Students from the Department of Design at Taiwan Tech delivered an outstanding performance at the 2026 Golden Pin New Talent Design Award, with five groups of works standing out across the fields of product design and communication design. Among them, SHIELDEX Metro Carriage Emergency Defense Shield System won both a Product Design award and the Chinese Culture Association (CCA) Special Award, the “Island Resilience Design Award”, while (彡): The Hair of the New Discipline received the highest honor in the Communication Design category, the “Best Design Award.” Together, these achievements demonstrate the Taiwan Tech Department of Design’s strong commitment to social awareness, humanistic reflection, and innovative practice. The 2026 award also introduced the “Island Resilience Design Award” in cooperation with the Chinese Culture Association for the first time.

Kuang-Yu Chang and Szu-Han Tsai won both the Golden Pin New Talent Design Award in the Product Design category and the CCA Special Award, the “Island Resilience Design Award”, for SHIELDEX Metro Carriage Emergency Defense Shield System. The project originated from recent incidents of sudden attacks on metro trains and combines AI-based abnormal behavior detection, lighting alerts, and a physical defense device. It aims to provide passengers with immediate protection and emergency response guidance during the early stages of a crisis. The team explained that during the early stages of the creative process, they spent considerable time researching the structure of a foldable defense shield. However, after repeated testing and validation, they found that overly complicated operation during emergencies could actually create a barrier to use. They therefore returned to the design goals of being “intuitive, fast, and easy to use”, developing the final form of the product. Advisors Tung-Jung (David) Sung and Chun-Min Ko noted that the project responds to the public transportation safety issues that have attracted increasing social attention in recent years. Centered on immediate defense and simple operation, the work combines innovation, practicality, and social value, earning recognition from the judges.

Taiwan Tech Department of Design students Kuang-Yu Chang and Szu-Han Tsai received a Golden Pin New Talent Design Award in the Product Design category for SHIELDEX Metro Carriage Emergency Defense Shield System, as well as recognition through the CCA Special Award, the “Island Resilience Design Award”.

SHIELDEX Metro Carriage Emergency Defense Shield System integrates AI-based abnormality detection, lighting alerts, and a physical defense device. Through intuitive operational guidance, it helps passengers respond rapidly and protect themselves when unexpected incidents occur.

Cheng-En Yu and Ting-Yuan Wu won the highest honor in the Communication Design category, the “Best Design Award”, for (彡): The Hair of the New Discipline. The project examines the power, beliefs, and identity symbolism embodied by hair during different historical periods. Through a fictionalized historical narrative, the designers deconstruct and recombine various cultural symbols associated with hairstyles, exploring how people may reinterpret diversity, inclusivity, and self-identity as established norms gradually loosen. The team hopes to use design to encourage audiences to rethink bodily cultures that may appear ordinary in everyday life but are deeply influenced by social norms. Advisor I-Hao Liao believes that the project’s choice of “hair” - a subject closely connected to individuals yet rich in cultural significance - links history, culture, and contemporary social issues. It demonstrates that design is not merely a tool for solving problems but also an important medium for stimulating reflection and dialogue.

The work (彡): The Hair of the New Discipline by Taiwan Tech Department of Design students received the 2026 Golden Pin New Talent Design Award “Best Design Award – Communication Design”. Using hairstyle culture as its point of departure, the project explores the relationships among power, identity, and social discipline.

(彡): The Hair of the New Discipline takes hair culture as its core area of research and encourages viewers to reconsider the formation of historical discipline, identity, and social values.

The work BND-X by students Tzu-Hao Chang and Feng-Yue Lei originated from the “2025–2026 12th New Generation Design Exhibition Industry-Academia Collaboration” project. The team carried out a six-month industry-academia collaboration with the Yamaha Motor Taiwan R&D Center (YMRT), completing the project under the guidance of an industry mentor. The work won the Silver Award in the New Generation Design Exhibition Industry-Academia Collaboration program. Designed for outdoor camping enthusiasts, BND-X integrates storage, lighting, tabletop, and leisure functions into the motorcycle body, creating a future camping motorcycle that combines mobility with everyday living functions. It redefines the possibilities of motorcycles beyond their conventional role as transportation vehicles. The project was also recognized with a Golden Pin New Talent Design Award in the Product Design category. The team explained that the design process required them to balance an innovative concept, user scenarios, and mass-production feasibility. The final proposal was completed only after numerous rounds of discussion and adjustment. NTUST advisor Chun-Min Ko pointed out that BND-X accurately addresses the needs of outdoor users and demonstrates the students’ ability to transform creative ideas into products with market potential. It represents a concrete outcome of integrating theory and practice through industry-academia collaboration.

Taiwan Tech Department of Design students Feng-Yue Lei (left) and Tzu-Hao Chang (center), together with advisor Chun-Min Ko (right), present their industry-academia collaborative project BND-X. By rethinking how motorcycles can be used in outdoor living environments, the work received a Golden Pin New Talent Design Award in the Product Design category.

Under the guidance of professors Chien-Hsiung Chen and Yueh-Tsung Ho, Pei-Chen Lin and Yun-Hsia Ou jointly developed Rolloo Children’s Storage Play Cart, which received a Golden Pin New Talent Design Award in the Product Design category. The project transforms “tidying up toys” into an enjoyable interactive experience. The team observed that many parents often experience frustration when accompanying their children in cleaning up toys. Therefore, they adopted “learning through play” as the core design concept. Through a cycle of riding and collecting, the product guides young children to develop independent storage habits and spatial awareness through play, integrating educational principles into product design.

Taiwan Tech Department of Design student Pei-Chen Lin introduces Rolloo Children’s Storage Play Cart. Centered on the concept of “learning through play,” the project helps young children develop independent storage habits and spatial awareness.

Under the guidance of professors Tung-Hung Tsai and Hsiu-Chun Hsu, Yu-Wen Hsu and Chun-Wei Yu created Crescent, which received recognition in the Communication Design category of the Golden Pin New Talent Design Award. The project was inspired by the changing phases of the crescent moon. Through variable font technology, the typeface naturally shifts between smooth and sharp forms, presenting a distinctive style that combines traditional Chinese character aesthetics with modern geometric structures. The project not only captures contemporary trends in type design but also successfully transforms variable font technology into a design outcome that combines aesthetic appeal and practical functionality. Graduation project coordinator Ken-Tsai Li also provided students with considerable creative freedom, encouraging them to expand their design thinking and offering them opportunities to engage with different levels of thought within design education.

Taiwan Tech Department of Design students Yu-Wen Hsu (left) and Chun-Wei Yu (right) received a Golden Pin New Talent Design Award in the Communication Design category for their work Crescent. Through variable font technology, the project presents the changing phases of the crescent moon and demonstrates an innovative integration of traditional aesthetics and digital technology in type design.

The Golden Pin New Talent Design Award is not only one of Taiwan’s most significant competitions for emerging design talent but also a cradle for discovering numerous outstanding young designers. Taiwan Tech students distinguished themselves at this year’s competition, demonstrating the results of the university’s long-term commitment to design education. The award-winning works encompass diverse areas, including public safety, mobile living, children’s education, type design, and cultural research. They reflect the students’ ability to observe society, integrate interdisciplinary knowledge with design thinking, and propose innovative solutions with practical potential. Looking ahead, Taiwan Tech will continue to cultivate design professionals equipped with strong expertise, a spirit of innovation and adaptability, and a sense of social responsibility. Through design, the university will continue to respond to contemporary issues and create greater positive impact for society.