Choi Min-jae and 6 others of the Design Department awarded at Contest in Greece
[July 24, 2008]

We are now in an age that is passing \'intellectual management\' based on technology to an age of \'emotional management\' based on creativity. Thus, the value of design is becoming greater than ever before. Korean college students are being recognized for their skills in design across the world, which shows the possibility of Korean design for the future.

Yeungnam University announced on the 24th that seven students in the School of Design won awards at the International Poster Contest held in Greece.

Those who were honored were Choi Min-jae, Kim Hye-min, Park Hyeon-jeong, Bae Woo-ri, Yoo Seon-young, Kim Yoo-mi and Lee Min-ji, who are all sophomores in School of Design. This is the first time that they participated in an international contest, but they were all part of the 123 finalists of the 7th Poster Competition of the Island of Ithaca, Greece.

The subject of the competition was \'Dream\'. 1,900 art pieces from 70 different countries across the world participated, while Choi Min-jae (photo) was selected as the \'Best 10\'. Together with the nine other best pieces, they will be exhibited in the hiking trail at Ithaca (resort island in the Ionian Sea, also known as the home of Odyssey) throughout the summer. Furthermore, they will be given free lodging at Ithaca on the weekends for one month during July. This represents that they have been recognized as the \'best\' in Europe, which is the center of global design.

Moreover, only Choi and one other Malaysian were chosen as the \'Best 10\' from Asia. Last year, there were no Asians chosen as the \'Best 10\'. The 12 Distinction Awards were also given to only two Asians including Kim Yoo-mi and one other Indian. This shows how conservative the European art world is. But despite this, they showed their skills and received better-than-expected results. These young artists who dream to become designers can now have a broader perspective and greater confidence.

The participants stated that they were able to be free from their preconceptions and that they realized that they were small fish in a big pond while preparing for the international competition and that they were able to have a more free and creative mindset. In addition, they all agreed that they would study harder until their designs will wow the world and that they would not stop their challenges against the world.

They also did not forget to mention their appreciation to Lu Xin Jian (31, visual design), who instructed them for this competition. Thanks to the guidance of Professor Lu who majored in graphic design and pure arts, worked as a graphic designer in Canada and won many international competitions such as the world renown \'Chaumont Poster Festival in France\', students were able to acquire information related to the competition and also expand the limits of their imagination.

The students said that they were able to realize how much walls of stereotypes and biases were erected and also learn the eye-level of the world. They also added that Lu took time from her busy schedule to take extra care to guide her students. Thanks to her, the new challenge was not a burden, but in fact, fun.

Professor Lu stated, \"Participation in these competitions alone is a great educational opportunity. Students are able to discover their inner-self and realize what they truly want by doing their best for a concrete goal. However, they should not be stressed and compete while looking only at the results. This is because great results come only from free and fun imagination.\" Lu also added, \"The results of this competition will be a motivation for not only the winners, but other students as well, and I hope that this will be an opportunity for them to grow as representative designers for \'Design Korea\'.