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CMF Conference

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Unveiling Global Insights on Color, Materials, and Finishes
 

In 2024, Design Shanghai launched its first CMF Conference, aiming to enhance product value through CMF design and create a better life. Themed on “A Life Brimming with Passion”，through CMF, the most direct design tool for elevating emotions, the conference helped people cultivate higher-quality life experiences, boost confidence, reignite vitality, and provide spiritual nourishment through simple joys and fleeting passions in everyday life.

 

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CMF Conference 2025 Theme

Feeling of Touch

This year, we expand on this theme with “Feeling of Touch.” We will revisit the importance of CMF and explore its potential across multidimensional perceptions. In our digital age, where screens flood our lives, touch may seem less important as the virtual world continues to expand. Yet, as we reflect on the loneliness and alienation of digital living, the feeling of touch, the most primal and direct sensual experience, has resurfaced in our sight. The intrinsic “touch art” of CMF design will guide us back to reality and reconnect with our inner selves.

Simultaneously, many designers are returning to their roots and authenticity. An increasing number of them are integrating diverse local aesthetics and craft traditions into modern design. They use the most simple and direct materials to create an unparalleled tactile experience through innovative techniques and design.

Amidst digitalization, tactile design is thriving, not diminishing. Designers should prioritize its role in CMF, crafting richer, more humanistic product experiences through innovative design.

The conference will consist of three parts: the first will discuss the interplay of color and touch in architecture and environment; the second will show the touch and materials of products and handicrafts; and the third will feature high-tech material companies unveiling the technologies behind the rich tapestry of touch. We hope this conference will immerse participants in the allure of colors, materials, and furnishing while exploring endless possibilities of exceptional design.

4 Key Sub-Themes 

Day 1 Morning

Theme 1: Touch My Heart

We will draw inspiration from art to stir deep emotional connections. Using the most unexpected materials, we aim to create an unparalleled tactile experience through innovative techniques and design, bringing vibrant, youthful CMF designs that resonate with people.

Day 1 Afternoon

Theme 2: Evoke the Time

Our memories are shaped by history, with colors, textures and touch bringing them vividly to life, making CMF more emotionally impactful. The enduring value of past memories lies in the human emotions they evoke. We will dive into the rich history of urban and automotive design with designers to uncover more classic memories and creative possibilities of CMF design.

Day 2 Morning

Theme 3: Explore the Material

In this age, environmental awareness embedded in CMF design and its commitment to global symbiosis have become key elements that resonate with people. The current challenge is seamlessly incorporating sustainability into CMF design and maintaining an aesthetic balance and maximizing its environmental impact.

Day 2 Afternoon

Theme 4: Apply the Technology

How can we quantify CMF design that deeply resonates with people? And how can we streamline the design process in a more professional and convenient way? We look forward to working with you at this forum to explore solutions.

CMF Conference 2025 Speakers

  • Markus Frentrop

    Markus Frentrop

    Global Head of RAL COLOURS and RAL Academy
  • Jiong Fu

    Jiong Fu

    Director of Design Trend Institute, Shanghai Jiao Tong University
  • Maosen GAO

    Maosen GAO

    CEO, Techic CMF Center, Germany NFF Automotive Research Center, Senior CMF Expert Member of GAEC
  • Hongyu Guo

    Hongyu Guo

    PhD., Professor, Doctoral Supervisor, Guangzhou University; Urban Color Expert
  • Min WEI

    Min WEI

    Director and General Manager, SPARK China
  • Shuangquan WU

    Shuangquan WU

    Chief Senior Engineer, Board Member/Chief Engineer and Design Director, Kuangda Technology Group Co., Ltd.
  • Ming ZHANG

    Ming ZHANG

    Vice president of China Industrial Design Association, chairman of Automotive industry branch, initiator of "New noble Aesthetics"

 

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CMF Training Workshops

 

Sessions：

June 6 13:00-17:30

June 7 11:00-15:30

 

This year’s CMF Training Workshops offers two distinct sessions tailored to different expertise levels: Introduction Level - Basic CMF and Advanced Level - Advanced CMF.

The Introduction Level workshop focuses on the fundamentals of CMF (Color, Material, Finish) and how material-led design can inspire innovation. As consumers increasingly demand compelling stories and exceptional design in products, interiors, and furniture, materials have emerged as the central narrative drivers. Guided by world-renowned materials designer and author Chris Lefteri, participants will explore hands-on methods applied by global brands like Google, LG, and Amazon to elevate their design process and create meaningful connections with consumers through CMF.

The Advanced Level workshop delves deeper into the strategic role of CMF in design. Aimed at professionals looking to refine their expertise, this session emphasizes cross-organizational collaboration and advanced CMF techniques. Participants will learn to integrate innovative materials, manufacturing methods, and trends to craft unique CMF solutions. With a focus on materials as storytelling elements, the workshop introduces cutting-edge practices used by leading brands, led by Chris Lefteri’s unparalleled expertise in material-led design.

 

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