DWR is hosting MODERN + DESIGN + FUNCTION: Chicago Furniture Now to support new, innovative furniture designs by emerging Chicago designers. In its third year, the contest has attracted the attention of the regional design community. Chicago Furniture Now was created to foster new ideas in modern furniture design in the Chicago area. A panel of judges made up of respected professionals in architecture, art, design and fashion will select 20-25 top entries to be exhibited, making this a great opportunity for up-and-coming designers and design firms to have their original work juried. Please review the application [pdf] and the complete rules. Application deadline: Friday, January 12, 2007, 7pm. 20-25 top entries will be exhibited Thursday, February 15, 2007, 6:30-9:30pm.
Design Within Reach - Web site »

Aliantedizioni and the Italian Cultural Institute of London present Swingstems : an Installation by A. Loschiavo
The installation will appear as a 'meadow' obtained with about 50 similar elements: artificial “fluctuating flowers” that are 2 metres tall and called 'Fiordifoto', the new product from Aliantedizioni. Thanks to small magnets, these assume the function of photo-holders or supports for paper messages or cards that can be freely added along each stem’s length, rather like interchangeable leaves.
Alessandro Loschiavo - Web site »
Aliantedizioni - Web site »

Robert Radi featured in the book Young Designers: Americas
The recently released volume features 61 of the most innovative industrial, furniture, and product designers in the Western Hemisphere. Edited by Carissa Kowalski Dougherty and published by daab, this 400-page, full-color publication is now available worldwide. Beverly Hills, CA July 12 2006 - The creativity and design of Robert Radi, an award-winning designer based in Beverly Hills, California, has been recognized in a new editorial project by Fusion Publishing (Los Angeles – Stuttgart). The beautifully executed book celebrates the inspired work of 61 pioneering designers who represent the new ... [ read more ] »
Young Designers: Americas »
Robert Radi - Web site »

Jaxter Artist Awards - T-shirt Design
Brief: The theme in 2006 is ‘sound’. Your design must incorporate the brief in some way. We are looking for a combination of design skill together with an ability to design something that people will want to wear. Prize: The winner will receive USD$2,000. Enter: You must use the template provided, otherwise your entry will be invalid. To download a copy of the template click here. Entry is open to all ages and you can enter as many times as you like ... [ read more ] »
Jaxter Artist Awards - Web site »

Jacob Guldmann @ Copenhagen International Furniture Fair
The Danish Office furniture firm ICC presents a height adjustable desk that breaks with traditional design at the Copenhagen International Furniture fair this week. The man behind the new desk is the young Danish designer Jacob Guldmann. The office furniture firm ICC has long been among the leading providers of quality adjustable desks but was faced with a demand for uniting functionalism with a cutting edge design. “Our strength has until now been customized quality solutions but an increasing amount of company’s in the creative field has asked us to come up with a design that suited their additional company environment” says CEO Poul Erik Aagaard who chose a young designer for the job in recognition that height adjustable desks needed to be seen with new eyes.
Although the desk is high functional, Guldmann has managed to hide the technical equipment behind smooth, elegant lines. “This desk doesn’t look like anything else. Usually the table top is placed centrally but because the frame is so massive it tends to get a heavy and clumsy appearance” says Jacob Guldmann. “The first thing we did was moving the table top forward so that only the rear end is connected with the frame. In doing so the desk gets a much lighter appearance and the table top looks as if it was hovering. In contrast to what you might think, the desk is extremely stable” says Guldmann
The objective has been to create an unbroken design and therefore the pillars that adjust the height are changed dramatically. Normally they are formed as a telescope that changes when the height is adjusted, but unfortunately that gives the desk an inappropriate appearance, where aesthetics is sacrificed for functions. With the new adjustable desk ICC proves that it is possible to add a strict and elegant design to the technically advanced desk.
Although the desk is meant as a design breakthrough, it also introduces an amount of new functions. Behind the elegant lines is hidden a number of details that gives the user an unobstructed space to work on. Wires for the desk as well as used hardware are covered in the frame and are pulled out of the base. The table is prepared for mounting of display and lamp that integrates hardware and equipment with the desk. Moreover all functions are hidden in the front panel and are easily served. The HoverDesk comes in brushed steel with a table top in black linoleum. The HoverDesk is delivered in flat packing and will be in stock during the summer. [ read more ] »
Copenhagen International Furniture Fair - Web site »

16th BraunPrize 2007 - Design a real future
BRAUN SET TO SHOWCASE THE LATEST IN INNOVATION AS DESIGN STUDENTS SUBMIT THEIR ENTRIES TO THE 16TH BRAUNPRIZE
Design graduates from around the world are invited to begin submitting their product concepts to Braun’s 16th design competition “BraunPrize 2007 – Design a real future”.
This internationally recognised design competition, run by Braun every other year, is open to existing product and industrial design students and those who have graduated within the last two years.
The BraunPrize is one of the oldest and most renowned international design-competitions and a huge response is expected from the 7,000 sets of competition documents which were sent out in March to design schools, universities and design studios all over the world.
Designers have until the 31st January, 2007 to submit their product concepts to Braun in the form of sketches, photographs, technical drawings along with a project description. Product concepts can also by uploaded directly to the BraunPrize-Server by registering online at www.braunprize.com.
The concepts will then be judged by the BraunPrize jury, which this year includes: Moni Wolf, Director of Design at Motorola iDEN in the US; Dr. Mark Breitenberg, Dean of Undergraduate Education at the Californian Art Center College of Design in America; Udo Milutzki, Vice President Braun and Gillette Engineering and Peter Schneider, Director of Corporate Design at Braun and Chairman of the BraunPrize jury.
The jury will decide which project enters the second stage and will then ask for design models of the respective projects. In the third and last stage the three to five finalists will be invited to present their project to a wider jury who will announce the winner.
The total prize money available is €36,000. The winner of the BraunPrize will receive €12,000 or a six-month paid internship within the Braun design department. The other finalists will each receive €5,000. The remaining prize money will be distributed in form of special recognition awards at the discretion of the jury.
Winner of the 15th BraunPrize 2005 was Jens Andersson for his design “Rescue Buoy” - a swimming robot in the form of a lifebuoy, designed to monitor stretches of water and alert coastguards to potential rescue situations early on. He beat stiff competition from four other finalists whose innovative designs included: protective headgear for extreme sports, a concept for tackling respiratory disease in horses, a hand-held device for taking blood and a mobile space-planning tool.
For further information on the BraunPrize, including 2007 competition entry forms visit: www.braunprize.com [ read more ] »
BraunPrize - Web site »

KOKUYO Design Award 2006 Call for Entries
Kokuyo Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Osaka City; President: Akihiro Kuroda) has announced the Kokuyo Design Award 2006 design competition, and is encouraging all those wishing to participate to submit their user-oriented product designs. The goal of the competition is to develop excellent ideas into commercial products. Applications are accepted from April 1 to June 30, 2006.
Established in 2002, the KOKUYO Design Award competition is marking its 5th anniversary this year. While some award-winning ideas have achieved international recognition as commodity products, the competition invited over 1000 participants last year, becoming one of the fastest-growing competitions of its kind. Celebrating the 100th anniversary of its founding, Kokuyo Co., Ltd. will be marking a significant milestone entering the next 100 years. Kokuyo Co., Ltd. fundamentally strives to offer customer-oriented products, into which we integrate the voice of the customers. With the objective to help commercialize your ideas and dreams, we welcome you to the 5th KOKUYO Design Award competition. The theme for the KOKUYO Design Award Competition 2006 is the Kanji (Chinese character) �gSU�h. It can be read as �gso�h, �gsu�h or �gmoto�h, primarily signifying �gbeing natural�h, �gbare�h, �gfundamental�h or �gsimple�h. These meanings embody our founding principles and remind us of KOKUYO�fs roots 100 years ago. We trust this one character can be an inspiration to look back at the origin of design. As long as the primary concept remains intact, the creative leaps your design idea can take are only limited by your imagination. In today�fs changing times, we encourage you to get inspired and show us your interpretation of this theme.
Category:
Any product used daily either at home or in the work place (stationery, furniture, household items, etc.)
Entry Period: April 1, 2006_May 31, 2006
Deadline: Works must be arrived between April 1 and June 30, 2006
Judges: Taku Satoh (Jury Chair, Graphic Designer) Katsutoshi Ishibashi (Editor-in-Chief, Axis Design Magazine) Shunji Yamanaka (Industrial Designer) Tokujin Yoshioka (Designer) Akihiro Kuroda (President, Kokuyo Co., Ltd.)
Prizes: Grand Prize: 2 million yen Second Prize (4 winners):500,000 yen each Special Prize (5 winners): 100,000 yen each *Prize amounts are subject to income tax, and is the responsibility of the recipients
Organizer: Kokuyo Co., Ltd.
Sponsors: Axis Design Magazine / The committee, Japanesque * Modern
For more information, visit http://www.kokuyo.co.jp/award/
Inquiries: Kokuyo Design Award office 5-2-2 Ueno, Taito-ku, Tokyo 110-0005, Japan Fax : +81-3-3836-7310 MAIL:award@mrk.kokuyo.co.jp
[ read more ] »
Kokuyo - Web site »

red dot design award: design concept 2006
Cutting Edge Design Awards Urge Participants to Shape the Future
The highly acclaimed international red dot design award: design concept 2006 NOW open for submissions
Singapore, March 8, 2006 - red dot design award, the world’s most prestigious design award, has called out to applicants to provide designs that shape the future. Recognised as providing a platform for budding as well as established designers locally and internationally, the red dot design award for 2006 is challenging designers to push the boundaries of product design and reap the benefits of an international accolade. The popularity and success of the red dot award is apparent through its extensive history. Conceived in Germany, the award has been running for over 50 years and last year over 5,000 submissions from 44 countries were received.
Online registration can take place at www.red-dot.de
About the red dot design awards
The red dot design awards is one of the oldest and most sought-after design awards in the world. First conceived in Germany in 1955, the competition has grown to be a global seal of approval for excellence in design achievements. Guided by a philosophy of “Qualify through Selection and Presentation“, red dot has developed into a competent communication and qualification centre that sets highest standards in the world of international design.
[ read more ] »
red-dot - Web site »