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DesignNewswire · COMO, Italy ·

Juiyi Yen Is Honored with the A' Design Award for Royal Lab Morphis Social Empowerment in Public Awareness, Volunteerism, and Society Design

Juiyi Yen acknowledged for public awareness, volunteerism, and society design by the international grand jury of the 2025 - 2026 A' Design Award & Competition

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

COMO, Italy, April 15, 2026 /DesignNewswire/ A' Design Award & Competition has confirmed the A' Design Award in the Public Awareness, Volunteerism, and Society Design category for Royal Lab Morphis Social Empowerment by Juiyi Yen, designed for Royal Brand Integration Ltd.. The award was conferred within the 2025 - 2026 A' Design Award & Competition and was decided through blind peer review by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members, who evaluated anonymized entries against predetermined criteria.

About the A' Design Award

The Iron A' Design Award is awarded to good designs that meet the rigorous professional and industrial standards set by the A' Design Awards. This recognition is reserved for works that demonstrate a solid understanding of design principles and show creativity within their execution. Recipients of the Iron A' Design Award are acknowledged for their practical innovations and contributions to their respective fields, providing solutions that improve quality of life and foster positive change. These designs are a testament to the skill and dedication of their creators, showcasing their ability to address real-world challenges through thoughtful design.

More About Royal Lab Morphis Social Empowerment

Royal Lab Morphis reframes learning as an evolving cultural ecosystem that links heritage craft with contemporary practice. The project transforms museums, workshops and everyday urban spaces into open learning sites where knowledge is passed through direct hands on engagement. Over three years, 13 master craftspeople in Tokyo and Taiwan mentored 123 learners, resulting in 75 percent tertiary admission for secondary students, 80 percent clarity for emerging professionals and alumni returning as facilitators. Morphis complements formal education by offering a scalable, community centered model.

About Juiyi Yen

Juiyi Yen is an Assistant Professor and visual communication researcher whose work explores how language and meaning evolve through digital and sensory experiences. With an MFA in Design and Technology from Parsons School of Design, New York, and a BFA in Communications Design from Shih Chien University, Taipei, she is currently a Ph.D. Candidate. in Contemporary Visual Culture at the National Taiwan University of Arts. Drawing on over a decade of expertise in printing and bookbinding, Yen integrates semiotics, affect theory, and cross-sensory design to create interdisciplinary workshops and research that bridge art, education, and technology.

Award Record

Juiyi Yen is a winner of 1 A' Design Award, including this recognition.

About the A' Public Awareness, Volunteerism, and Society Design Award

The A' Volunteerism Design Award is an international competition recognizing good volunteerism projects by leading designers and policy institutions worldwide. The competition is organized within the A' Design Award & Competition and is open to public awareness campaign designers, volunteerism advocacy groups, non-profit organizations and social workers from all countries. Entries typically include fundraisers, advocacy campaigns, disaster relief efforts, community cleanups, educational programs and health screenings. Awarded volunteerism designs are published at https://designers.org/design-category/volunteerism

About A' Design Award & Competition

A' Design Award & Competition is an international, juried design accolade organized annually since 2008. The competition is open to entries from all countries. The A' Design Award has a philanthropic mission to advance society through good design by recognizing and promoting superior products, projects and services that benefit society, and by creating a global awareness and appreciation for good design practices and principles. Entries are peer reviewed and anonymously evaluated by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members against predetermined criteria such as functionality, ergonomics, engineering, presentation, innovation, usability, sustainability and technology, with score normalization applied to remove biases. Awards are conferred at Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze and Iron levels. The A' Design Prize granted to eligible laureates includes the award trophy, the certificate of design excellence, the hardcover yearbook, a lifetime license to use the A' Design Award winner logo, exhibition of awarded works, an invitation to the gala night and award ceremony in Italy, inclusion in the World Design Rankings and Designer Rankings, and public relations and publicity services. Registration, the upload of a work and the preliminary score are free of charge, and Professional and Digital Edition laureates are not contractually obliged to pay further fees to claim the A' Design Prize. Further information is available at https://competition.adesignaward.com

Press Resources

Media Contact

Giulia Ferrari, Press Office
Designers.Org
Via Leone Leoni 32, 22100 Como, Italy
press@designers.org
+39 031 4491953

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Fact Sheet

The Work

Project
Royal Lab Morphis Social Empowerment
Function
Social Empowerment
Category
Public Awareness, Volunteerism, and Society Design
Discipline
Communication Design
Industry
Social Impact and Branding & Advertising
Colors
Dark Slate Gray, Black, Wheat, Linen and Burly Wood
Images
5
Client
Royal Brand Integration Ltd.

The Recognition

Laureate
Juiyi Yen
Country
Taiwan (China)
Recognition
A' Design Award
Edition
2025 - 2026
Design ID
#177337

Credits

Team
Yunyun Li, Jaiye Wu, Yachieh Chang and Jiayun Peng
Image Credits
Photographer Tinghsuan Lin, A master craftsperson demonstrating traditional printing techniques—embodying intergenerational knowledge transfer through hands-on guidance, 2025.; Photographer Yuwei Wang, Measuring wooden letterpress type—learning typographic structure through hands-on alignment and size calibration, 2023.; Photographer Yunyun Li, Letterpress craftsmanship — reviving analog printing through embodied learning, 2025.; Photographer Yuwei Wang, Experiencing typographic works in situ—participants engage with printed specimens through reading, documentation, and close observation, 2023.; Photographer Tinghsuan Lin, Waste-to-material regeneration—reassembling irregular wood fragments into reusable composite panels through sustainable design practice, 2025. Video: Motion Designer Jiayun Peng, RoyalLab Morphis, 2025; Sound Credit: Heyson, Love Love, Source: www.epidemicsound.com.

Design Details

Unique Properties
This project establishes a design-centered learning ecosystem that redefines streets, museums, and community venues as contextual laboratories. Unlike conventional programs, it brings together cultural heritage, collaborative creation, and international exchange directly within real-world settings. Supported by a volunteer-based structure, the initiative nurtures socially conscious creators and builds a sustainable framework that connects traditional craftsmanship with contemporary practice.
Inspiration
As a design studio working closely with industry and cultural partners, we observed a persistent gap between academic theory and practical application in Taiwan's learning environment. Inspired by Japanese mentorship models, we envisioned a borderless framework that equips learners with applied skills and cross cultural awareness. This initiative responds to shifting societal conditions and strengthens the link between education and industry, turning learning from passive absorption into an active force for social impact.
Research
Our evaluation of the Borderless Learning model shows its effectiveness in reducing the gap between conceptual understanding and practical skill. Based on insights from more than 150 participants across multiple cycles, the project demonstrated measurable improvements in hands on capability and intercultural communication. The findings indicate a scalable approach for addressing educational inequity and supporting cross generational knowledge exchange through community driven practice.
Challenge
The primary challenge was establishing credibility. The initiative confronted skepticism within exam-oriented educational cultures and concerns regarding safety and liability. Progress became possible only after generating verifiable outcomes and building partnerships with respected institutions such as Dentsu, ggg, and JAGDA. These collaborations demonstrated that community-based learning can operate professionally, securely, and with lasting cultural impact.
Realization and Technology
Our methodology treats education as an innovative production system in which relationships, knowledge networks and cultural assets function as core materials. These components are shaped through participatory processes that combine digital documentation with sustainable material experimentation. Together they form a Knowledge Replication Protocol, an adaptable and resilient framework designed to support skill transfer across diverse cultural and geographic contexts.
Operation and Interaction
This model operates through an iterative learning cycle that replaces static classrooms with in situ Living Labs. Each cycle begins with a community identified challenge and continues with field based collaboration among students, mentors and local participants to co develop practical solutions. The outcomes, including tangible results and accumulated insights, are reintegrated into the system to attract new volunteers and support continuous improvement with every iteration.
Project Duration and Location
Our methodology views education as an innovative production system in which relationships, knowledge networks, and cultural assets function as core materials. These components are shaped through participatory processes that combine digital documentation with sustainable material experimentation. Together they form a Knowledge Replication Protocol, an adaptable and resilient framework designed to support skill transfer across diverse cultural and geographic contexts.
Specifications
The Borderless Learning model, implemented through Royal Lab in Tokyo between 2023 and 2025, applied a case study approach combining participatory observation and documentary evidence. More than 150 participants engaged in five workshop cycles coordinated by a twelve-member team (five core staff and seven interns). Activities held in museums, community venues, and studio environments facilitated cross-cultural exchange and intergenerational knowledge transfer, establishing a strong foundation for future adaptation and expansion.
Keywords
Social Design, Living Labs, Borderless Learning, Cross-disciplinary Collaboration, Cultural Heritage, Civic Engagement, Value Co-creation

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