Taipei honors international design award winners

2015/11/18

The 68 winners of the Taipei International Design Award were honored Nov. 15 in the northern Taiwan city, with most of the selected talents focusing on advancing economic, environmental, social and cultural development through creativity and ingenuity.

According to event organizer Taipei City Government Department of Economic Development, this year’s competition attracted 4,246 submissions from 59 countries around the world.

The biggest winner was Steffen Knoell, a communication design student from Germany, for his poster Flohribi—Fleamarket at the bar Ribingurmu. The judges praised the graphic design piece for powerfully and concisely communicating its message through clear visual language.

The work picked up the Taipei Mayor Award and Gold Award of Visual Communication Design, and also won the Judges’ Award for Visual Communication Design.

Han Ji Sun from South Korea walked away with the Gold Award of Industrial Design for his submission Portable Vest IV, a wearable intravenous fluid delivery unit.

A team comprising talents from Taiwan, Australia and Japan took the Gold Award of Public Space Design for its design of the Doshisya Kyotanabe Chapel in Kyoto.

In addition to trophies and certificates, the three gold medal winners also received cash prizes of NT$500,000 (US$15,152) each.

The inaugural Universal Design Award and NT$250,000 were presented to Hugo Reis and Filipa Frois Almeida of Portugal for their S. Joao Structure. The duo’s installation art piece was inspired by typical party decorations for the Festa de Sao Joao do Porto, a lively Portuguese street festival.

Local designers also garnered several awards in the competition. These include Li Wen-jie and Huang Yi-nong, who won the Silver Award for Industrial Design for their Rescue Immediate, an innovative emergency stretcher that can be carried and operated by a single person, as well as Feng Yi-qin, Lin Zhe-ming and Ling Yu-hong, who picked up the People’s Choice Award of Industrial Design for their Warning Dragon, which is lightweight, easy-to-store and multifunctional blockade equipment.

First presented in 2008, the annual award aims to encourage and recognize top-notch design from home and abroad and promote international exchanges.

It is endorsed by the International Council of Design and International Federation of Interior Architects/Designers, both headquartered in Montreal, Canada.

Source: Taiwan Today (http://taiwantoday.tw/ct.asp?xItem=239021&ctNode=2194&mp=9)