Design in China: Shortage of creative talent in Shanghai

Shanghai has a shortage of creative design talent, experts said at a forum at the China International Industry Fair recently.

Chen Tianzhong, president of Wiselogic Investment Group, said in seven industries in Shanghai, including construction, advertising, light industry and multimedia, are eager to find more design personnel.

“Shanghai has more than 7,000 light industrial factories but only 6,000 product designers,” said Chen. “So each factory has fewer than one designer on average.”

The textile industry has the same problem, said Chen. “About 80 percent of the factories just do processing work but have no brand of their own,” he said.

The exhibition industry has the most urgent need for personnel because of the 2010 World Expo. “Exhibition designers, project planners and project managers are the most needed,” said Chen.

Chen said “creative studies” should be promoted in higher education institutions, to cultivate creative talent and nurture innovative thinking in Shanghai’s students.

Chen said the government could play a role in promoting creative talent and pointed to the United Kingdom as the “cradle of the world’s creative industry.”

Alev Adil from the University of Greenwich in the UK spoke at the forum, saying that creative industries have played a great role in the UK’s economic development.

She took Harry Potter as an example: J.K. Rowling‘s idea created in a cafe in Edinburgh has created a fortune of US$7.2 billion through books, movies, games, toys, clothing and tourism, she said.