Chia-Pin Yang

Department: Man and Communication

Created in Taiwan

“Is design the exclusive domain of designers?” That’s what Chia-Pin Yang wondered. And so, he asked over 100 fellow Taiwanese urbanites for their on-the-spot design ideas. Yang was surprised to discover that these amateurs could give professional designers a run for their money. Their unique and insightful ideas included: a picnic table complete with built-in tree – guaranteeing a spot in the shade, a flower-shaped wind turbine to give this form of eco-energy a friendlier look, and a housing complex in the form of a cruise ship. Yang compiled the best ideas in a book, Created in Taiwan, also including his interviewees’ original sketches. Designers watch out!