PRESS INFORMATION

Hamburg, 25 July 2013

Awards Ceremony for the iF concept design award 2013:

The world’s 100 best young designers were duly honored in Hamburg – with the ten most outstanding entries being rewarded with prize money totaling EUR 30,000.

A judges’ panel of 62 experts in the field of design had selected the winners from the close to 12,000 exciting, clever and surprising ideas, concepts and visions that had been entered from 57 nations from around the world.

Seven new showering concepts were proud recipients of the special prize, the “Hansgrohe Prize 2013: Efficient Water Design”, and prize money in a total amount of EUR 5,000.

With 12,500 entries registered, of which 11,486 were accepted, from 57 different countries from around the globe, the iF concept design award is the world’s largest and most important competition for young design talent (2012: 10,665 entries). This competition is organized by iF DESIGN TALENTS GmbH in Hannover every year.

100 young students from Austria, China, Germany, India, the , South Korea, Sweden, Taiwan, Great Britain and the USA were the happy recipients of the coveted award. Their concepts were selected by 62 design experts from throughout the world in a number of different judging sessions as the most innovative, sustainable and visionary works from among all the entries. The ten most outstanding works (from the 100 best) also shared the total prize money amounting to EUR 30,000.

>> All the concepts that were honored with prize money will be presented on the following pages. All 100 prize-winners can be seen in the iF online exhibition: http://www.ifdesign.de/talents_online-exhibition_wettbewerbe_index_e

The Sponsors: iF DESIGN TALENTS GmbH in Hannover, which is devoted exclusively to promoting young design talent, is responsible for the organization of this competition with the support of the following sponsors: GOLD sponsors are Hansgrohe SE (Schiltach/Germany), LG Hausys (Seoul/South Korea), Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. (Seoul/South Korea), Volkswagen AG (Wolfsburg/Germany) and iF International Forum Design GmbH (Hannover/Germany). The BRONZE sponsors are event it (Hannover/ Germany) and TRENDBÜRO (Hamburg/Germany).

Hansgrohe Prize 2013:

The “Hansgrohe Prize 2013: Efficient Water Design”, which focused on the topic of “My Open Shower Space” this year, was presented for the third time as a special prize in connection with the iF concept design award 2013. Of the approximately 135 entries received, seven prize-winners from Australia, Germany and China were able to convince the judges with their ideas and visions of showering. They share a total of EUR 5,000 in prize money.

Categories | Judges | Evaluation Criteria in the iF concept design award 2013

Concepts could be entered free of charge in the following four categories:

1. product design / industrial design 2. communication design / multimedia design 3. fashion design 4. architecture / interior design

In addition, the entries were also assigned to so-called “Trend Roots”, i.e. socially relevant topics, to indicate in which areas the entry concerned is most likely to initiate social change:

■ social change ■ cultural change ■ economic change ■ ecological change ■ technological change

The Judges

The members of the panel of international experts, who selected the 100 prize-winners and the ten prize-money winners in the second judging session, are:

° Jonas Bjerre-Poulsen , Norm.Architects, / ° Luisa Bocchietto , ADI Associazione per il Disegno Industriale, Milan/ ° Clemens Deilmann , W.L. Gore & Associates GmbH, Feldkirchen-Westerham/Germany ° Hagen Fendler , ZTE Corporation, Shanghai/China ° Philippe Grohe , Hansgrohe SE, Schiltach/Germany ° San-Min Hyun , Samsung Electronics Co. LTD, Seoul/South Korea ° Mario Lombardo , GRID, Berlin/Germany ° Uli Mix , Volkswagen Design Center, Potsdam/Germany ° Sunghee Park , LG Hausys, Seoul/South Korea ° James Turner , Sony Design Center, London/UK

The Evaluation Criteria

The entries were judged according to the following criteria:

Degree of Innovation/Creativity, Design Quality/Marketing, Practical Aspects/Degree of Elaboration, Functionality, Application, Material, Sustainability, Social Responsibility, Universal Design and Safety.

iF ranking university

The iF concept design award does not only stand for the extraordinary design achievements of young international design talent, it also wins points for the universities in the iF ranking university . The universities of the award-winning student entries receive 20 points for each “iF concept design award” won. The online presentation always indicates the results of the competition over the last three years. Here are the top two universities this year:

1st place: National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Taipei/Taiwan

2nd place: Samsung Art & Design Institute (SADI), Seoul / South Korea

>> The iF ranking university: http://www.ifdesign.de/talents_universities_e iF concept design award 2013 | Award Winners with Prize Money

EUR 8,000 in prize money:

Entry ID: 115429 Entry: Life Tire | Water Transportation Toy Category: 01.11 survival+emergency / eco solutions Trend Root: ecological change Design: Mr. In Seok Oh, Gyuri Bae, Youngmin Goo University: Daegu University, Industrial Design, Gyeongsan/South Korea

In Africa, most children have to walk for hours every day just to get clean drinking water for their families. They have no time left to play. And sometimes, old, used tires are the only things they have to play with. The Life Tire uses these tires as both a toy AND a method of transportation. The children fill the tires with water and just roll them home, quickly and easily, playing along the way. While this is happening, the nanofilter balls inside the tire remove any parasites and other contamination from the water.

What the judges had to say: “The Life Tire includes all the elements of design. It starts by asking the question: How can I change something? In this case, elements that children play with are used for different purposes: playing, transporting water and cleaning water. It’s a perfect example of the strength that design carries within itself. The size of the “rims” has been standardized, which is also a very clever decision – this makes it possible to use any conventional tire.”

EUR 5,000 in prize money:

Entry ID: 120575 Entry: Super Battery | Battery made of solar cells Category: 01.11 survival+emergency / eco solutions Trend Root: ecological change Design: Ms. Cao Yuan (HuNan University) and Cao Wenqi, Wu Hao, Xiong Luyao and Xu Wen (Huazhong University of Science&Technology) University: Huazhong University of Science&Technology, Industrial Design, Wuhan/China

The “Super Battery” is a rechargeable battery made of flexible solar cells. Solar energy is converted into electrical energy and stored in the battery. If you want to use the battery, you simply roll the solar cells up – there are three different types of batteries available. The energy delivered by one “Super Battery” is three times that of a conventional battery. This battery makes it possible to save money, it’s environmentally friendly, and perhaps most important, it reduces the amount of heavy metal pollution in the environment.

What the judges had to say: “This idea is really clever and very easy to implement. While there are already a lot of different types of rechargeable batteries available, this concept is really quite unique. The design of the “Super Battery” is simple, yet precise. It certainly deserves to be developed further and put into production.”

EUR 3,000 in prize money:

Entry ID: 110191 Entry: FREEDOM OF SPEECH | Poster for “Human Rights” Category: 02.02 print media Trend Root: social change Design: Ms. Pei-Ling Ou University: SHU-TE UNIVERSITY, Dept. of Visual Communication Design, Kaohsiung/Taiwan

This poster calls attention to human rights issues: Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and freedom of speech. This right also involves the freedom to stand by and to propagate your opinions without hindrance – with the help of all media and across all borders.

What the judges had to say: “This design shows that it is also possible to communicate important political topics using appealing graphics to make a real impact. The importance of the freedom of speech as an important human right is conveyed very convincingly by this poster.”

7 x EUR 2,000 in prize money:

Entry ID: 108418 Entry: Aid Cup | Medical Packaging Category: 01.10 medicine / health+care Trend Root: social change Design: Mr. Ke Li, Jian Shi, Rui Ma, Yiling Chen, Yi Liu University: Zhejiang University, International Design Institute Hangzhou/China

War and drought are the most frequent causes of disease in Africa and it is often difficult to take the necessary medication because there is no clean drinking water to swallow it with. “Aid Cup” packaging provides the solution to this problem: the set consists of the medication (in pill form) and clean drinking water. When the package is opened, it unfolds into a cup shape and the water can be drunk directly from it. The “Aid Cup” can also prove very useful in many other emergency situations. It is made of recyclable plant fiber and has a shelf life of two years.

What the judges had to say: “A simple, ‘small’, but very effective solution that could save the lives of many people. Large relief organizations could implement this concept very easily and cost- effectively, even on a larger scale.”

Entry ID: 109656 Entry: Easy Check Syringe | Syringe Attachment Category: 01.10 medicine / health+care Trend Root: social change Design: Mr. Wei-Shen Wang, Horng-Yow Chen University: National Cheng Kung University, Tainan/Taiwan

The Easy Check Syringe is a transparent plastic ball that is attached to a syringe so that the scale can be read more easily. Thanks to the ball, which acts like a magnifying glass, the amounts on the scale are magnified, which means that injection or extraction amounts can be measured more accurately. This is particularly useful for the visually impaired and the elderly. The plastic balls are color-coded so that it is possible to differentiate between different medications more easily.

What the judges had to say: “A really good idea was developed here. Due the material used (acrylic glass), it can be put into actual practice easily and inexpensively. A real universal design concept!”

Entry ID: 120068 Entry: Easy Plug | Magnetic Plug and Outlet Category: 01.03 audio/video/telec./computer/ techn. solutions Trend Root: technological change Design: Mr. Jui-Min Huang, Pin-Chieh Wu University: National Yunlin University of Science and Technology, Department of Creative Design, Yunlin/Taiwan

The “Easy Plug” is a new solution to solve the age-old problem of getting the plug into the outlet: thanks to the magnetic electrodes, the plug can be inserted on or into the outlet at any angle. As soon as the plug comes close to the outlet, the magnetic electrodes in the outlet pull it into the correct position.

What the judges had to say: “A simple solution for a common problem designed to make handling an everyday product easier. A very good idea that should go into production. The child-proof lock is built right in because there are no longer any openings for curious little fingers. Because it’s so easy to put the plug back in, this also might encourage people to pull the plug more often in order to save energy.” Entry ID: 117036 Entry: kangaroo incubator | Incubator for Premature Babies Category: 01.10 medicine / health+care Trend Root: ecological change Design: Ms. Yoon Joo Kwon, Yu Ye Seul, Goh Ara University: Sookmyung Women’s University, Industrial Design Seoul/South Korea

The “kangaroo incubator” is a piece of medical equipment designed to care for premature and new-born babies. The design was inspired by kangaroos, which carry their young in their pouches with direct body contact: this incubator imitates the body shape, warmth and heartbeat of the mother. As a result, the kangaroo incubator also supports the emotional development of the premature baby.

What the judges had to say: “The incubator concept is a good approach towards imitating the mother’s womb in shape, temperature and the sound of the heartbeat. A wonderful idea to promote the development of premature babies.”

Entry ID: 108328 Entry: Size Zero Models | Posters of “Anorexic Models” Category: 02.02 print media Trend Root: social change Design: Ms. Pei Chi Yang University: National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Taipei/Taiwan

Models have been starving themselves for their appearances in fashion shows and on the catwalk for years. This results in eating disorders, anorexia and, in the worst cases, even death. Not only are international aesthetic standards affected, it also strongly influences many young girls who want to look like models or film stars. These posters show women in world-famous oil paintings in a very altered, shocking state – the well-proportioned “Mona Lisa”, for example, as an anorexic model.

What the judges had to say: “A current issue has been addressed here in a very provocative way. A very strong message! A good example of how classical art and modern topics can be combined. With an unexpected twist: the curvy Mona Lisa, who has what used to be the “ideal figure”, compared to today. Very good, brilliant graphical implementation!“

Entry ID: 115587 Entry: The Third Eye | Corrective Eyeglasses Category: 01.10 medicine / health+care Trend Root: social change Design: Ms. Ying Bai, Yuanyuan Liu, Xiaowei Jiang University: Tsinghua University, Art & Design Academy, Beijing/China

As we grow older, our vision frequently deteriorates. It’s often necessary to have glasses with two different prescription values – one for reading and one for distance. Having to switch from one pair of glasses to the other all the time is very inconvenient. “The Third Eye” solves this problem: anyone wearing these glasses can quickly and easily adjust the glasses themselves to get the optimal lens strength required at the time – all they need to do is to alter the diameter of the lenses. This bends the membrane material inwards or out to create either a concave or a convex lens.

What the judges had to say: “This concept has already been around for quite some time as an idea, but it has never before been developed as far as this entry goes. These corrective glasses are interesting for regions in which it is not possible to make glasses according to individual prescriptions because it would be too expensive.”

Entry ID: 113848 Entry: U Bowl | Bowl Category: 01.08 kitchen / household / living Trend Root: technological change Design: Mr. Jeho Yoon University: Burg Giebichenstein Kunsthochschule Halle, Halle (Saale)/Germany

The “U Bowl” is a bowl with a silicone edge shaped into a “U” at one point. This part of the “U Bowl” has different functions. It can be used to easily and securely hold the bowl and to scrape off and clean the mixing spoon.

What the judges had to say: “This design addresses an obvious weakness in handling bowls. In this case, the way that ergonomics are taken into account is very simple and quite charming. The rubber lip is also very useful when working with any number of other kitchen tools. Absolutely self-explanatory design!”

Judges’ Statements on the iF concept design award 2013

“The entries for this year’s iF concept design award had me convinced with their broad thematic range and the impressive number of interesting approaches and innovations. In addition to the main topic of sustainability, we judged a large number of remarkable solutions to problems that focused on the complex way of life in urban spaces. I was particularly impressed by the expressively forceful entries in the Graphics category, which highlighted political and social topics in a very sensitive way.” Uli Mix | Volkswagen Design Center, Potsdam/Germany

“This was my first time as a juror for the iF concept design award so I have no point of reference, but I was pleased to see that the next generation of designers are still asking important questions and looking at problems from fresh perspectives. I thoroughly enjoyed the process, especially the final stages as we debated the merits and order of our final shortlist, and was personally very pleased to see graphic design making strong social comments.” James Turner | Sony Design Center, London/UK

“The submissions for the ‘iF concept design award 2013’ show how creative and multifaceted the ideas and concepts of young designers are nowadays. The quantity of submissions consistently shows the strong potential of young, international design talent. This doesn’t make the selection easy, but it always makes it inspiring. The future of design looks very promising with these young talents.” Philippe Grohe | Hansgrohe SE, Schiltach/Germany

“The quality and level of the participants who entered the competition were generally higher than last year, specifically the young designers from Asian countries. Many of the participants for Communication Design were especially fascinating and the reason I felt this was that as more students around the world now got to know the iF’s young designers competition is not only product design based competition but it covers various categories of design field. I believe that there will be a lot more creative works entering the competition next year.

The only advice I would like to give to the young designers who are willing to apply for this prestigious competition is to thoroughly look up the past winners of IF Awards to see what designs/ideas are out there, if their ideas already exist and if their works, such as renderings, quality of presentation, etc., meet the competition standard to get the successful result they are hoping for.” Sunghee Park | LG Hausys, Seoul/South Korea

“I was delighted to be a part of this jury. I also felt a strong sense of responsibility for every single designer entry into the competition. It is not just as a juror, but also as a professional designer who was in the same position as these students not so long ago. There is no doubt that most of their entries will be a valuable asset as they begin their careers. Overall, these young designers need a broad view of the field, to refine their disciplinary interests, and this hopefully might help them find new avenues to focus on their journey towards the core of matter.” San-Min Hyun | Samsung Electronics Co. LTD, Seoul/South Korea

“It was a pleasure and honor to get the chance to be part of the 'iF concept design award' jury. The diversity of international creative professionals in the jury from all areas of the industry was impressive. The interest of the creative and innovative industry is reflecting how important a plattform like this is. We can scan up-coming talents, evaluate how they introduce their work and find out what their design related interests are.

For the majority of concepts I was impressed by the simple, problem solving concepts which where geared towards real consumer needs. From my perspective I would have like to see a greater integration and focus on 'good' and aesthetic design, embedded in functional and intuitive design solutions.” Clemens Deilmann | W.L. Gore & Associates GmbH, Feldkirchen- Westerham/Germany

“As always, the jury work for a concept design award is a particularly beautiful and inspiring challenge. Sometimes you actually be able to discover an exceptionally clear idea of pure creativity without false compromises or a well-grounded yet simple approach for solving a problem. Even so the jury has been discussing hard, it was quickly obvious that social relevance can serve as a compass in the decision- making, that simplicity will win over complexity and in-depth thinking will be favoured over pure aesthetics. This can well be taken as an indication for future participants.” Hagen Fendler | ZTE Corporation, Shanghai/China

“It 'was very interesting for me to join the jury to have a representative cross section of the work of young designers on an international level.

I picked up the feeling that there are considerable differences in the level of acquisition of knowledge in the field of design according to the different countries of origin and therefore this makes me think that there is still much to do and useful opportunities to collaborate with us. This sensitivity is growing and some projects were of good maturity. A jury is also always an opportunity for growth and comparison, and I am grateful to iF for giving me this reason to meet with personalities of value. Advice to the young participants: always be open to new ethical demands of the world. We want to contribute improving it with our work. Design can go a long way, and today the project 'vision’ is more our responsibility than ever.” Luisa Bocchietto | ADI Associazione per il Disegno Industriale, Milan/Italy

“The quality of the concepts varied enormously. From the banal to the very thought through and innovative. I was impressed with the focus on meeting real needs in many of the entries. There were many suggestions that addressed very important challenges across the globe in everything from health issues to energy problems. The focus on actually thinking the concepts into products as well as considering materials used and production methods was not very incorporated in most of the concepts.

It was very evident to see that most of the designers worked from a very ethnocentric point of view, addressing issues that were important in their own culture. Thus you really had to try and understand their culture and the problem at hand in order to evaluate whether or not the concept was strong or not. So it was very striking to witness the variety of global challenges and it gave an interesting outlook in just one day. On the other hand it also underlined that designers working globally sometimes really have to widen their horizons.” Jonas Bjerre-Poulsen, Norm.Architects, Kopenhagen/Denmark

Judges’ Biographies on the iF concept design award 2013

Jonas Bjerre-Poulsen is architect, designer and photographer. 2004 he graduated as architect from the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, Copenhagen. He also holds a degree in business administration and languages from Copenhagen Business School. He studied art and philosophy in Rome before commencing work as Design Manager for Danish Designer Ole Palsby in 2005 until he founded Norm Architects with fellow architect and designer Kasper Rønn in 2008. Norm Architects is a multidisciplinary design studio in Copenhagen focusing on residential architecture, commercial interiors and industrial design.

Luisa Bocchietto , architect and designer, graduated in 1985 in Industrial Design with Marco Zanuso, and, at the same time, in interior architecture at IED in Milan. Since then she works in the field of architecture and design, opening her own firm in Biella and Milan. She cooperates as a tutor and visiting professor with universities and design schools. She wrote books and she speaks in several conferences worldwide. She was President of the Italian Architect Association in Biella. Since 2008, she has been National President of ADI – Italian Association for Industrial Design and is a member of the Italian Design Council, at the Ministry of Cultural Goods and Activities.

Clemens Deilmann studied at the Parsons School of Design, New York and at the American University in Paris after completing an apprenticeship as a tailor in Berlin. He worked for Ted Lapidus and JC de Castelbajac as well as for his own prêt-à-porter label before he began to design performance sportswear for Ellesse USA, Puma, Adidas and Windsurfing Chiemsee. Deilmann has been the head of design at Gore Bike Wear, Feldkirchen/Germany for the past ten years and is responsible for the Gore Bike Wear and Gore Running Wear collections.

Hagen Fendler has a diploma in Industrial Design. He worked as Head of Product Concepts for Siemens and as Design Director for the design company yellow design / yellow circle in Germany. He was the Chief Design Director for Handsets for the Huawei Device Company based in Shenzhen, China, where he was responsible for the development and implementation of Huawei’s global design strategy for mobile devices. During his career he had worked for major global brands such as Audi, BMW, Ford, Telekom, Lufthansa, Swatch or Wella. On the side Hagen Fendler gives seminars, holds lectures, is lecturer at different universities and has won countless design awards. Currently Hagen Fendler is the Global Chief Design Director for the ZTE Corporation based in Shanghai, P.R. China. His role responsibility includes the development and implementation of ZTE’s global design strategy.

Philippe Grohe completed an apprenticeship as a photographer and then went on to study business management at the Berufsakademie Villingen-Schwenningen, a German university for co-op study. During this time, he was involved, among other things, in photography for humanitarian organizations and took part in many exhibitions. After ending his studies in 1995, he went through several different types of training in the USA before he took over as Managing Director of the Hansgrohe Sales Organization in . In 2001, he returned to the main headquarters of the family-oriented enterprise in Schiltach to head Axor, the Hansgrohe SE designer brand.

Sang-Min Hyun has been a Principal Designer since 2010, advancing mandates for visionary creative directions and design identity within the company, as a Creative Director. He joined Samsung Electronics in 1996, where he has been involved in many endeavors from visionary, to market-driven projects for Samsung. Recently, he received many international awards. Recently, he has been leading a specific group responsible for developing Corporate Design Identity.

Mario Lombardo is graphic designer. His characteristic talent for melding emotional intensity with an intelligent design approach makes his work simultaneously some of the most significant being produced today and timeless. Lombardo’s multifaceted repertoire includes works for clients such as Berlin Biennale, Kunsthalle Düsseldorf, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, KaDeWe, Wempe, , Mercedes-Benz and Art Direction for publications such as SPEX, Liebling, Dummy. In 2010 Gestalten published the monograph: »The Tender Spot –The Graphic Design of Mario Lombardo«. Mario Lombardo lives and works in Berlin.

Uli Mix has been in charge of the Design Strategy division in the Volkswagen Design Center Potsdam/Germany since 2005. His responsibilities include strategic design trends for vehicle projects and concept development up until market introduction. After studying Product Design at the Karlsruhe University of Arts and Design and at the Berlin University of the Arts, Mix began his professional career at Audi in Ingolstadt in the Interior Design department in 1998. Uli Mix is also involved in different teaching engagements in the fields of design.

Sunghee Park works at LG Hausys design center, Seoul, as Vice President. She studied visual communication design at the Hong-ik University in Seoul and earned a Master’s degree from the Pratt Institute in New York. She worked in the cosmetic product design field at Amore Pacific, where she designed and developed many products.

James Turner graduated from Swansea Metropolitan University, UK, in 1999 and began his career designing catalogues and direct marketing for the interior design company OKA. In 2004, he moved on to create award-winning retail graphics for the fashion retailer Harvey Nichols. He joined the European Design Centre at Sony in 2008 and is now the Art Director for Communication Design. His team works on a variety of local, regional and global initiatives and regularly collaborates with the Industrial Design and User Interface teams. Recently Turner was the Lead Designer for the development of the global brand direction.

For more information and image material:

Annegret Wulf-Pippig Press spokesperson iF International Forum Design GmbH iF DESIGN TALENTS GmbH Bahnhofstrasse 8 / 30159 Hannover Germany phone +49.511.54224-218 [email protected]