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Future of design takes shape in Germany
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THE German Design Award returned for a third time to honor outstanding products and projects based on criteria such as degree of innovation, design quality, functionality, ergonomics and durability.
At the latest edition of the Ambiente trade fair at Frankfurt last month, a plethora of top designs were gathered at the Messe Frankfurt grounds and one special area was devoted to the winners of the 2014 German Design Award with a total of 100 outstanding achievements on display in the fields of product and communication design in 10 competition categories.
In addition to the gold, winner and special mention awards, the expert jury used secret ballot voting to select five entrants as newcomer finalists.
“Design is a decisive economic factor in this day and age. Therefore, it is extremely important to consistently promote young talent. The nominated designers represent the most talented that the German higher education landscape has to offer and their work stands for a high degree of creativity and commitment,” said Andrej Kupetz, general manager of the German Design Council.
Caroline Seifert, senior vice president of product design at Deutsche Telekom and member of the jury, said: “Today, technology — with the Internet, 4D printing, augmented reality ... — has developed to a point where people can basically experience their own custom-tailored products. Design has the task to conceive a customer experience that becomes self-understood, assures differentiation and relevance and thus generates economic growth as a result. In order to conceive this we are seeking talented people who have their own ideas.”
According to Seifert, designers are much more than creators. They need to have the entrepreneurial spirit to press ahead with their work independently. They have to think strategically and be good networkers and integrators.
The communication designers Jan Filek and Cedric Vilim, the product designer Peter Schafer, the industrial designer Christian Zanzotti and the Studio Besau-Marguerre were selected from approximately 100 other nominees and Munich-based Italian designer Zanzotti scooped newcomer of the year, receiving 15,000 euros (US$20,678) prize money, while the other finalists each was awarded 2,500 euros (US$3,446).
The finalists and their works
Christian Zanzotti
Developments in lightweight design
The winner of the newcomer prize has operated his own studio since 2013. Zanzotti’s focus has been on motorsports: he has already developed concept vehicles and engaged in the development of lightweight design. His urban bicycle “Coren” is made of carbon fiber; the frame of very high tensile strength T1000 carbon fibers. The avant-garde shape, the design of the frame, super-slim top and down tubes lend the “Coren” a unique visual lightness.
Studio Besau-Marguerre
Interdisciplinary design
The first mirrors in human history were originally made from polished metals, particularly copper. These archaic origins inspired the Hamburg design duo studio Besau-Marguerre to create the object “Iridescent Copper.” The design explores all the possibilities offered by the natural discoloration process undergone by copper. No two pieces are alike.
Since 2011, Eva Marguerre and Marcel Besau established an interdisciplinary design studio in Hamburg which has frequently led to extraordinary products and innovative ideas.
Jan Filek
Readable typography
The book “read/ability” by Jan Filek analyzes examinations concerning legibility and readability. The designer draws on knowledge from neuroscience, readability research and experience with typography. The book is visually appealing and typographically multifaceted in terms of its design concept.
Cedric Vilim
In vast eastern Germany
Cedric Vilim likes to combine graphics and photography in his design works. For his work “Searching for Wideness,” he went four months and over 3,000km through eastern Germany to explore the ambivalence between the uneasiness of emptiness and the longing for vastness and nature. He showed that more and more villages and rural areas see themselves threatened.
Peter Schafer
Disrupting usual perceptions
An entirely new usability is reflected in Peter Schafer’s works, which usually connect objects that are well known and used for a certain function. He disrupts usual perceptions and challenges the viewer. With his “Ad Hoc,” Schafer combines furnishings to create a new scenario: The classic set of pieces are not only torn from their traditional context, they are semi-finished for a spontaneous and permanent re-combination scenario.
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