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CMF Conference & Training Workshops

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CMF Conference

Date: 19-20 March 2026 
Time: 10:30 – 18:00

VITALITY:
How can design become the foundation of confidence in life?

Design Shanghai CMF Conference aims to enhance product value through CMF design and create a better life. In 2026, the CMF Conference will center on “VITALITY”, responding profoundly to the question: “How can design become the foundation of confidence in life?” Building on last year’s “Feeling of Touch”—awakening people’s attention to the sensory experience of CMF—this year we advance to “VITALITY”. Our goal is to transform the wonderful experiences brought by design into energy and confidence that support people in facing everyday life.

 

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CMF Training Workshop

Date: 21 March 2026 (Saturday)
Time: 13:00 – 17:30

After the overwhelming success of last year's sold-out sessions, world-renowned materials designer and author Chris Lefteri returns to lead another unforgettable CMF Training Workshop. This year's edition blends foundational insights with advanced strategies, showcasing how material-led design is driving innovation across products, interiors, and furniture. As consumers increasingly seek stories, emotion, and meaning in design, materials have become the narrative - the bridge between concept and connection.

Join Chris as he shares exclusive, hands-on methods used by global leaders like Google, TCL and Hyundai Elevator, helping you elevate your creative process and deliver design that truly resonates. Discover the power of CMF, Design with purpose. Inspire with materials.

Rundown:

  • 13:00-13:15 Welcome & Introduction
  • 13:15-13:45 Chris's advanced principles for applying CMF & materials led design innovation
  • 13:45-14:15 Hands-On with Materials: Materials as storytellers
  • 14:15-15:00 Understanding CMF trends & Chris's 2026 trends
  • 15:00-15:15 Break
  • 15:15-16:15 Hands-On with Material Samples: Developing new CMF effects from trends
  • 16:15-17:15 Chris to present Materials & Manufacuring Innovations
  • 17:15-17:30 Q&A & Wrap-Up

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CMF Conference 2026 Theme

VITALITY

The Design Shanghai 2026 CMF Conference centers on “VITALITY”, responding profoundly to the question: “How can design become the foundation of confidence in life?” Building on last year’s “Feeling of Touch”—awakening people’s attention to the sensory experience of CMF—this year we advance to “VITALITY”. Our goal is to transform the wonderful experiences brought by design into energy and confidence that support people in facing everyday life.

Today, fatigue and powerlessness pervade our life, yet many companies and designers worldwide continue their pursuit of warmth against the prevailing chill. They still seek solace in materials, infuse hope through color, and embed belief within craftsmanship. What they create transcends mere products--it represents a quiet yet resolute response, using design to kindle sparks of “VITALITY”. At this conference, you will experience VITALITY awakened through color and texture; you will encounter vibrant colors and dynamic material textures that imbue products with emotional resonance reaching deep into your heart. This is more than visual impact—it is an instant ignition of passion for life.

Yet VITALITY is not merely momentary brilliance; it resides in the enduring power that withstands the test of time. The stable palettes and timelessly fresh material touch embedded in classic products quietly infuse daily life with reassuring confidence, becoming our gentle anchor in facing life’s challenges. This emotional connection--from surface to depth, from fleeting to lasting--is the profound charm of CMF design.

How can we transform this moving “sense of VITALITY” into replicable design logic? We are attempting to anchor the vibrancy of color, the affinity of materials, and the warmth of craftsmanship to data points, enabling dialogue between sensory experience and rational standards--so that design innovation possesses both sensuous inspiration and rational methodology.

In an era swept by digitalization, tangible design is demonstrating its irreplaceable emotional value. We believe that the most moving of CMF is always rooted in the profound understanding of and respect for human emotion. We believe that every subtle yet sincere design gesture can become a spark warming our times, and these sparks will ultimately spread, bringing transformative strength.

4 Key Sub-Themes 

Day 1 Morning

Theme 1: Awakening VITALITY

Starting from real-life scenarios, we explore CMF designs that trigger positive emotions. Through lively colors and energetic material textures, we break through the inertia of complacency, delivering an immediate surge of VITALITY that awakens users’ inner passion for life.

Key topics:

  1. Vibrant Color Applications
  2. Energetic Material Textures
  3. Trigger of Scenario-Based Emotions

Day 1 Afternoon

Theme 2: Sustaining VITALITY

VITALITY goes beyond surface-level energy; it stems from inner peace and certainty. We will focus on classic life scenarios and brand case studies, exploring CMF vitality designs that can withstand the test of time—how they use stable color palettes and durable materials to settle lasting confidence in life for users, becoming spiritual support against feelings of powerlessness.

Key topics:

  1. Classic Life Scenarios
  2. Brand Vitality Case Studies
  3. Enduring Chinese-inspired Design

Day 2 Morning

Theme 3: Symbiotic VITALITY

Under the trend of sustainable development, VITALITY also means harmonious coexistence with nature and the world. We will explore how to integrate environmental principles into CMF design, i.e., how to create products that are both eco-friendly and allow users to perceive "life force," by using recyclable materials and low-consumption color processes, enabling vitality to continue spreading in green living.

Key topics:

  1. Cutting-edge Environmental Material Technologies
  2. Environmental Protection in Materials
  3. Innovative Applications of Eco-Friendly Textures

Day 2 Afternoon

Theme 4: Decoding VITALITY

How can we transform “VITALITY” from an abstract sensation into implementable design standards? We will explore quantifiable dimensions of the “sense of VITALITY” in CMF design--such as the correlation between color saturation and perceived energy, or the relationship between material tactility and sense of security--leveraging professional digital management and a standardized system to help companies more precisely craft vital products while reducing design iteration costs.

Key topics:

  1. Enduring Vibrant Colors
  2. Enduring Vibrant Touches
  3. Relationship between Material and Emotion

CMF Conference 2026 Schedule

19 March

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  1. Starting from real-life scenarios, we explore CMF designs that trigger positive emotions. Through lively colors and energetic material textures, we break through the inertia of complacency, delivering ...
  2. 1.Strategic Categorization, Preservation, and Adaptive Reuse

    2.Creating a "Three-Dimensional Urban Green Valley" to Integrate Landscape, City, and Culture

    3. Implementing Systematic Holistic Regeneration for Comprehensive District Revitalization

  3. 1.Color is shifting from creating visual impact to providing emotional resilience.

    2.Color is not just an aesthetic choice, but a tool for emotional insight.

    3.Future CMF strategies need to be designed around how consumers manage their energy.

  4. 1. Vibrant Color Applications

    2. Energetic Material Textures

    3. Trigger of Scenario-Based Emotions

  5. VITALITY goes beyond surface-level energy; it stems from inner peace and certainty. We will focus on classic life scenarios and brand case studies, exploring CMF vitality designs that can withstand th ...
  6. 1. The Root of Beauty — Cultural Uniqueness is the Soul of International Recognition

    2. The Method of Tailoring — Integration of Tradition and Modernity is the Key to Gaining International Popularity

    3. The Realm of Finished Clothes — Cultural Empowerment is the International Mission of Designers

  7. 1. Classic Life Scenarios

    2. Brand Vitality Case Studies

    3. Enduring Chinese-inspired Design

  8. Against the backdrop of contemporary high-end home furnishing consumption, LEEDARSON joined hands with renowned sculptor Jiang sheng to launch their co-branded new product, the YINIAN Table Lamp, at Design Shanghai. Taking the new product launch as an opportunity, this forum unfolds an ideological dialogue that weaves together Oriental aesthetics, contemporary art and brand values.

    Committed to "crafting a lamp that warms the heart", LEEDARSON has been ceaselessly exploring the boundaries between lighting and art. From illuminating physical spaces to brightening the spiritual world, the YINIAN Table Lamp draws its inspiration from the concept of "the manifestation of consciousness". It delves into the boundary between spiritual illumination and physical form by drawing on the philosophy of "enlightenment in a single thought", the conduction of neural impulses in cognitive science, and the character structure of "yi nian"—a combination of the Chinese characters jin (present) and xin (heart). The event will explore the modern expression of philosophical symbols in contemporary design and their translation into craft, the way to strike a balance between sculptural art and home lighting, as well as how light and shadow act as a medium connecting inner consciousness and external space.

20 March

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  1. Under the trend of sustainable development, VITALITY also means harmonious coexistence with nature and the world. We will explore how to integrate environmental principles into CMF design, i.e., how t ...
  2. As AI reshapes the technological landscape, human civilization leaps into a new cognitive era. We are moving ever closer to singularity, welcoming a brand-new way of life, where the relationship betwe ...
  3. 1. Automotive leather interior is a regenerative bio-based material.

    2. Its CMF sensory expression possesses a genetically rooted, vital resonance.

    3. It serves as a living interface that co-creates emotional bonds with the driver and passengers.

  4. 1. Cutting-edge Environmental Material Technologies

    2. Environmental Protection in Materials

    3. Innovative Applications of Eco-Friendly Textures

  5. How can we transform “VITALITY” from an abstract sensation into implementable design standards? We will explore quantifiable dimensions of the “sense of VITALITY” in CMF design--such as the correlatio ...
  6. 1.Materials-Driven(By re-examining and innovatively applying materials, it encourages designers to focus on the essence and potential of materials, and promotes sustainable and creative design practices.)

    2.Traditional craftsmanship is the cornerstone of aesthetic innovation in modern materials.

    3.The micro-aesthetics of cities and villages shape the aesthetics of daily life.

  7. 1. Building Chinese consumer skin tone database to understand skin tone diversity

    2. Developing AI-driven skin tone matching models to translate data insights into shade solutions

    3. Interpreting "Vibrant QISE" consumer language to extract color design concepts

  8. As designers we have spent the last 70 years -since the mass-consumption of plastic goods- designing products that have evolved in line with the capabilities of manufacturing. This was all based on ch ...
  9. As the Asian market continues to rise in the international economy, Asia presents unique values and ideologies, as well as new CMF trend that are both international and regional. As the chief editor o ...
  10. 1. Enduring Vibrant Colors

    2. Enduring Vibrant Touches

    3. Relationship between Material and Emotion

CMF Conference 2026 Speakers


 

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Design Shanghai 2026 Chinese New Year Special Offer Now Live

Step into the Year of the Horse with renewed inspiration. For a limited time, the first 200 visitors can enjoy an additional 20% off ticket prices by using the exclusive code below. Don’t miss this opportunity to join Asia’s leading international design event this March.

 

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Use code: SPRING
Offer valid until 28 February 2026