One Society,” and “Social Design Alliance.” The range of projects includes urban planning solutions, public art, educational innovation, environmental protection, healthcare, and rural revitalization. This year’s theme, “Co-Blossoming Society,” aspires to explore the harmonious and sustainable coexistence between humanity, nature, and society.

The Role of the Social Designer

During the opening, Zhang Sitian, creative director and curator, led an official tour of the exhibition, introducing the works and new challenges in design. The exhibition showcases the original intentions of “social designers” in a broad sense: artists, architects, and scholars exploring ways for a more harmonious coexistence between humans and nature and within society.

The artists aim to understand needs, stimulate creativity, facilitate cooperation, and bring about change through design initiatives inspired by social issues. The Social Design Exhibition invites the public to immerse themselves in the diverse living conditions of various communities, confront complex social challenges, and recognize the potential of design to promote environmental sustainability, cultural diversity, and community harmony. The ideas presented in the exhibition will take root in our minds like seeds, sprouting into a perennial source of hope.

U-Trash Among the Exhibited Projects

Among the 68 works on display, U-Trash, our Design Trash Container, stands out. Selected from numerous competing projects, U-Trash caught the organizers’ attention with its elegant design and sustainable spirit. A colorful and indestructible trash container, perfect for both indoor environments and outdoor placement. Featuring an iconic naval windsock shape, it is the perfect functional, elegant, and sophisticated design object. In a 2024 edition that questions the possible coexistence of society and sustainable design, U-Trash emerges as one of the most interesting answers on the international scene.