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Editor's note: 
The 131st Canton Fair opened online on April 15. The ten-day fair features over 2.9 million products from 16 categories highlighting innovation, green development, etc. The Canton Fair Design Award (CF Award), held for nine years, helps discover many cutting-edge products combining design and business value. GDToday and Southcn.com interviewed the CF Award jury members about their insight on the fair and the product design trends.

"We are seeing more and more high-tech products entering the market," said Professor He Renke, the chair of the CF Award's judging panels at the Canton Fair, when talking about the trend entries for the CF Award in a recent interview with GDToday.

As the chair of the CF Award Judging panels and a member of the Red Dot International Design Award for many years, He believes that a good design should satisfy customers’ needs and be technology-centered. A complete product ecosystem of hardware, software, services, and content is essential too.

He recommended that in this year's fair, buyers could pay more attention to brands of young designers as they boast innovation and excellent growth potential.

Professor He Renke is the chair of the CF Award judging panels at the Canton Fair.

GDToday: As the chair of the CF Award judging panels, could you please tell us what changes will be in this year's award setting?
He: This year, the Award will present a new image. We have upgraded the specific awards and logo, trying to make it an award with both international and domestic influence.

It was specific to export commodities in the past, but now it is expanded to all excellent designs. The award now means much more. The CF Award is changing in both depth and breadth to some extent.

GDToday: What areas of products will you focus on?
He: In general, we will follow the pace of the times and pay attention to the various opportunities in the new wave. We can focus on the following categories: personal transportation products, such as electric cars, motorcycles, and bicycles; home office and online classroom products; personal health products; home decor products, such as lamps, furniture, and small household appliances.

The 2021 CF Gold Awards went to SKYWORTH W82 transformable TV.

GDToday: What designs would you recommend buyers to pay attention to?

He: Young designer brands are gradually making their marks worldwide. These brands are based on design innovation and boast great growth potential. In recent years, we can see that such designer brands or emerging brands based on high technology are taking the place of old brands at the Canton Fair.
Most Chinese products welcomed in the international markets are also new designs or those with the Internet of Things as the core. In terms of digital products, such as those made by domestic handset makers Xiaomi, OPPO, and VIVO, they enjoy an international market share of up to 50%.

GDToday: What can be called a good product design from your point of view? Do you have any suggestions for better designs?
He: A good design, first of all, should meet the needs of consumers.

Secondly, the basis of good products is technology, which is the core strength.

The business model is also very important. An enterprise's design ecosystem should embrace all needs of consumers from daily life to work. A single product's competitiveness is relatively weak. Enterprises must build up a product ecosystem of hardware, software, services, and contents. 

GDToday: What do you think of the changes in the entries over the years?

He: There has been a significant change, particularly related to our national development and demands of international markets. In the first two years of the Canton Fair, home accessories accounted for a large proportion. A few years ago, there were mostly household appliances. However, now there are more and more high-tech products.

GDToday: How do you evaluate their design and market value with so many products?

He: The CF Award is initially for the international market so that we will make a preliminary selection of products from buyers' perspectives. It is also an essential feature of the Canton Fair: the global perspective and bringing the world Chinese products.
Many international experts will also participate in the specific evaluation to ensure the global quality of design and products.