This is the first TECHNIGROUP AWARD Design Competition launched by Technigourp.

The theme for this year competition is “Productive Workplace”. Since it was established in 1984, the products manufactured by Technigroup were developed in response to the changing needs of specific user groups. This underlies our philosophy – constantly striving to meet new and ever-increasing demands expected of office furniture.

The competition is opened to full time students from educational institutions in Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, India, Indonesia, The Philippines and around the region.

Winning entries from NUS ID:

1st Prize: Arthur Lim

To design a set of furniture that harmonize and reflect the fusion of living and working in office spaces.

Special Mention Prize: Ang Weiquan

The Three is a series of modular low laying 3 –legged office tables specially designed for the new working population. This design allows people to rearrange their furniture in any manner they want based on the given amount of space.

Special Mention Prize: Chung Sui Fai, Cheng Siew Ming

We aim to bring along a playful and joyful atmosphere during the construction and utilization of the workspace. It comes as a modular unit which users can customize their own workspace, revealing a high level of versatility. The concept revolves around snap fitting between various parts, which makes it easy for building or dismantling and with which the elements on the workspace can be arranged according to one’s favor. In addition, besides using vibrant colors for parts of the modular unit to evoke a more pleasant workstation, there is the introducing of greenery in the office. Studies had been made that greenery is an important element that helps to contribute in improving work productivity. The greenery is placed at a prominent spot; on top of the panels.

For more information about the competition, please visit the competition website: http://www.technigroupaward.com/index.html

2009 BraunPrize winner has been selected on September 17, 2009 by the guest jurors attending the BraunPrize Forum as:

Johanna Schoemaker
with the project ‘Clam I OLED Lamp’,
from Bergischen Universität Wuppertal, Germany

The 2009 event marks the 17th time the BraunPrize has been awarded since its inception in 1968 by Erwin Braun, the son of company founder Max. The Award’s esteem is influenced by the key role the German company played in redefining consumer product design throughout the 50 and 60’s. The strong, minimalist, “Less, but better” design language pioneered by Braun – and in particular Dieter Rams – is still clearly evident to day in modern icons like Apple’s iPod.  Below is this winning entry:

Clam I OLED Lamp
The family of lights developed as part of the designer’s graduation project creates, through the deliberate use of the newly invented OLED lamp, a pleasantly diffuse yet extremely energy-efficient light effect. Based on the image of a flower opening in daylight, the lights behave in the opposite way, opening to provide light as soon as they are switched on.

The opening angle – and therefore the light emission of the lamps and the color and intensity of the light – can be adjusted. The ‘ceiling lamp’ includes a remote control that can also be used to pre-select different dynamic light programs. The lamps emphasize the special visual characteristics of the lamp: slimness, transparency, lightness and flatness.

Registration Deadline: January 5, 2010!

The iF concept award invites young designers worldwide to submit innovative contributions and apply for the sought-after iF award. The iF concept award offers students and recent graduates from the areas of design, architecture, marketing and engineering an opportunity to compare themselves on an international level and to present their ideas to the design-interested public.

For more information, please visit the competition website: http://www.ifdesign.de/awards_concept_index_e

Below are some competition winning entiries from last year:

BETH: water container playboard: Jungae Seo
This design is for a scooter with an attached water tank, designed especially for children living in countries where houses often have no running water. When the children are sent to fetch water, they set off with the ‘Beth’ scooter, fill the water tank and so are able to transport the water playfully. This is a simple method of transport which can be economically produced, and at the same time providing the children with a toy with which they can simply have fun.

Energy ball: Sung Hyun Hwang, Hye in Lee

When the ‘energy ball’ is kicked, piezo elements inside the ball transform the impact energy into electrical energy. If the ball is used during the day, it can generate enough energy to power a light bulb or a small electrical device by night. The concept is particularly well suited to countries in the developing world.

Yl Sound | earplugs: Jiwoong Hwang

Who hasn’t had the problem of earphone cables for an mp3 player or personal CD player getting all tangled up in a mess? No solution to the problem has been present – until now. These earplugs offer a solution, combining the zip-fastener with a simple fashion idea: the control for the music player is inside the zip pocket. A simple and logical solution.

PROTHESE | interim leg prosthetic: Tillman Beuscher

The Landmine Monitor report estimates the number of landmine victims to be between 15,000 to 20,000 a year. This interim prosthetic for the leg is intended as an immediate aid for those injured by war and landmines worldwide. The central aim is to support self-help by means of swift initial treatment. This can be provided directly helping people to maintain hope and enabling them to continue supporting their families.

Deadline: 15.12.2009

The young gerneration contest “lebens(t)räume” (dreams for life) is being organized since 2004 by Vincentz Network, in collaboration with the “universal design GmbH” and “organized by iF”. It aims at young people to design for the older generations as well as for disabled people.

An experts jury winning will chose the winning entries and divide a total prize purse of EUR 6.000,00 between the winners. The prize money is awarded at the awards ceremony, held at the trade fair “ALTENPFLEGE 2010″ (care for the elderly). During the fair all outstanding contributions will be exhibited in the special display “lebensräume” (habitants).

For more information, please visit the competition website: http://www.ifdesign.de/organized_lebenstraeume_index_e

Below are some winning entries from last year:

colors key:

The “Colors key” uses a color-matching way allowing users to quickly find out the correct key for opening the door. The color-matching way on “Colors key” means the same color on the head of key and the keyhole of door. The sticker for the keyhole can be pushed out from the head of key and be stuck on the keyhole. When the color of key matches the color of keyhole, the door can be opened easily. The needed key can be found from a pile of keys by obviously visual color changes.

Recovery Arm Sling

Since there is little use of muscle and ligament while having medical treatment with a plaster cast, the patient should get proper exercises for recovery after removing the cast. Recovery Arm Sling is a medical appliance which is designed for not only functioning as an ordinary arm sling, but also operating as a recovery device after the cast treatment. The upper side of each ring has a structure which enables to lengthen the band, functioning like the safety belt of an ordinary car. This structure allows the patient to hang the arm sling on the neck easily and also to get some repeating recovery exercises.

Inside out umbrella

On a rainy day, when someone goes inside with a wet umbrella, the floor gets dirty and the water drops annoy others. Thus, people usually use a disposable vinyl; however, it gets wasted too much and gives negative effects on our environment. By turning over one portion of the umbrella inside out, the dry cloth appears and wraps the wet umbrella. Therefore, it helps solving the problem of the current umbrella and as it transforms as a bag, it becomes easy to carry. Not only it is portable but also it can be a very fashionable item because the inner layer, the dry cloth can be decorated with various colors and patterns.

NUSID graduate Hunn Wai and his colleague with their their design proposal PAZIALE SERIES: New expressions of skin and structure received this year TIME TO DESIGN – NEW TALENT AWARD 2009 from the Cultural Minister of Denmark, Carina Christensen.

Wai & Lanzavecchia will embark on a project that is based on voids, skin and structure. Taking inspiration from fashion,
architecture and human behaviours, they will amalgamate those inputs, according to their vision, into a new breed of interior objects that will question our perception on the rituals of possessions storage and ecology-awareness within furniture manufacture, distribution and construction.

Time to design was established in 2008 and is an international design award with focus on the needs of young design talents in the beginning of their career. The award has been established based on the idea of creating a unique platform for young design talents within the design industry – a platform that can contribute to the winner’s future professional career. The winner is granted with three months residency at the National Workshops for Arts and Crafts, 50.000 DKK donated by the Cultural Ministry and two weeks exhibition in Normann Copenhagen Flagship Store. This year the winners will also get career coaching by the company Missing Ink.

For more information about Hunn Wai, please visit his webiste: http://www.hunnwai.com/ and about the award http://www.timetodesign.eu/#151379

NUS ID alumnus Donn Koh and his colleagues from University of Cincinnati won Gold Prize at Lieton Award this year. Their design, reNEW Solar battery charger, allows for a progression of charge, allowing the user to attain only the most charged batteries when needed. It serves as a storage and organization system, while staying friendly and attractive to the home environment. Currently, Donn Koh works as an industrial designer at One & Co.  For more information, please visit his website: http://donnkoh.com/renew/

This year the Lite-On Award attracted over 2,000 international young designers and professionals, hitting a record high, from Europe, Asia, and America to compete for the million dollar prize.

NUS ID final year students, Liang Yanjie、Yap Kei Woon、Tan Jun Yuan, their design “DLite Food Storage System” and NUS design incubation centre designer, “Cheong Yian Ling”, her work “dibu” received Merit Awards.

Below is the works of DLite Food Storage System:

For more information about Liteon award, please visit http://www.liteonaward.com/

NUS ID 2nd year student, Darren Yeo, won the top prize for Gifts and Premiums for the modern and happy office design competition and 3rd year student, Cheng Siew Ming, was also awarded the 2nd runner-up in the same competition. This competition was organized by Singapore Gifts and Stationery Show 2009.

Top prize: Diao Yu, Darren Yeo
Corporate gifts and premiums are effective marketing tools, but are easily forgotten by consumers. The attachment of an experiential encounter with the gift would, however, be able to create a lifelong memory. Hence, an exquisite teabag collection, inspired by Singapore’s iconic oolong tea, 钓鱼（diao yu）, has been created to also cater to the caffeine needs of a working adult, both locally and internationally. Besides breaking apart from conventional appearance, the tea filter will also be made with environmental-friendly material for the eco-friendly consumers.

3rd Prize: Plantimo, CHENG SIEW MING
Nature in sight can make people feel happy and relax. But what if nature plays another role in office?
“Plantimo” is the product everyone will keep eyeing on. It serves as a timer clock which counts down to the end of work. User set the time by turning the leaf knob that works on the turn-and-dial phone mechanism. Ticking off silently, the plant will rise slowly, seemingly growing to life, and finally a bud opens slightly to reveal the hidden flower. This mimics the mood of workers, blossoming after a hard day of work, revealing the fruit of labour.

NUS ID final year student, Tiffany Loy won this Bombay Sapphire Designer Glass Competition 2009.  Her work Martini Ice cold will represent Singapore to attend this year Global Final undertaken in London.

Winner: MARTINI ICE-COLD by Tiffany Loy Kai Yi

The clear blue bottle of Bombay Sapphire exudes a cool glacier, refreshing and relaxing atmosphere which inspire the design concept based on ice blocks and glaciers. Martini Ice-Cold is a glass that takes the form, texture and translucency of a ice-cold glass, providing the refreshing feeling of enjoying a martini. The slight frosted surface of the glass highlights its contours, smooth yet organic and approachable.

In addtion, there were another 4 NUS ID students have been selected as finalists and their works are shown in below:

CENTER OF GRAVITY by Lim Ruiwen
Center of Gravity is a stemless martini glass that is thin at the lips but thick and heavy at the base. The center of mass, perfect symmetry and near flat base helps keep the glass upright. Its seemingly gravity defying stance serves to intrigue users, drawing them to approach the glass with care, heightening the sense of value.
This martini glass represents clever simplicity drawing from the ingenuity and creativity of Bombay Sapphire.

FLUX by Lim Yi Xiang

Flux is inspired by the time and sense of someone enjoying a glass of martini. Where form and function are balanced to achieve a smooth flux in mixing and drinking, the design enhances the experience of drinking a glass of Bombay Sapphire cocktail.

The form of Flux reminds us of the jigger used by the mixologist, which has become a part of him, familiar in his hands. Having two ends that allow for different proportions, the mixologist can accordingly conjure up different mixes and proportions for a wide array of tastes and experiences.

In addition, its hourglass appearance invokes an image of time. The stem feels like it is slipping and flowing between the two ends of the glass, as if time is stretched and slowed down, urging one to slow down and savour the flavour of Bombay Sapphire.

SAPPHIRE BOSTON by Dominic Poon

Inspired by the Boston cocktail shaker, indispensable in the art of cocktail making, Sapphire Boston celebrates the perfection of skill and style that is infused into every drink made with Bombay Sapphire. The form blends and contrasts the precise angularity of a cut sapphire with the utilitarian simplicity of the Boston shaker, culminating in a tall, stable martini glass that can also be used as a Boston shaker to make cocktails.

THE PERFECT MATCH by Ang Wei Quan

The Perfect Match martini cocktail glass is inspired by the perfect blend of the 10 different botanicals. The design concept is about the ideology of Yin-Yang, where disjunct or opposing forces are interconnected and interdependent in the natural world, giving rise to each other in turn, just like how the drink is created. Yin and Yang are complementary opposites within a greater whole.

The design comes with 2 glasses, the alluring red for the lady and the sapphire blue for the gentleman, placed on the specially designed base. Both glasses complement each other and are meant to be inseparable. During a toast, the drink swirls, enveloping the opposites in the subtle aromatic flavour of the drink…the perfect match.

For more information about the competition, please visit Bombay Sapphire Designer Glass Competition 2009

For the first time in Singapore, Bombay Sapphire will award a People’s Prize to the finalist that receives the most public votes. Members of the public who are 18 years or older can cast their vote online. The design that receives the most votes will be named the Singapore People’s Prize winner. All who voted for the winning design will also be entered into a prize draw. Both the People’s Prize winner and the winner of the draw will receive a Flos Glo Ball T1 table lamp designed by Jasper Morrison, worth more than $1000.

Members of the public who are 18 years or older can post their vote online from 1 August to 5 September 2009 through Facebook. View the eight final designs and cast a vote at bombaysapphiresgp@yahoo.com.sg.

Deadline: 15 Aug 09

Call for Entries for Open Group and Enterprise Group of Dongguan Cup International Industrial Design Awards 2009

DETAILS FOR OPEN GROUP COMPETITION

PRODUCT DESIGN CATEGORY:
1、Electronic Information Products
2、Household Products
3、Toy Products
4、Given Topic I
5、Given Topic II
Note：Final topics for given topic groups will be provided by certain well-known enterprises in Dongguan City and will be available in few weeks.

ELIGIBILITY:
Open to those who are keen in design, whether they are students, working in industrial design or in production sector. Individual entry ONLY. Entrants may decide by themselves to apply for one or all of five categories.

AWARDS FOR OPEN GROUPS:
SUPREME GOLD AWARD x1：RMB 200,000 Trophy
GOLD AWARD x4：RMB40,000, Trophy
Note: The winning entries shall be ready to be put into industrial production.
SILVER AWARD x5：RMB20,000, Trophy
BRONZE AWARD x12：RMB10,000, Trophy
MERIT AWARD x220：Merit Award Certificate

For more information, please refer to http://www.dgawards.com/EnMaterials.aspx

Below are some winning entries from past years:

Gold Prize 2006, Winner:Liu Yang

2006 Gold Prize, Winner:Xiao Jiaxin

2006 Gold Prize: Winner:Luo Qingjin

Deadline:17 July 2009

The City of Seoul is pleased to announce 2009 Public Design Competition with the theme of “Seoul, I Design” as followings. This competition is open to a global audience.

1. Competition Theme : The all public design for women

2. Concept of Design
- Public design for mothers accompanied by infants and children
- Public design geared toward women’s safety
- Public design for the woman’s urban convenience
- Public design which provides women with pleasure and comfort both physically and psychologically.

Below are some past year winning entries:

For more information, please visit: http://english.seoul.go.kr/gtk/news/news_view.php?idx=892