Peter Zec (left), initiator of the Red Dot Design Award, poses with the winner of the first cross-Straits Indusrial Design Competition in Jinjiang, Fujian province, Sept 24. [Photo by Zheng Xiang / For China Daily]

A local government was urged to raise public awareness of industrial design, both for aesthetic and financial reasons.

Leading German design consultant Peter Zec suggested that the local government of Jinjiang, Fujian province should try to boost public understanding of industrial design.

Zec was speaking during his inaugural visit to Jinjiang as one of the judges of the first cross-Straits Industrial Design Competition, which concluded in the city on Tuesday.

The initiator of the prestigious Red Dot Design Award said the value of the industrial design is immeasurable. He cited a European company that made a fortune by its creative design of a water bottle as an example.

"Because of the bottle's design, the water is sold at more than 20 euros ($27) per bottle."

Industrial design is a budding industry in Jinjiang, a city known for its innovation in the shoemaking industry, he observed, adding the government should encourage designers to interact with companies.

"The industrial designers need to understand the market and need a platform to materialize their design ideas."

The designer was impressed by some contestants' products, such as a slipper with a massage function and a pair of shoes made of extremely soft material.

"Those products proved the aspiring artists' potential and their products could go global someday."