Angelica Li

The Role of Intermediaries in the Design Industry: an Economical Analysis of the Arts World Angelica Li

Every time I discover a clever design product, no matter it is a mug, a vase, a piece of furniture, or a building, I can not help admiring the smart creativity of the designer. However, very few good designs come from Chinese designers. Is it because of the lack of capable creative individuals in China? Or is it because of the poor design education? I used to think so, but my idea changed after my encounter with a group of extraordinary young Chinese designers when I was working as assistant curator for a Chinese Contemporary Art Exhibition in Rotterdam. During the talk with them, I found that what the Chinese design industry in great need of is not talented designers-there are already a lot- but a mechanism that could bring the design talents into practice. The research result shows that different level and form of intermediation in the European and Chinese design system explains the difference on the level of design creativity, and that stronger support of organizational intermediation offers more space for both business development and artistic innovation in the design industry.