Ming Chuan University
Winners profile
Lin Meng-Ru, Ma Yi-Hsuan, Chi Szu-Yu and Wu Chieh-Ling are students in the Department of Commercial Design at Ming Chuan University in Taipei, Taiwan. The famous, internationally acclaimed private university currently has around 21,000 enrolled students. In the Department of Commercial Design, the teaching and research focus is on the integration of humanities, aesthetics and technology, as well as on forging connections between education and industry. Largely independent projects are also promoted, as is demonstrated by this award-winning project.
Interview with Ming Chuan University
Red Dot: You created the project “Despotism” to serve a social and political cause. As creatives, why is it important to you to find solutions to such issues?
Ming Chuan University: Growing up in Taiwan, a free democratic society, modern young people today haven’t experienced a world under authoritarian rule, and their interest in politics has been decreasing. So for us, this work was a way to make people aware of the issue again.
Why did you choose the traditional book format for the project rather than social media, which are so popular with the younger generation?
We believe that hand-drawn lines evoke more emotions and have a stronger impact on readers. Also, stories and fairy tales have traditionally been conveyed through the medium of books. We expanded upon this concept and increased the size to an A3 format to showcase the exciting theme and the details.
What were the challenges of marrying the themes of dictatorship and despotism with the typical characteristics and imagery of a fairy tale?
We were initially concerned about being able to effectively convey our ideas. But when we subverted the conventional narrative concept by making the antagonist the ultimate winner, it sparked people’s interest, prompting them to read our content and savour its meaning.
What reactions have you received to the illustrations and the project as a whole?
Many people’s initial impression was that of a cute fairy tale book. But it by no means has the typical happy ending. The metaphors and deeper meanings gradually emerge during the reading process, encouraging introspection.
Since this is a student project: In your opinion, what are the most important topics in design education at the moment?
The most important thing at the moment, we believe, is to innovate both our heritage and our future, presenting serious issues with lightness and humour. We can always find better ways to solve our problems: in the contexts of culture, politics, environment and ecology.