Concept Design at its Best
2012/12/24 | By Quincy LiangTaiwan entries win more than a quarter of the trophies
The "Best 100" winners of the iF concept design award 2012 were announced in late May and included 27 entries from Taiwan. In this ultimate competition for young design talent, two of the top 20 winners that received both trophies and prize money are from Taiwan.
Taiwan once again showed its strength in design talent by accounting for more than one-fourth of the winners in the globally renowned design competition. It provided another example to the rest of the world of how the island has developed culturally and creatively.
According to the event organizer iF DESIGN TALENTS, of the 15,000 concepts that were submitted to this year's iF concept design award 10,665 were admitted to the competition. Once again the number of entries grew by 25%, confirming that the iF concept design award is the world's largest and most important competition for young design talent. In 2011, 8,007 entries were admitted.
In a two-stage judging session, 53 international design experts selected the "Best 100" entries, and a total of 30,000 euros was divided among the 20 most outstanding entries.
One of the jurors, Achim Nagel of Primus developments GmbH, Hamburg, said the following about this year's competition: "Many of the entries focused on 'responsibility' – to the environment and nature, to foster the young and the old living together, and to helping the homeless. Most of the solutions to these problems are not technology-driven – or if technology plays a role, it is in the best interests of the people. I have seen many refreshing, spontaneous and amusing, simple and unconventional, obvious and effective ideas in this year's competition. The usefulness of the concepts becomes quickly apparent: few details, simply good solutions."
The "Hansgrohe Prize 2012: Efficient Water Design" was presented in the competition for the second time with the theme "My Green Shower Pleasure." Out of the 150 entries that made it to the shortlist, three of them won the special award and shared a prize of 3,500 euros. This year the special award winners did not include one from Taiwan.
Evaluation Criteria
Young international design talents are invited to submit entries free of charge to the iF concept award in four different categories: product and industrial design; communication and multimedia design; fashion design; and architecture and interior design.
The entries were judged according to the following criteria: degree of innovation and creativity; quality of design and marketing; practical aspects and degree of elaboration; functionality, application, materials, sustainability, social responsibility, universal design and safety.
Below the CENS editorial team summarizes the "Best 100" of the iF Concept Award 2012, including the two winners from Taiwan of the 4,100 euro and 500 euro prizes (monetary prizes awarded were either of 5,100, 4,100, 3,100, 1,300 or 500 euros).
Entry: "DUCKWEED PAVEMENT" | Water-purifying system
Category: interior design + architecture
Design: Chih Hsuan Li
University: National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Taiwan
"DUCKWEED PAVEMENT" consists of floating plateaus that help to purify contaminated or polluted water reservoirs. The layered system contains individual panels that can be assembled flexibly and which makes them suitable for use on any body of water.
Judges' Verdict: "An intelligent, multi-layered system that not only purifies water, but also creates high-quality, micro-climatic green areas at the same time. A perfect solution for a serious, complex problem."
Entry: "Life light" | Life buoy holder
Category: industrial design + product design
Design: Chu-Hao Tso etc., Asia University, Taiwan
Warning signals, life preservers and buoys are meant to make bodies of water safe. However, these items are useless either when visibility is poor or at night. "Life light" is a combination of a buoy, life preserver and warning signal illuminated by an LED water battery. The device can be located immediately in an emergency, even at night.
Judges' Verdict: "A simple and intuitive operation that can save lives. It needs no further explanation neither aesthetically nor conceptually."
Award: "Best 100"
Entry: LIGHTWAVE | Lamp
Category: 01. industrial design + product design
Design: Bruce Yeh, National Chang Gung University, Taiwan
Lightwave is a mood light designed both to create a pleasant atmosphere in an exhibition space and serve as a WIFI hotspot. Lightwave uses the latest advancements in flexible solar panels to power both the LED lights and the WiFi station that are all concealed within the two curved metallic enclosures, visually creating an organic form that resembles a marine living organism.
Award: "Best 100"
Entry: Bamboo Knot Chopsticks | Tableware
Category: 01. industrial design + product design
Design: Ya-Ting Yu, National Taiwan University, Taiwan
This is pair of chopsticks made of knotted bamboo. The lumps in the bamboo knot will not get in the way of the soup and won't touch the table when the chopsticks are set down, maintaining hygiene and cleanliness. Compared with plastic or medal chopsticks, these bamboo ones are more flexible and have an anti-bacteria effect.
Award: "Best 100"
Entry: Bowl Heat Conduction | Bowl
Category: 01. industrial design + product design
Design: Tai Kuang-Ching, National Cheng Kung University, Taiwan
When pouring tea, blind people must place their fingers at the edge of the bowl to ascertain the water level. However, they can't do this with their fingers when pouring hot tea. We have redesigned the bowl by adding some heat conducting bars around it that enables one to know the level of the tea when pouring by touching the bars.
Award: "Best 100"
Entry: SmartEXIT | Emergency exit
Category: 01. industrial design + product design
Design: Chih Wei Lai / Chi Wang, Taipei University of Technology, Taiwan
The exit becomes a critical factor during a fire, although the area behind it is not always safe. Since there might be fire or smoke behind an exit, rushing into it may lead to another accident. We use a technique that combines a smoke detector with the guiding light above the exit: when smoke thickness rises above the standard limit, the guiding light warns people not to enter. This light remains on 180 seconds so that people can find their way out.
Award: "Best 100"
Entry: Fear Not | Hand Tools
Category: 01. industrial design + product design
Design: Wang, Cheng-Wei, Ming Chi University of Technology, Taiwan
Imagine yourself repairing a piece of furniture, with a heavy hammer raised in the air and aiming for a tiny nail. It can be a scary experience: the hammer might land on the fingers instead. This is especially a problem for the elderly who wear reading glasses or for those who lack the necessary strength. Another problem is holding the hammer at a 45-degree angle while hammering: a slip of the hand can damage the surface of the wall. Detach the end of the handle from the hammer and insert the nail in it, fix it on the wall, Whack!, and the nail is in place. Never again will you have to suffer a smashed finger!
Award: "Best 100"
Entry: Contactless | Device
Category: 01. industrial design + product design
Design: Tatung University, Taiwan
There is always the worry of whether or not public toilet doors will be clean. This device enables us to open the door without touching the handle.
Award: "Best 100"
Entry: Finger Contact | Contact lens packaging
Category: 01. industrial design + product design
Design: Ta-Chih Lin and Yi-Fan Hsieh, Tatung University, Taiwan
This is a new type of packaging for contact lenses that separates your finger from the lenses. You can use the packaging container to put the lenses on without washing your hands beforehand. You do not need to worry anymore about germs getting from your hands into your eyes while putting on contact lenses.
Award: "Best 100"
Entry: Go Dutch | bill
Category: 01. industrial design + product design
Design: Szu-Yu, Liu, Ming-Yu, Tseng, National Taiwan University of Science and Technology (NTUST), Taiwan
Sometimes it can become tricky when each member of a group dining together wants to pay his or her own bill separately. We either ask the waiter or waitress to split the bill or we do it ourselves. "Go Dutch" is the design that solves this computationally awkward task in a clever way. The bill itself provides tearing lines for the customer to divide into parts. Therefore, each person has his or her own bill to pay.
Award: "Best 100"
Entry: Loch Ness truth | Poster Design
Category: 02. communication design + multimedia design
Design: Huang Wei-Je etc., Tainan University Of Technology, Taiwan
This is a poster design on global warming. The Loch Ness Monster reveals herself in this new posture because of the rising water levels due to global warming. An elephant trunk and the monster's imaginative body are used to create a unique visual impression and an extended effect. The seemingly Western color scheme used in this work actually applies the "leaving blank" style of Oriental landscape painting. The structural sketch with numerous lowered images shows the depth and width of the sea. The flowing elephant represents the visual center of the global warming issue.
Award: "Best 100"
Entry: Organic Fabrication | Organic Natural Bio Farm
Category: 04. interior design + architecture
Design: Tainan University of Technology, Taiwan
This farm is located in hilly Kuan Miao Hsiang, Taiwan. The existing structure and its spatial atmosphere were remodeled using the famous bamboo weaving craft and an earth-covering building approach that is green and conceptually architectural. Its topographical features and the collection and reuse of rooftop rainwater make this an organic and artistic farm that combines energy conservation and environmental protection with cultural heritage.
Award: "Best 100"
Entry: A.C.R. | Rescue equipment
Category: 01. industrial design + product design
Design: Shih Chien University, Taiwan
It is difficult to report an emergency and come to someone's rescue at the same time. During a CPR rescue, those who administer first aid have to manage the uncertainties regarding compression, depth and frequency. Mouth-to-mouth resuscitation also carries the risk of infection. We propose a new design that makes professional first-aid equipment easy to install in all situations and environments, more simple to operate, and increases the success rate of the emergency rescue.
Award: "Best 100"
Entry: Soup-bag | Plastic bag
Category: 01. industrial design + product design
Design: National Chiao Tung University
Soup-bag is a plastic bag optimally suitable for take away bowls of soup. Unlike traditional T-Shirt bags that have scraps of plastic for handles, Soup-bag reuses this area for another bag. Therefore, Soup-bag reduces the waste from production and its trapezoid bottom prevents the bowl from overturning.
Award: "Best 100"
Entry: OK stretched medicinal | Adhesive bandages
Category: 01. industrial design + product design
Design: Da-Yeh university, Taiwan
The disinfecting gel is placed within the bubble of the adhesive bandage, the bandage is applied to the wound, and the bubble is burst, allowing the gel touching the wound to do its work of disinfection. The curve on the tip of the bandage makes removing the band much easier.
Award: "Best 100"
Entry: Wave painting bucket | bucket design
Category: 01. industrial design + product design
Design: National Taipei University of Technology, Taiwan
Since the paint cans and lids have a wave shape, you can open the lid without tools. The wave shape also allows one to remove the lid easily without paint getting on the hands.
Award: "Best 100"
Entry: Rescue Seat | Lifebuoy
Category: 01. industrial design + product design
Design: National Cheng Kung University, Taiwan
How to make rescue time as short as possible? Rescue Seat introduces a new type of rescue equipment to the world. In the old days, when victims needed to use the traditional lifebuoy, they had nothing else to hold on to. The new Rescue Seat provides an additional hold so that victims can support their weight while waiting for the rescue team and feel safer. For easier use, Rescue Seat has a rubber band on the outer ring of the life buoy that one can grasp. This design provides the user with a convenient way to store the Rescue Seat and allows it to become functional quickly.
Award: "Best 100"
Entry: Pill Jar for PD | Pill Jar
Category: 01. industrial design + product design
Design: National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Taiwan
Tremors are one symptom of PD (Parkinson's Disease) that causes the sufferers' limbs to shake and makes it impossible for them to do detailed actions easily. For instance, taking pills out of jars is one of the most depressing things for them to do (and they need to take their medicine frequently). Pill Jar for PD enables those with this disease (and the elderly) to remove pills easily with their trembling hands. Pill Jar allows users to take one pill out at a time simply by pressing and releasing the top. Moreover, the main part is reusable and can be placed on different pill jars with its silicone ring. The use of Pill Jar for PD is simple and requires no detailed action.