The underlying issue of this conference proceedings is the recent change in the global economic posture, in which the creative economy has been placed at the center of what is conceptualized as a sustainable economic development. Being the main driving force of economic growth, creative industry has been required to be ecology-friendly in order to reduce or even to remove its ecological damages. Since art and design are two main and growing sectors in the creative economy, it is necessary in their developments to deeply and comprehensively examine the issues about ecology and sustainability. This is crucial in an attempt to anticipate the global urgency to systematically and gradually achieve the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030. Therefore, amid the disruptions caused by the current Covid-19 pandemic, it is the great expectation of this conference to generate relevant, creative and visionary thoughts, ideas, and knowledge about various dimensions of art and design discourses and practices on their roles in the dynamics of creative economy, and how they play significant roles in and contribute for the future sustainable economic development.

There are 77 papers published in these proceedings from six sub-themes: “Tradition/History as Cultural Capital”, “Technology and Environmental Sustainability”, “Creative Economy & Policy Development”, “Human-centered & Social Interactions”, “Community for Resilience and Well-Being”, and “Recontextualizing the Urban Ecosystem”. In their response to these sub-themes, participants of this conference delivered plenty of relevant, interesting, insightful, and original papers on various subjects. All papers discussed the relation between art and design, creative economy and issues about the environment in various approaches, methods, contexts and intensities.

Subjects on natural-respected art and design (natural dying, biodegradability, upcycling products, slow design, etc.) were among prominent subjects discussed at the conference. Other prominent subjects were art and design in the frame of time-based media (games, virtual reality, simulation, digitization, etc.). Also interesting were subjects on creative economies and children (picture book, children journal, narrative). Urban art and design (spatial system and expression, place attachment, zone utilization) were also notable subjects. Several interesting papers on design and culture (artefacts, visual signs and codes, conservation, acculturation, subculture, local culture, and wisdom) were also key subjects of the conference. Design and branding (consumer behavior, branding strategy and loyalty, positive emotions) were also other promising subjects. Several interesting papers on subjects of art, design, and education (educational model, learning medium, art medium); design method (participatory design, anthropomorphism, function, user interface); art and design psychology (art experience, user behavior, self-motivation, perception) were subjects capable of enriching the production of knowledge in this conference.

It is our great hope that the ideas, concepts or thoughts put forward in the conference have significant and constructive contributions to the growth of knowledge, particularly the knowledge related to the efforts in creating and shaping a friendlier creative economy in the context of sustainable economic development. It is also our great hope that knowledge has significant contributions in an attempt to create a future world worth living.

Prof. Dr. Yasraf A. Piliang MA.
Member of Advisory Board