Over the next few weeks we will be highlighting award-winning projects and ideas from this year's Core77 Design Awards 2012! For full details on the project, jury commenting and more information about the awards program, go to Core77DesignAwards.com
- Model Machine
- Designer: Bernhard Ranner
- Location: University for Applied Arts, Vienna
- Category: Equipment
- Award: Student Runner-Up
In addition to sketches and renderings, designers often need to have "real" models to judge the ergonomics, haptics and functionality of their work. Larger companies tend to be the only ones that can afford to have a full-fledged model shop. Model Machine fills this void for the smaller offices and startups.
How did you learn that you had been recognized by the jury?
Actually I read the mail in the middle of the night—still in the office working... I'm currently working at EOOS on the Bill an Melinda Gates Foundation funded project "Reinvent the Toilet Challenge." We'll go to Seattle with our Mockup in a few days and present our design for a sanitation solution in developing countries.
What's the latest news or development with your project?
Last year, 100% of my time went into the Reinvent the Toilet Challenge. If we win the challenge and get funding for the next project phase, it doesn't look so good for the model machine, but if not, I'll approach to some potential industry partners and see if I can convince one of them to develop this product.
What is one quick anecdote about your project?
Oh so many... for instance: in the final model building phase while CNC-milling the parts for the scale model, the machine stopped working. Turned out the stepper motor controller of my CNC machine died. On the weekend. In the night. No chance to get replacement parts. I was terrified. In a brave McGyver-ish stunt I hacked together a controller from a discarded Xerox machine that actually worked better than the original controller.
What was an "a-ha" moment from this project?
At some point when the function-principles were figured out I thought that I should now start to actually "design" the machine. It took me several unsuccessful approaches to realize that it already had quite a strong design language and would better be left the way it was.
Over the next few weeks we will be highlighting award-winning projects and ideas from this year's Core77 Design Awards 2012! For full details on the project, jury commenting and more information about the awards program, go to Core77DesignAwards.com
Allayant is a paramedic uniform with a built-in adjustable artificial spine (spring) for back support. As the EMT bends over to lift, the back brace automatically adjusts, assisting the EMT in tightening their lower back muscles. With this built in back brace, EMTs can safely lift and transport patients and other heavy loads.
How did you learn that you had been recognized by the jury?
I learned I had been recognized through the Core77 awards page once the Soft Goods category had been announced. I was grateful to have received very useful feedback from the jury.
What's the latest news or development with your project?
I have received a lot of support and encouragement on this project and have continued to further develop the prototype. I am continuing my research on materials and consulting with material venders to find the most innovative materials that are appropriate for the function. Currently the prototype is with IDSA and will be displayed at the gallery for the 2012 International Conference in Boston.
What is one quick anecdote about your project?
Throughout the project, I interviewed and observed EMTs and Paramedics maintaining the equipment they use and transporting patients. EMTs are amazing people with an incredible willpower to do their job. Every day, their backs go through an extreme amount of stress transferring weight up and down buildings. I learned that some ill patients become combatant and EMTs stabilize their backs as they climb stairs carrying and protecting the patient. A lot of their hard work goes unnoticed, sometimes placing the patient's safety above their own. All that led to my decision to choose to design around issues of back pain. I am very touched at how quickly people get the idea, right away they tell me stories about their back pain. I think everyone can relate to the issue of back pain.
What was an "a-ha" moment from this project?
I started designing and building prototypes of sliding plates that would lock and unlock to create a ridged yet flexible structure around the lumbar. The material I was cutting had resiliency and I got the idea of creating a spring to support the spine. That was the "a-ha" moment, when I created a hinge for the waist and a spring for the spine with my prototype. The spring would flex with she curvature of the spine and slightly pull back to prevent the user of hyperextending, while the hinge would add needed pressure to support lower back muscles.
Over the next few weeks we will be highlighting award-winning projects and ideas from this year's Core77 Design Awards 2012! For full details on the project, jury commenting and more information about the awards program, go to Core77DesignAwards.com
The objective was to create a visual identity for the Swiss Fine Fragrances and Cosmetics company Valeur Absolue, that would invigorate the Fine Fragrances market.
How did you learn that you had been recognized by the jury?
Via Twitter.
What's the latest news or development with your project?
After creating the visual identity for Valeur Absolue, we have recently also developed the packaging for their new perfume range. In addition, we have been working on the design of their communication and point of sale campaign, which will be launched soon.
What is one quick anecdote about your project?
The client really pushed our boundaries for this project; we did almost 10 rounds of reworks. But it was worthy; sometimes, even if we get tired, it's good to have a client that push us till our limit. The visual identity we've created was very well received and they have been delighted with the end result.
What was an "a-ha" moment from this project?
Thirty minutes before we were due to send the 10th round of creative executions for the client to evaluate, with everything almost ready, Gustavo Piqueira -- the head of Casa Rex who was also the creative director of this project -- had one last idea for the brand design. So, we raced to complete the last design excecutions and still get them to the client within deadline. And guess what? That was the visual identity selected and released by Valeur Absolue.
Over the next few weeks we will be highlighting award-winning projects and ideas from this year's Core77 Design Awards 2012! For full details on the project, jury commenting and more information about the awards program, go to Core77DesignAwards.com
- Philips Sparq
- Designer: Philips Design, Philips Design Healthcare team & Modo, Inc.
- Category: Equipment
- Award: Professional Notable
The Sparq mobile ultrasound system offers a new ultrasound experience. It allows for the scanning and interpreting of ultrasound images at the point of care as simple as possible. Users with limited experience or training who just need basic functionality and ease of operation can use this system with ease. Immediate clinical decisions can be made faster which gives the doctor more time to focus on the patient.
How did you learn that you had been recognized by the jury?
We saw the announcement live on Core77.com—late at night!
What's the latest news or development with your project?
New launches of systems like this in Healthcare are all significant, and it is still early days for the mobile Sparq ultrasound. However initial feedback is very positive—the system is being well received in hospitals, particularly with respect to user workflow.
What is one quick anecdote about your project?
We wanted to progress fast with this project and get our idea to market as soon as possible. During the early creative workshops we explored initial concepts in enough depth to realize that the project was even more complex than we had originally thought. This enabled us to focus and tackle the right set of challenges to meet our customer needs.
What was an "a-ha" moment from this project?
Our special moment was actually seeing the user interface coming to life. This is the heart and soul of the Sparq ultrasound. We took the risk and developed a completely new approach from scratch. This involved extensive research and testing, and the commitment of the entire team. And in the end it really paid off.
Over the next few weeks we will be highlighting award-winning projects and ideas from this year's Core77 Design Awards 2012! For full details on the project, jury commenting and more information about the awards program, go to Core77DesignAwards.com
- Reach & Match
- Designer: Mandy Shuk-Man Lau
- Location: Monash University
- Category: Social Impact and Strategy & Research
- Award: Student Notable
Reach & Match is a Braille learning toy for visually impaired children with multi-disabilities to have an interesting exposure to Braille literacy and functional skills learning for independence. The design aims to bring dignity, comfort, support and a quality of life experience for visually impaired children to enjoy equal rights and opportunity.
How did you learn that you had been recognized by the jury?
I watched the online video announcement of the winners. It was very exciting to hear the news that my design is recognized.
What's the latest news or development with your project?
I am working with my university to seek funding opportunity, at the same time; I have been visiting local organization like Vision Australia and Statewide Vision Resource under the early childhood education department, I was happy to receive very good feedback from professionals and parents. From there, I did the most valuable observational research also testing with the young blind children. By having a research and observation based project, and collaborating with professionals, modification and feedback have been received and resulted in a much richer design. My prototype has been displayed in different exhibitions like United Nations ECOSOC Innovation Fair in Geneva and also in other countries, USA and South Africa, etc. Also, I have been collaborating with UNICEF to seek an opportunity for a pilot product testing in South Africa. Fingers crossed! I will be very happy to work with any individual or organization that shares the same goal to design for social impact. I hope the designs will be enjoyed by the blind children in the world that is the reason why R&M is designed into different versions to fit for different areas.
What is one quick anecdote about your project?
When I first read the pattern formed by the Braille on the plain white paper, the embossed dots mystified me so much. It is how amazing that blind people can read them by feeling the patters of dots. It is also mysterious to me that people could perceive their world by fingertips. However, due to different social reasons like government law, technology advancement and budget constraints, the global decline of braille caused lot of braille students become illiterate. At that moment, I realized that I was incited to embark on an exploration, a journey. I could never imagine that this journey has bought me into another dimension, a different world of consideration and attention. The journey took me to understand what blindness is, the nature of Braille language, the global trend of social and cultural influence on language, the blind children with multi-disabilities, the social, emotional and communicative development in visually impaired children, in a way which was wholly fresh and fascinating to me. On the other hand, I started my sensory exploration to experience each piece of daily detail from a blind person's point of view. I was entirely overwhelmed with this complete new perspective onto blindness.
What was an "a-ha" moment from this project?
The objective of the project is obvious and direct at the beginning, but during the design development, it opened up to a deep consideration to the design specification, interface and every minute detail. The layers of the information for developing the design would not be possible made without understanding the complexity of early education for the visually impaired. However, observation is the most valuable research for my project; and it helped me select the most appropriate tactile communication options for my design. From observing blind children, I understand the importance of sensory play.The design is directly response to the actual circumstances and needs of the blind children. I am also inspired by my conversations with the Braille teachers, physiotherapists and childhood educators. There were an abundant exchange of ideas and knowledge amongst parents, the professionals and myself. Throughout the design process, I kept obtaining new insight from observation and communications with people to help nurture my ideas. We shared different ideas that were created by dialogue, comparisons, and metaphors, funny or serious observations. It's a truly fascinating experience!
Over the next few weeks we will be highlighting award-winning projects and ideas from this year's Core77 Design Awards 2012! For full details on the project, jury commenting and more information about the awards program, go to Core77DesignAwards.com
- R-Mano glove
- Designer: Hugo Messier
- Location: University of Montreal
- Category: Soft Goods
- Award: Student Notable
R-Mano is an orthopaedic glove that allows the user to secure an object to his hand, maintaining prehension during an activity. Specially designed for people with hand disabilities, the glove's grip is ensured by a strap system that ties to the back of the hand. The system adjusts to different objects' sizes, providing the user with an adaptable and very accurate fit.
How did you learn that you had been recognized by the jury?
I was waiting for the results with a lot of enthusiasm so I was watching the live broadcast of the jury .
What's the latest news or development with your project?
The R-Mano glove is currently on its way to be produced and commercialized. We recently received the second batch of samples and are mesuring their potential. By the end of this summer we will have gathered all the information required for production and will start distribution to selected dealers.
What is one quick anecdote about your project?
Even though I knew the project and its aim would teach me a lot of great lessons, I had forgotten it would also teach me some basic knowledge...At the beginning of this project, I didn't know how to sew! After many hours of struggling hard with the machine, I finally won the battle. I can now proudly say I don't need my grandmother to hem my pants anymore!
What was an "a-ha" moment from this project?
Once the first prototype was finished I tested it successfully with a 10 pounds weight. It is then that I truly realized the potential of the glove that I was developing. This was definitely the greatest day of my semester.
Over the next few weeks we will be highlighting award-winning projects and ideas from this year's Core77 Design Awards 2012! For full details on the project, jury commenting and more information about the awards program, go to Core77DesignAwards.com
The EasiDrive is an electric screwdriver for people unfamiliar with DIY and power tools, for people who just want to hang a painting, assemble a side table, or attach a coat hook. EasiDrive features the functional enhancements of an easy-alignment tool for drilling and screwing straight, a simple direction toggle for understanding what EasiDrive will do, and depth markers for drilling. Ease of use is improved with focused lighting for better vision, a debris catcher to reduce the mess, and the ability to stand while charging (and with a screw-bit in), to both save space and prevent scratching surfaces.
How did you learn that you had been recognized by the jury?
Excitedly checking the awards page at work, resulting in a bit of celebration!
What's the latest news or development with your project?
This project was a short CAD and manufacturing skills project at university, and I haven't pushed it further at this stage. I designed it to fit Kärcher's emerging Home Line sub-brand, so I intend to show it to them—I'd love to see the ideas taken into production.
What is one quick anecdote about your project?
When we started this project, we were given only sixteen hours to complete the design. That time excluded CAD, manufacturing details and presentation, but it's fair to say there was a fair bit of skepticism in the room!
However, it was truly eye-opening. Selecting a brand (Kärcher's emerging Home Line) and research took two hours, followed by sketch, foam model, sketch, cardboard-foam model, photograph, overlay-sketch, repeat, in short sprint sessions, which was great fun. Our class produced a lot of amazing work, and it turned out to be one of the most enjoyable projects I've undertaken. I have to particularly thank my awesome class at Umeå for some brilliant, short and sharp feedback sessions—in this time limit it made all the difference.
What was an "a-ha" moment from this project?
About halfway through, I was busy designing the sliding alignment tool, and brainstorming for other possible features. At some point I realized the slider could also catch debris and provide a really effective way of distributing light around the drilling/screwing location. I knew I was onto something, and kept shaking the tree until it yielded simple, practical functionality.
Over the next few weeks we will be highlighting award-winning projects and ideas from this year's Core77 Design Awards 2012! For full details on the project, jury commenting and more information about the awards program, go to Core77DesignAwards.com
PINCH
Designer: Jaineel Shah
Location: DSK ISD International School of Design
Category: Consumer Products
Award: Student Notable
PINCH is a simple hanger redesign, to comfortably get your hanger out from your t-shirt without damaging your clothing. Through the gesture of "pinch" you can bend down the arms of the hanger and easily slide in/out from your t-shirt. Material proposed is Polypropylene and Elastomer mix.
How did you learn that you had been recognized by the jury?
I was watching the live broadcast of the jury from India and Nicolas Roope was the first one to announce it!
What's the latest news or development with your project?
I am in the process of connecting various stakeholders who can assist me in taking Pinch to the next level, to convert it into a Mass Market hit. A network of engineers, scientists, venture capitalists, brands and production houses who can come together to transform this working prototype into an integrated and refined product.
What is one quick anecdote about your project?
When I had uploaded the Pinch renders on my website, it was flooded with positive and negative comments. Thanks to all the pessimistic comments towards my project made me more motivated to prove them wrong by rushing to the workshop and making a quick mockup to prove the working principle of the concept. To backup all the optimistic people, I made a short 25 seconds video showing how it works with the help of the mockup.
What was an "a-ha" moment from this project?
After the video took off, it actually took me some time to believe that Pinch had a big potential to reach the market which was a conceptual design when I started receiving many emails from people and manufactures all around the world wanting to buy/sell Pinch in their house, shops, supermarket, country.
Over the next few weeks we will be highlighting award-winning projects and ideas from this year's Core77 Design Awards 2012! For full details on the project, jury commenting and more information about the awards program, go to Core77DesignAwards.com
- T50elite Staple Gun
- Designer: Michael Reedy & ManKi Yoo / Masco Design
- Category: Consumer Products
- Award: Professional Notable
The T50elite is a professional quality manual staple gun for both pro and DIY users. In addition to its sleek look and ergonomic feel, the T50elite is versatile with several innovative features. These include a patented drive technology which creates up to 60% more power while being easier to squeeze than the original Arrow T50. The additional power allows the tool to fire six sizes of T50 staples and brad nails up to 1" long. Other features include an integrated adjustable wire guide for safely installing low-voltage wiring and a high-low power setting.
How did you learn that you had been recognized by the jury?
We had planned on watching the video, but had a meeting Monday morning. Before we could check Core77's website, we had received the official email and even a congratulatory email from a colleague who had been watching the feed.
What's the latest news or development with your project?
The T50elite has had strong sales at Lowe's and is starting to get broader distribution in North America and internationally. There is also a version called T50 R.E.D. which is sold at the Home Depot.
What is one quick anecdote about your project?
During ethnographic interviews last fall, we had a production version of the T50elite we were getting feedback on. We were sitting around the participant's dining room table and when she discovered that the T50elite could fire a 1" brad nail she was so excited she immediately grabbed it and used it to secure a loose piece of chair molding. She exclaimed, "My husband is going be so impressed!" It was amazing how empowered the T50elite had made her.
What was an "a-ha" moment from this project?
As soon as we tried engineering a mechanical prototype we knew this tool was going to be a hit. However, the mechanism and industrial design have to be tightly integrated to be successful. We knew it was going to take a lot of close collaboration with engineering to keep the tool compact and reduce the grip span as much as possible. It was definitely worth the effort though!
Over the next few weeks we will be highlighting award-winning projects and ideas from this year's Core77 Design Awards 2012! For full details on the project, jury commenting and more information about the awards program, go to Core77DesignAwards.com
Channel of Mindfulness- Designer: Qianyi Zhao
- Location: University of Tasmania
- Category: Furniture & Lighting
- Award: Student Notable
This project investigates the way in which furniture can operate within the wider concerns of 'art' and affect psychological thought and emotional expression. The goal was to explore the way that furniture can be endowed with 'personality' to evoke the users' subconscious emotion and feeling. This project attempts to deconstruct social relationships that develop between furniture and its users by breaking down stereotypical expectations of for example what a 'chair' should look like and how it might be used.
How did you learn that you had been recognized by the jury?
Honestly, it was really a surprise for me when I learned that I had been recognized as one of the student notable from the email. I was so excited and couldn't wait to share the good news with my family and friends. It is a great honour for me and also an approval for this project.
What's the latest news or development with your project?
My current focus of this project moves from big piece to smaller piece such as lamps. The paper pulp material can really create distinctive result when placed in various lights. I feel that the light on and light off status of the lamp can represent two sides of a person. I am still working on how to appropriately utilize the effect of light and surrounding environment at the moment.
What is one quick anecdote about your project?
The photographing process of my project was quite interesting. I self-shot all the photos, which turned it into a funny show. It was a sunny weekend when I shot photos alone in the school corridor. Some tourists walked by when I was doing weird gestures aside from the furniture. They seemed to think I was doing some kind of performance art. I was shy indeed. However, the unexpected audiences during the shooting created extra experience of design process.
What was an "a-ha" moment from this project?
The 'a-ha' moment of 'Do Not Ignore' project was the moment that I put two or more pieces of furniture of this series together in one scene. It may sound unbelievable that the furniture seems to start a silent conversation. I felt that the furniture possessed certain personality, which made them vivid at that moment. It seemed the perfect way to display them, which create batter interpretation of each piece. More important, I realized later that using accessories as scarf, shoes and books enhanced the furniture's ability of expressiveness.
Over the next few weeks we will be highlighting award-winning projects and ideas from this year's Core77 Design Awards 2012! For full details on the project, jury commenting and more information about the awards program, go to Core77DesignAwards.com
- Fountain of Life
- Designer: Danwei Ye, Yakun Zhang & Yu Liu
- Location: Rochester Institute of Technology
- Category: Equipment
- Award: Student Runner-Up
Fountain of Life is a water birthing assistant medical device. It is a product based on a more traditional water birthing container like a tub and has several advanced material and medical technology modifications.
How did you learn that you had been recognized by the jury?
We think the most valuable point of our design is to showing the humanity and warmth through a life-related equipment. Through viewing jury's comments, we are glad that they could feel the character even though they aren't the users. As industrial designers, we believe that we should always pay attention to the development of our society and people's lives, trying to find design opportunity which accord with the changes of people's concepts. In that way, we could design something to fill the vacancy of a new type relationship between people and the society.
What's the latest news or development with your project?
Our design process was done by us, with the technical support by our Innovation Center and the financial support by our CIAS department funding. Now, we want to take this design to the next level, which is introducing to more audiences, getting their feedback and making the decision whether it's really necessary to design and even product this equipment from a more marketing and investing point of view. At the same time, we will work with mechanical engineering students via the support of Innovation Center, to figure out the interior structure as well as add more details to the product. That is to say, if we can't persuade someone to spend money on this project, we still can make a better portfolio based on it.
What is one quick anecdote about your project?
As we are designing a product for women, and unfortunately we have no female team member. It became very hard for us to define some gynecology problems. And, as students, our female classmate were not familiar with these problems. As a result, we needed to discover everything by ourselves (and of course we didn't want to ask our parents). Every time when we asked something, people would ask 'Why do you want to know that? You will deliver your child?' It always takes time to clarify our idea, and after that everyone will support us.
What was an "a-ha" moment from this project?
Lots of "a-ha" moments happened in the development process of this project, and the most important one was in the beginning of ideation, one of us said: Is it comfortable to set in a hot tub in that weird position? Then, we actually tried the position by our self in a tub, and it was very hard for us. After that, we merged a chair into the tub, that made it easier to get in and push. A-ha, that is a good solution to combine chair and tub into a new medical delivery equipment. At last, we collect every thing we can create into one design and here it is.
Over the next few weeks we will be highlighting award-winning projects and ideas from this year's Core77 Design Awards 2012! For full details on the project, jury commenting and more information about the awards program, go to Core77DesignAwards.com
- FABLAB Education Program
- Designer: TYTHEdesign
- Location: Hunts Point - South Bronx, New York
- Category: Educational Initiatives
- Award: Professional Runner-Up
TYTHEdesign in collaboration with the non-profit Sustainable South Bronx (SSBx), has developed and piloted an educational after-school program to teach job and life skills by focusing on sustainability and business basics through the lens of design. By using design educational principles, students learned valuable transferable skills that can be used in every area of their lives.
How did you learn that you had been recognized by the jury?
It was lunch time in New York and we took a break to watch the live broadcast of the awards. We work in a co-working space in Brooklyn, so watching the awards meant sitting quietly in the corner, with our earphones on! We were so honored to be recognized and immediately shared the news with our collaborators.
What's the latest news or development with your project?
Following the initial pilot launch of the program, Sustainable South Bronx has set up the FABLAB as part of their regular programming. We supported the organization in the hiring process to make sure they brought on someone who had the right background in design, education and the environment. Additionally, we provided some basic training and education to the new teacher to make sure the transition worked smoothly. In the Spring/Summer of 2012 they officially launched the program to great success, doubling the attendance of the pilot. The programs have just ended and we are looking forward to an update from both the students' and organization's perspectives.
What is one quick anecdote about your project?
Through the initial pilot program and first Etsy store, we heard back from a college recruiter, "I was interviewing a prospective student for college and we talked at length about FabLab; you have an excellent-sounding program there and I do hope you keep it going." Additionally, we have been contacted by individuals looking to hire our students, who were using the program as a form of reference. It was great for us to hear that the program had such a positive reach towards our students next steps.
What was an "a-ha" moment from this project?
Bottom line, our 'a-ha' moments came through collaboration, with both the organization, our team and the students. Due to our constant evaluation during the pilot program we were able to quickly identify what was working well and what wasn't. This in itself was our 'a-ha' moment/process. Many times our assumptions were incorrect and our ideas didn't match the interest of the the students. The biggest 'a-ha' moment was changing our terminology, learning to relate better to the student by talking about 'next steps' not specifically college or job. This allowed everyone to feel comfortable, be in the same conversation and be excited that 'next steps' were all equal and exciting regardless of what they were.
Over the next few weeks we will be highlighting award-winning projects and ideas from this year's Core77 Design Awards 2012! For full details on the project, jury commenting and more information about the awards program, go to Core77DesignAwards.com
- Channel of Mindfulness
- Designer: Second Story Design Team; Kyle Fiano, Joshua Gallagher, Erica MacKenzie, Courtney Larsen, & Anna Christy
- Location: Tempe, Arizona
- Category: Interiors & Exhibitions
- Award: Student Runner up
This project is a freestanding organic shade and seating structure constructed to turn a campus location into an attractive destination for others.
How did you learn that you had been recognized by the jury?
I found out that we had been recognized by the jury via Twitter. The Core77 Awards account tweeted at me when I was at the studio and I was completely thrilled and surprised. I thought it was very smart that I was contacted through Twitter because it was very easy for me to instantly broadcast the news out to the rest of the team as well my other Twitter followers.
What's the latest news or development with your project?
Peritoneum has actually gone through a lot of changes in recent weeks. We moved the entire structure off of the site at the Arizona State University Tempe campus and transported it to a lot on the corner of Roosevelt Street and 2nd Avenue in downtown Phoenix Arizona. We decided to move because it was necessary for Peritoneum to continue to have an impact on the Arizona aesthetic, and by transporting it to Phoenix the structure is opened up to a wider audience base. Since we consider the structure to not only be a great design work but also a beneficial public art piece, we are working on programming to change the aesthetic of the material by collaborating with artists as well as the general public as a whole.
What is one quick anecdote about your project?
When we presented this structure to the faculty after being awarded by the jury, many within the school administration doubted our ability to pull off the construction of a project with this big of a scope. We were advised to add an architect to the team for additional guidance, but refused and ended up proving a lot of people wrong with our success.
What was an "a-ha" moment from this project?
I think the amount of work that we had to do in order to pull this off did not really hit the team until we were on the site for day one of construction. We were all pretty nervous given the limited timeframe we had to actually build the structure, but after we finally figured out the proper guideline to place to wooden slats on, things went off without any big problems.
Over the next few weeks we will be highlighting award-winning projects and ideas from this year's Core77 Design Awards 2012! For full details on the project, jury commenting and more information about the awards program, go to Core77DesignAwards.com
- Project RE_
- Designer: Samuel Bernier
- Category: DIY
- Award: Runner-Up
This experiment of Project RE_ explores 3D-printing as a DIY tool for upcycling. Customized lids are created using low cost 3D-printing. They are then clipped or screwed onto standard jars, tin cans and bottles to create new and personal objects.
How did you learn that you had been recognized by the jury?
I was at work, designing urban furniture when I realized what day it was. I got on CORE77 at the very moment where Becky Stern started talking. She is quite famous in the DIY world. After the first notables projects were mentioned I became really stressed. When my name got mentioned, I was extremely happy, but couldn't show it... I was suppose to work.
What's the latest news or development with your project?
The existing designs are often updated by me or by users and more products are on their way. The Instructables page of Project RE_ reached 30,000 visits. Also, a collection of 3D-printed lamp shades is to be published in the next months. We're pushing low cost 3D-printing to its limits.
What is one quick anecdote about your project?
It took me more time to choose the color I would use for the project than it took me to design the products. There is a long explanation for the orange... and it is not to match the Core77 award website.
What was an "a-ha" moment from this project?
It was time for me to choose a subject for my graduation project and I couldn't decide between Upcycling, DIY and 3D-printing. I also wanted to build a brand that would be open source and follow simple aesthetic principles. Once I realized I could do all that at once, the project grew by itself.
Over the next few weeks we will be highlighting award-winning projects and ideas from this year's Core77 Design Awards 2012! For full details on the project, jury commenting and more information about the awards program, go to Core77DesignAwards.com
Infinite variety is an exhibition of a private collection of 651 red-and-white quilts, arrayed in such a way as to enable the public to experience the vibrancy of the quilts.
How did you learn that you had been recognized by the jury?
We learned by watching the webcast. It was a great experience!
What's the latest news or development with your project?
There is a good chance that the entire exhibition will tour to some major U.S. cities beginning late 2013. We are about to begin a feasibility study in preparation for that. Additionally, Elizabeth Warren, the curator, will be completing a beautifully-illustrated catalogue of the collection, which has been in great demand since the exhibition opened. This should come out in 2013 as well, in time for the tour.
What is one quick anecdote about your project?
Mrs. Rose has been an astonishing, wonderful presence throughout the process, from day one when we presented the original design proposal. She was completely unafraid to be enthusiastic, even joyful about the prospect of what we were showing her, and never wavered in her enthusiastic support of our work or the project as a whole. Self-effacing in a way that has grace and beauty, she proclaimed "This is wonderful. I love it. It's so good that it makes me look less like a crazy woman with too many quilts."
What was an "a-ha" moment from this project?
There were many, starting with the day that Sherri Wasserman in our office walked into a charrette session with a drawing of chairs in a circle, with quilts draped over them, and Bix Biederbeck, our materials specialist, opened a drawing of cardboard tubes suspended from steel cables. We put those two elements together and the exhibition became suddenly possible and meaningful. But the real ah-ha moment came when the doors opened and throngs of people began walking into the exhibition. They were walking slowly, faces upturned, with the wide-eyed, smiling expression we came to call "the look." People wept at the entrance. They experienced a kind of bliss that we hadn't dared hope for. Never before have I seen an exhbition we've designed--something so simple, to boot-- have such a powerful, affirming, emotional effect on so many people. It was and remains deeply moving, and humbling, because the effect is genuine, and larger than anything any of us actually did. If I understand it correctly, it expresses something of the myriad, anonymous women--mostly women--who made these quilts, some singly but most together with other women. Somehow the exuberance of the collection, rising to the sky, seems to evoke a spirit that everyone could feel.
Over the next few weeks we will be highlighting award-winning projects and ideas from this year's Core77 Design Awards 2012! For full details on the project, jury commenting and more information about the awards program, go to Core77DesignAwards.com
- Urbanflow Helsinki
- Designer: Nordkapp, Urbanscale LLC
- Location: Helsinki, Finland
- Category: Speculative
- Award: Professional Runner-Up
Urbanflow Helsinki is a concept and a piece of design fiction on an interactive, situated service for urban screens and connected devices. The project also worked as a testbed for a larger set of ideas how to make a system like this reality in Helsinki and other cities around the world.
How did you learn that you had been recognized by the jury?
Due to time differences, I actually had marked the event on my calendar. Then I kind of forgot it all—it's full blown summer holiday season—and checked Twitter while having a BBQ with family friends. Very nice surprise, and more of a reason to celebrate an afternoon in the sun.
What's the latest news or development with your project?
Basically since last year's launch we've been spending time on communicating the story, both with our client the City and outside as well. We're now working on how to make this happen for real, as well as integrating mobile and the web to this. The feedback has been superb—the people at Helsinki love this, and there's been significant interest outside Finland as well. But as we're working with cities and infrastructure, gaining sufficient momentum takes time.
What is one quick anecdote about your project?
When our designers Tia and Kate did the initial observations and research with the current screens on the streets of Helsinki, it was a bright winter day and a especially cold season of temperature around and below -20°C. While wrapping up the work it was a hot hot summer—we really got to see the extremes of such services from the user's point of view as well.
What was an "a-ha" moment from this project?
Probably somewhere around when we decided to drop all other interfaces apart the urban screens from the story. We spent some time working ourselves around it until we realized the urban, situated environment is a whole world on its own. That made the story leapfrog to near-final form quite fast as well.
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Core77 Design Awards | 10 Aug 2012
Over the next few weeks we will be highlighting award-winning projects and ideas from this year's Core77 Design Awards 2012! For full details on the project, jury commenting and more information about the awards program, go to Core77DesignAwards.com
- zSpace
- Designer: Whipsaw, Inc.
- Location: Mountain View, CA
- Category: Consumer Products
- Award: Professional Notable
zSpace is a remarkable new 3D visualization tool that enables designers, engineers and film makers to build, manipulate and view objects in 3D. Unlike 3d TV, zSpace objects are created and displayed in 3D with CAD in real-time high-definition. Your creations float magically in front of you as you imagine, develop, change, spin around and fly through them. Using a proprietary stereoscopic LCD display, trackable eyewear and an interaction stylus, virtual objects appear "solid" in open space, with full color and high resolution.
How did you learn that you had been recognized by the jury?
Email announcement.
What's the latest news or development with your project?
Since zSpace launched at Autodesk University in November, it has quickly gained notoriety. It's been featured on NPR's "All Things Considered"; NASA's "TechBriefs" newsletter, and Fast Company's CoDesign website; and it received a "Best of Show" award at the Computer Graphics World conference in March 2012.
What is one quick anecdote about your project?
When we first saw this technology we were blown away. High-definition holographic objects floated in front of us and we could manipulate them completely. It was a designer's dream. CAD came alive and felt so immersive, no longer limited by a 2D interface on a flat screen. It's a rarity that a team of designers has an opportunity to design a product that refreshes the human-machine interface of a tool they use on a daily basis.
What was an "a-ha" moment from this project?

Initially, the virtual "zSpace" working area was only intended to occur "above" or "outside" of the display. While testing a number of ergonomic parameters, we tilted the prototype display to achieve more comfortable viewing angles. When the virtual CAD ground-plane was adjusted to fit these display angles, we discovered that an infinite amount of virtual working space had opened up "behind" the display glass. zSpace had become a virtual environment to design in, rather than just a virtual representation of a CAD object.
Over the next few weeks we will be highlighting award-winning projects and ideas from this year's Core77 Design Awards 2012! For full details on the project, jury commenting and more information about the awards program, go to Core77DesignAwards.com
- Channel of Mindfulness
- Designer: Yufan Wang
- Location: Copenhagen Institute of Interaction Design
- Category: Interaction
- Award: Student Runner up
Bringing mindfulness (paying attention in a particular way: on purpose, in the present moment and non-judgmentally) in to our day-to-day lives is key to spiritual growth. Channel of Mindfulness creates a new way to help inexperienced practitioners to discover and integrate mindfulness in their everyday life.
The design includes two communicating parts: a handheld tangible device and an iPhone application. The idea is to help people live in the moment through listening and concentrating on some meditative sounds. By paying closer attention to listening, assisted with a rolling gesture, a higher stage of mind—mindfulness and awareness—will be created.
How did you learn that you had been recognized by the jury?
I paid continuous attention to the Core 77 Design Award website. So I knew the date on which you would announce the result of the Interaction category and I watched the live announcement.
What's the latest news or development with your project?
For the project itself there is no further development yet, but it really opens up some design opportunities to create more meaningful apps which are enhanced by external accessories. Right now, I'm working on a research project on this topic and it involves both technical and design points of view.
What is one quick anecdote about your project?
I started this project with a very broad and abstract topic—spirituality and spiritual growth. In the very early stages, I had a very hard time to narrow it down and frame out the design challenge. Then I did my research in the Copenhagen meditation center and interviewed some experienced meditators—the most valuable insights about meditation were generated from that. It helped me to be more clear about the design direction and also drove the project from spirituality to mindfulness.
What was an "a-ha" moment from this project?
After the first round of prototyping, I focused on finding a comfortable gesture with a certain amount of attention which will help people focus on listening. The "a-ha" moment came when I saw a picture of a Tibetan prayer wheel. I built a quick prototype to test the rolling gesture and it proved that this was what I was looking for and it also gave a strong metaphorical meaning that fit well with the project.
Over the next few weeks we will be highlighting award-winning projects and ideas from this year's Core77 Design Awards 2012! For full details on the project, jury commenting and more information about the awards program, go to Core77DesignAwards.com
- Chromatic Typewriter
- Designer: Tyree Callahan
- Location: Bellingham, Washingtion
- Category: Speculative
- Award: Professional Runner-Up
The Chromatic Typewriter is a conceptual art piece consisting of a modified late-1930′s Underwood typewriter that types a spectrum of colors, rather than the letters of an alphabet.
How did you learn that you had been recognized by the jury?
I saw the results on the C7712DA website on my lunch break from work. It was a very happy lunch break.
What's the latest news or development with your project?
The Chromatic Typewriter is heading to Grand Rapids, MI for ArtPrize September 19 to October 7, 2012! It will be on exhibition at the Federal Square Building—the SPOT. I'd welcome some votes!
What is one quick anecdote about your project?
My primary medium is painting, and the exposure generated by the typewriter assured that many people assumed my paintings were typewriter-generated; some bloggers went so far as to juxtapose the image of the typewriter with some of my larger five-foot-by-seven-foot paintings!
What was an "a-ha" moment from this project?
Definitely when the project was first conceptualized: I rolled a watercolor into a typewriter carriage to type a poem on it and the idea hit me. The first mock-up of color on the keys was a very exciting 'a-ha!' moment.
Over the next few weeks we will be highlighting award-winning projects and ideas from this year's Core77 Design Awards 2012! For full details on the project, jury commenting and more information about the awards program, go to Core77DesignAwards.com
- Papernomad Sleeves
- Designer: Christoph Rochna
- Location: Vienna, Austria
- Category: Consumer Products
- Award: Professional Notable
Papernomad originated from the idea of designing and manufacturing environmentally friendly paperboard furniture as a promotional vehicle for open-air events: bio-degradable beanbags made of paper and filled with popcorn. With technical support from a leading Austrian company, we developed an organic paper composite, which is the basis of all our products. This tear and water resistant sandwich exhibited such great properties, that we did not want to confine its use to furniture. We set out on a quest for industrial niches where traditional materials could be replaced by our paper composite.
How did you learn that you had been recognized by the jury?
I received your Email late on Monday, the worst day of the week. My current office is located in Germany, therefore I am eight hours ahead of C77 office hours. I was about to go home when I checked my emails one last time. Sometimes I regret that because of some last minute request that screws with my schedule and forces me to stay and work. That evening I received your email, left the office immediately and went home with a big smile in my face.
What's the latest news or development with your project?
Some of our customers told us that they can't hold a pencil or don't like to doodle on their sleeves. This is why we have been running a Talenthouse contest, asking young designers to submit artwork for a printed papernomad edition. From more than 400 submissions we will choose one to be produced and sold in selected retail locations around the globe.
What is one quick anecdote about your project?
Assuming that Apple-Users are early-adopters, we decided early on to design our sleeves specifically for apple devices. That also reduced the spectrum of different models which we had to cater for. While discussing which color to choose for the wool felt inside the sleeves, we had a bowl of Granny Smith apples sitting on the table in front of us. With Apple users as our first customers, we took one of the apples to our supplier of wool felt and ordered the first lot of wool in 'Granny Smith.'
What was an "a-ha" moment from this project?
We discovered that people love stories. Everyone we told about our idea, cared about our story more than about the material composition of the product. Stories define our lives, our past and future; papernomads are much more than biodegradable cases for electronic devices. They are canvases for our thoughts and memories. Above a green conscience, the diary-like character of our products sets Papernomad sleeves apart from a mass of similar but soulless products.
Over the next few weeks we will be highlighting award-winning projects and ideas from this year's Core77 Design Awards 2012! For full details on the project, jury commenting and more information about the awards program, go to Core77DesignAwards.com
- Nest Learning Thermostat
- Designer: Nest Labs, Inc. Tony Fadell, Ben Filson, Bould Design, Fred Bould
- Location: Palo Alto, CA
- Category: Consumer Products
- Award: Professional Runner up
The Nest Learning Thermostat frees you from the hassle of programming a thermostat while providing the conservation benefits of a programmed device. It learns about you and your home to develop a customized temperature schedule that will keep you comfortable while also conserving energy. It automatically shuts down when you are away and encourages energy conservation when you are home.
How did you learn that you had been recognized by the jury?
I came into the the studio around 8:30 am PST and Kristen had watched the webcast from London and said that it had just been announced that we had placed in the consumer products category. Obviously, we were thrilled.
What's the latest news or development with your project?
In April 2012, just four months after Nest began shipping, new hardware was released to make installation even easier. Nest revamped the press connectors on the backplate, moving them to the outer edge so even those with the clumsiest of fingers can install Nest with ease. Nest also created custom screws that are engineered to work without wall anchors, saving people more time. Beyond that, Nest continues to make people happy by making them comfortable and saving them money.
What is one quick anecdote about your project?
Well, it was kind of exciting when we all gathered to look at the first cosmetic models that we had made. They were still a long way off from the final design, but many of the basic design elements were in place. The excitement was tangible. We knew we had a ways to go but we felt we were onto something.
What was an "a-ha" moment from this project?
I'm not sure if it was an "a-ha" moment but we did a lot of exploration around so many facets of the design and time and again we would return to the most simple, straightforward embodiment of any single element. So, I guess the lesson is that in so many instances, simplicity really is what works.
Over the next few weeks we will be highlighting award-winning projects and ideas from this year's Core77 Design Awards 2012! For full details on the project, jury commenting and more information about the awards program, go to Core77DesignAwards.com
- CityGrill
- Designers: Kathrine Bundgart, Christian Christensen, Morten Gleie, Thit Hagen / Copenhagen School of Design and Technology
- Category: Food Design
- Award: Student Winner
CityGrill is a rentable grill solution (or a mortgage scheme grill) launched by the city of Copenhagen and placed in public areas. The purpose of the CityGrill project was to improve the grilling experience in public park areas and on beaches.
How did you learn that you had been recognized by the jury?
While shopping in the local supermarket I got a message from one of the other group members with the happy news. I would have loved being 'a fly on the wall' at that moment. Afterwards I ran home to see the juries video. I had to watch the video a couple of times to understand what was happening.
What's the latest news or development with your project?
CityGrill was created for our second semester project, therefore we've stopped further study for the time being.
What is one quick anecdote about your project?
We managed to incorporated a vending machine in the storage rack for our special designed Quick BBQ grill briquettes before the exams. That makes it easier and quicker for the user to buy fuel for the grill. We also built a bicycle parking on the side of the rack. Furthermore we all took the exam in June and all got highest grades for our accomplishments.
What was an "a-ha" moment from this project?
Bad a-ha: When we found out that the grill would weigh over 10 kilos. Good a-ha: It was a growing a-ha-moment seeing the project develop from an idea to comprehensive and instructive project. As we started groping our way and got more and more confident that the idea could turn in to an interesting product.
Over the next few weeks we will be highlighting award-winning projects and ideas from this year's Core77 Design Awards 2012! For full details on the project, jury commenting and more information about the awards program, go to Core77DesignAwards.com
- MTN Approach backcountry accent ski
- Designer: Cory Smith, John Kaiser, Bob Carrasca, and Tyler Swain, Pillar Product Design LLC
- Location: Seattle, WA
- Category: Consumer Products
Award: Professional Notable
The MTN Approach system is the first ever hinged back country ski that allows you to fold and store into the space of a conventional backcountry day pack. The system is lighter, faster than conventional split board systems as well as other climber skis on the market. Our focus was the collapsible binding system design.
What's the latest news or development with your project?
The MTN Approach Ski system had their initial production release in June 2011. The product was first introduced at SIA (Ski Industries of America) in Feb 2011. Since that time frame the MTN approach System has received numerous acknowledgments and awards from SIA, ISPO and multiple industry specific magazine ads. The latest news is the excitement and support of top pro snowboard athletes in the industry who are using this system. It is the greatest honor when pro snowboard athletes are on your product because they see the benefit and a tool that allows them to push their skills as well as access completely new terrain. It is a good feeling when pro athletes want to be on your product not because they are being paid but because they see the ultimate benefits of this innovative system. MTN Approach System has reached out to new countries from Norway to Argentina. It is really amazing how quickly this system is gaining momentum. See more on our blog.
What is one quick anecdote about your project?
When developing the MTN Approach system with owner Cory Smith, we were constantly faced with budgetary and timing constraints. The typical issue of having very little money to get this product off the ground combined with even less time to bring it to market. I realized that Cory was in for the long haul and dedicated to making this idea a reality when he sold his 4WD Toyota truck that he used to commute to his day job at Smith Optics to pay for design and development work that Pillar Product Design had embarked on. So I don't know if Cory ended up taking the bus to work every day for a period of time, but it really showed all of us how important this ideas was to him and that we needed to do whatever it took to make sure we developed the best system we could no matter how long the hours and commitment level.
What was an "a-ha" moment from this project?
Many patents came out of the development of this product. The one a-ha moment that the Pillar Product Design team specifically came across was when we were working on the binding system and we developed a fold-down heel loop design. Many of the challenges with this product included: weight, strength and making the unit as compact as possible. We really started looking at unique folding mechanism from a multitude of in and out of the industry. As we evolved the heel loop system and explored new mechanisms, we were able to create a simple system that allowed for foldability, low-profile nesting and infinite size adjustability. This new mechanism allowed MTN Approach and Pillar Product Design to receive a joint utility patent.
Over the next few weeks we will be highlighting award-winning projects and ideas from this year's Core77 Design Awards 2012! For full details on the project, jury commenting and more information about the awards program, go to Core77DesignAwards.com
In an effort to show the city in a different light, the design group Tellart achieved it through sound. SoundAffects NYC transformed the mundane and routine sounds we hear everday into a harmonious and beautiful collection of sounds. In addition the sounds were composed with the aid of various sensors measuring light, temperature, and movement. All of this came together to produce a truly unique sound that describes the diversity and complexity that is New York City. As our jury explains:
One of the few projects analyzed by the team which was chosen unanimously! The winning professional is SoundAffects NYC for Parsons the New School for Design. The project is an interactive installation in the form of a wall with embedded sensors, cameras and light components, installed on a street in New York City. The wall "listens" to the ambient sound and translates the noise into a unique musical composition.
SoundAffects: Behind the Scenes from Tellart on Vimeo.
How did you learn that you had been recognized by the jury?
We watched the live stream on the design awards site. Was nice to see it happen in real-time.
What's the latest news or development with your project?
SoundAffects was only a two-week event, although we look forward to installing more projects like it in the future. The response was fantastic and we had an amazing time working with Mono and Parsons to create it.
What is one quick anecdote about your project?
The weather on installation day was fantastic and rain was the furthest thing from our minds, but about midway through the 2-week installation, New York city was hit with some intense rains and our wall actually flooded. The cameras and sensors became waterlogged and various components were ruined. We scrambled to find replacements and get it all up and running again, and it ended up being fine- the cool part is, we labeled the incident on the project's timeline so you can actually go back in time and listen to what it sounds like when the rain started, when our sensors went down, and finally, when we were up and running again and the sun came out.
What was an "a-ha" moment from this project?
The evening the red falafel truck spent a couple of minutes hitching up and driving off for the day. It was magical to hear something so pretty and then point to something utterly dull and say "that's why." It was absurd to the point of being sublime. I think it says a lot about how we see the world.
Over the next few weeks we will be highlighting award-winning projects and ideas from this year's Core77 Design Awards 2012! For full details on the project, jury commenting and more information about the awards program, go to Core77DesignAwards.com
Lytro Light Field Camera
Designer: NewDealDesign
Location: San Francisco, CA
Category: Consumer Products
Award: Professional Winner
Straight out of Stanford's research labs, the Lytro Light Field Camera is the first consumer Light Field Imaging camera. It's an Icon for a new era, celebrating the most significant technology shift in photography in decades. Lytro captures dynamic vectors of light to create 'Living Images'; images that contain the color, intensity and direction of all light-rays in a scene. The results are photos that can be focused infinitely after they are taken. Derived from the gesture of viewing a kaleidoscope, the 'extruded-lens' form is supremely clean—shrinking what took an advanced imaging-lab into the palm of your hand. As Gad Amit explains in the Q+A of his winning entry:
Our team set out to match the innovative technology with an equally innovative approach to design by not taking anything for granted. Current camera devices are steeped in antiquated gestalt, born of reflex cameras with the need to house mirrors and film. Despite evolving to digital, the industry kept the slab with the pointy lens —we recognized Lytro as a chance to evolve this entrenched paradigm. We set the goal at creating the most iconic and pure design for this groundbreaking technology within the given timeframe, budget and hardware constraints. This notion was applied ground up and driven by the long cylindrical lens that was essential for the device's performance. We were approached to re-skin a component bundle, our answer was to tear it down and re-build it into an Iconic object that re-defines the camera as the world knows it.
How did you learn that you had been recognized by the jury?
A Monday morning email as I arrived to the office and settled in. Great way to start the week.
What's the latest news or development with your project?
Lytro is doing wonderfully in the market. The camera and technology has received coverage and praise throughout the media and been raved about by users. Lytro rolled out support to Windows machines in the last week and is continually updating the software to make the camera more and more advanced. They have more exciting things in the works, stayed tuned..
What was an "a-ha" moment from this project?
Our "a-ha" moment came with a simple fingernail sketch showing board and lens layout. This encompassed the technology for us; used space in the most efficient way and created a simple, iconic and usable object. From this sketch we were able to develop an entire Product Architecture for Lytro, for product to interface—is it cliché to say it helped everything fall into place?
Over the next few weeks we will be highlighting award-winning projects and ideas from this year's Core77 Design Awards 2012! For full details on the project, jury commenting and more information about the awards program, go to Core77DesignAwards.com
EG is the first helmet truly dedicated to mining. This will bring a new standard to head protection and comfort for miners. The ergonomic layered architecture and enhanced weight distribution reduces stress, load and fatigue for users carrying the helmet. This design solution will prevent work-related injuries and irreversible damages. As the jury team notes:
It's quite an innovation in the mining helmet industry with a breakthrough in ergonomics and material application. It shows another way to fix a current problem.
How did you learn that you had been recognized by the jury?
Social networking is one of the best way's to discover that you have been granted a prize. I was in France, back from Sweden and ready to fly to San Francisco. Meanwhile, friends of mine where flooding Facebook and Twitter with the great news. Their congratulatory messages were my first indication that my project had been selected amongst the other strong entries.
What's the latest news or development with your project?
Trying to increase safety and ergonomic for miners was not a simple task. When it comes to extreme environments, every single aspect of the project has to be taken seriously. EG shows another way to fix current problems. Like human skin, EG is a bio-inspired concept, taking its reference in nature's protection. It take into consideration miners' safety, ergonomics, image and hygiene by exploring new material combinations, function, architecture, comfort and style based on research on miners.
What is one quick anecdote about your project?
Sometimes ethics and economics don't really match... Since mining companies aim to dig faster and lead to irreversible damages to our ecosystem, I was frustrated to work for such an organization. Nevertheless, as a student and future designer, I had to fulfill our client wishes. I decided to tackle the project through my point of view: Solve a problem that miners directly encounter without influencing the mining activity. In this project, I have learned to satisfy both, clients and personal values. It was a rich experience to work with and for miners.
What was an "a-ha" moment from this project?
Thomas Degn is the Director of the Advanced Product Design program, at Umea Institute of Design (Sweden). He introduced my class to this project, our client Boliden AB and our collaborator, Atlas Copco AB. Thomas followed us until the end of the project and gave us an external point of view. I asked him to answer this last question.
Here is his response:
The biggest "a-ha" moment in this and other design projects that has a user-centered design approach in combination with on-site participatory ethnography research, is the insight that many of the everyday problems have not been solved yet. This, together with genuine empathy from the designer and his or her vision that it is possible to make something better than what already exists, gives the potential for us designers to creative new and innovative solutions and products. The work of Maxime and his classmates at the APD programme is to me a clear example of this.
--Thomas Degn, Programme Director, APD programme
From my point of view, the project was on a good track when I realized that miners could wear a part of their underground life outside. Showcasing their dangerous work through the soft part of the helmet and increase their image, which was till now, victim of a bad reputation. It is for me one of my first project that goes beyond simple problem solving.
EG - Personal head protection for the mining environment. (Making of) from Dax on Vimeo.
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