"Held from November 3 to 8, 2025, the Department of Industrial Design at Seoul-based Hongik University presented its annual Graduation Exhibition under the theme 'The Use of Uselessness: What If.' Moving beyond conventional purpose-centered design, the exhibition serves as an open dialogue between function, emotion, and culture, challenging students to find creative value in concepts that exist beyond conventional utility."
"The theme embodies a future-oriented design attitude that celebrates curiosity and imagination, encouraging graduates to break free from binary thinking. From product and mobility to spatial and interaction design, many projects leverage technologies like emotional AI and advanced robotics, reflecting Hongik's commitment to nurturing designers who understand the evolving relationship between humans, technology, and society with both analytical thinking and creative sensitivity. Below, we dive into some of the standout concepts that showcase the creativity and technical expertise of the next generation of industrial designers."
Hongik University's Department of Industrial Design staged a 2025 Graduation Exhibition under the theme 'The Use of Uselessness: What If,' encouraging design beyond mere function. The exhibition positioned design as an interplay of function, emotion, and culture, urging creative exploration of concepts that transcend conventional utility. Projects covered product, mobility, spatial, and interaction design, integrating technologies such as emotional AI and advanced robotics. Selected works emphasized emotional wellbeing and speculative futures, including EDEN's personalized light-and-scent home ecosystem for comfort and HALE's proposal of personal flight as a new athletic domain.
Read at designboom | architecture & design magazine
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