The Prize of Prizes
adidas Global Design
The Design Award is Germany's official recognition of excellence in design. It is often called "the Prize of Prizes" because companies cannot enter for the Design Award; instead, they are nominated. And a precondition of nomination is that a product has already been awarded a national or international prize. The awards go to products created around the world, but some of the five Gold medal winners and 20 Silver medalists each year are designed by German firms. Featured here are the most recent winners, from 2007 and 2007. A 2007 winner was adidas Global Design, for its +F50 TUNIT soccer shoe. Leather football shoes will soon be a thing of the past, the TUNIT designers say.
Falke Second Layer Pullover
Dennis Hinze at N3twork took a prize in 2007 for this pullover. An old Sauerland company which has been in business for more than 110 years has succeeded in transforming from a medium-sized knitwear manufacturer into an international fashion brand. With the production of the intelligent, seamless, functional sports pullover which serves as a body climate regulator for sportsmen in extreme conditions, the textile label FALKE demonstrates its future orientation: Only with high quality, hi-tech production is it possible to achieve a qualitative difference to cheap Asian competitors.
Bogner Bamboo Skis
Bamboo skis? For Munich-based Bogner, anything goes. In house designers took home a Silver Design Prize medal for these down-to-earth skis in 2006.
Loewe LCD Televisions
Phoenixdesign created the "Individual 32" LCD screens to stand for individualization and flexibility. Surfaces, materials, basic housing colours and sides can be adjusted to match interior designs, according to the user´s needs. Individual 32 can be perfectly integrated on the sideboard, shelf, floor or wall or can be free-standing. The jury were particularly taken with the idea of being able to adapt the device to different conditions with the aid of matching accessories.
Alape Basins
Designed by Sieger Design, Alape's sinks and sanitary components shed new light on ancient tasks -- like hand washing. For their built in, under-counter, and sit-on wash stands and basins, Alape won a Silver Design Prize medal in 2006.
Blohmgumm Porcelain
In 2006, Blohmgumm designers took home a Silver medal for their simple but unusual porcelain tableware series.
Porsche 911
Porsche's in-house design team sets itself apart year after year. In 2006, the Porsche 911 Carrera C2/C2S took home gold.
BMW Cruising Bike
One would think that there is little left to design in a bicycle. However the research for the ultimate human powered two-wheeler continues. The BMW Cruising Bike is yet another step into the future. Utilising technologies so far unseen in the bicycle world they have produced a superb machine where the technology defines new aesthetics, which are not just styling. The form comes from the dynamics of the use of the materials and as such has an inherent beauty. A Silver winner.
me Markus T Spectacles
These glasses from deSign Markus T. weigh just a few grams. In this model, the Westphallian optician and graduate in business administration, Markus Temming, has carried the principle of "reduction to the essentials" to the extreme. A connector system, which has registered a patent, combines the super light, simple-form, plastic frame and earpiece with titanium joining elements.
Music Armchair
OK, so this chair didnt take home the Prize of Prizes, but it did win a "reddot" award. The state of North Rhine Westphaila has its own annual awards ceremony, the red dot. We just thought it was a neat idea: a chair with built in speakers, for listening to music.