The list of prize-winners was announced on March 24, 2014. The Red Dot Awards, also called “the Oscars of design”, have been given at the Design Zentrum Nordrhein Westfalen in Essen, Germany, since 1955. The Red Dot marks products which reflect industry developments and set trends around the world.
For nearly a decade, the awards have been increasingly coming into into the hands of Polish artists. This year, among others, Piotr Kuchciński, Katarzyna Okińczyc, Rafał Dętkoś, Emo Design and Ergo Design were awarded.
Clapp - Piotr Kuchciński
The Clapp Collection, project: Piotr Kuchciński for Noti brand, photo. designalive.pl
Clapp is a collection of chairs and tables designed by Piotr Kuchciński for the Noti brand. It had its première at last year’s Łódź Design Festival. Clapp was inspired by Polish design of the 50s and 60s. Kuchciński, born in those years, highlights the impact of the seat collection created by Józef Chierowski, who inspired the textiles and simple design of the furniture.
To this day I remember the seats, found in my grandmother's house. Even at a time when I did not think that one day I would professionally deal with design, they were special objects for me. – said Kuchciński in an interview for designalive.pl.
This is Kuchcinski's second Red Dot - a year ago he was awarded for his H2 tables, designed for the Balma brand.
DOT. - Katarzyna Okińczyc
DOT Mirror, project: Katarzyna Okińczyc, produced by Meble 21 company for Miior brand, photo. Bartosz Górka
A bathroom mirror designed by Katarzyna Okińczyc, DOT was manufactured by Meble 21 for the Miior brand. Ergonomic and minimalist, it is equipped with a special mechanism (called Axio-Link), which allows the mirror to be moved away from the wall, in addition to a touch light switch.
DOT. was awarded in the "must have" competition of the 2013 Łódź Design Festival.
OXeN - Rafał Dętkoś
OXeN - the heat recovery unit, project: Rafał Dętkoś, produced by Flowair company, photo. designalive.pl
This heat recovery unit is manufactured by Flowair and designed by Rafał Dętkoś with the research and development department of the production company. The product allows use of the cheapest available energy saved from ventilation. The system recovers energy from a room's exhaust air, which can have a major impact on limiting consumption.
OXeN can be used in buildings with large volumes of air, such as manufacturing plants, warehouses, showrooms, garages, sports facilities and shopping centres.
This device previously received a Good Design Award in the Jobs category in 2013 and the iF product design award, as well as awards from the Industrial Design Institute.
OXeN could be a model for innovation: the unit provides energy-efficient intake and exhaust ventilation by two-stage heat recovery. Ductless ventilation ensures that the investment cost is low and accessible to a wide group of users – said the jury.
Drop - Emo Design
Drop Lamps, project: studio Emo Design, created by Rosa brand, photo. designalive.pl
These classic lamps were created for the Rosa brand and designed by Emo Design studio based in Italy. This technologically advanced product was designed for lighting urban spaces such as park walkways. The anodized aluminium used in the production of lamps can be 100% recycled.
K10 - Ergo Design
Cash register K10, project: Ergo Design, produced by Elzab brand, designalive.pl
This cash register was designed by Ergo Design and it was produced by the Elzab brand. This is the first cash register on the Polish market with a touch screen panel. K10 was placed in a compact block, reminiscent of a personal electronic device. The register can be used in a stationary position or as a portable device. The quality and reliability of components makes it resistant to mechanical damage. It also has protection against theft.
See the winning projects from Poland at the 2012 Red Dot Awards: