Shenzhen Design Week ‘brings different voices to benefit all’

Johnathon Strebly gives an interview to reporters Thursday. Sun Yuchen

Shenzhen Design Week, which kicked off Thursday, will bring in a larger conversation that will benefit all the cities everywhere with voices from Shenzhen and other design cities, according to Johnathon Strebly, former president of the International Council of Design.

This is the second time that Strebly has participated in Shenzhen Design Week and third time that he has visited the city. During an interview Thursday, Strebly said that Shenzhen has continuously improved every year.

“Shenzhen has done a beautiful job in being able to remember its past celebrations and to build on those successes. What I am seeing this time is the elevation of the level of dialogue and the impact of the commitment and contributions to innovation and technology, and especially design from Shenzhen,” he said.

Strebly suggested that Shenzhen continue doing what it has done in terms of design. “If Shenzhen continues to expand conversations, expand more events like this and competitions with new ideas coming through, Shenzhen can always do good,” Strebly said.

Strebly observed that one of Shenzhen’s advantages lies in its young spirit. “Shenzhen is a young city and has the youngest average age [in China]. Most importantly, it has a vision and perspective that is forward-looking,” he said.

“In Shenzhen, you can expect to see new [things] and design solutions to problems that we might not have the technologies to apply today, but you have to understand that questions need to be asked all the time and solutions will continue to come in and grow. The technologies that have been advanced will improve the world we are living in,” he added.