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What moves designers in various industries? What are the next big design trends? And how to succeed as a designer and design oriented company?
With over 40,000 awarded designs in 67 years iF Design Stories is a huge source for stories, expertise, tendencies, innovations and trends. Read what designers and design experts say about the market, read their exclusive trend forecasts and explore the great success stories behind our designs awards – from aspiring design students to the big global players.
We show you ten products and home accessories that could be considered export hits from winter wonderland.
VE2’s Co-Founder Morten Lauritzen explains in this interview how his team manages to inspire brands like Zone Denmark, Furnipart or Hitsa.
Will service design see a rise? What’s the power of local crafts? Our iF jurors forecast the year ahead.
Udo Ermert, Senior Design Manager at Vaillant, talks about their way of becoming a super brand.
Our iF team takes stock of the innovation hub for the creative scene in one of China's fastest growing cities.
The supported by iF project empowers older people in Singapore through a network of almost 200 volunteers.
Check out our favorite awarded products of the iF DESIGN AWARD 2020.
Find eight awarded products to keep you warm and comfortable during winter in our special collection.
Here are striking design solutions that respond to the current Coronavirus pandemic.
Together with our sponsors we present the winners of the iF DESIGN TALENT AWARD 2020. 17 concepts share a prize money of EUR 50,000 in total.
An international collective proclaims design guidelines regarded as the first of its kind.
"Design in Digital Age - Between Science and New Tech" is the hot topic of this year's forum taking place on 6 November 2020.
More than 'Yes' or 'No' for Participants: A new iF jury feedback poster helps to overcome the challenges when trying to measure design.
We proudly present the best 84 concepts and ideas of this year’s second round.
Find out why the Korean technology group has long committed to promoting young design talents.
iF acknowledges the multi-faceted German furniture designer for his merits for the design industry.
WEYE Clean Energy has developed from a student project to a renowned social entrepreneurship in the briquetting industry in Uganda.
"Rise by others is our core belief": Multiple iF winner KMS TEAM Germany believes in the power of collaboration. In this interview Patrick Märki explains why.
The trade show in Taiwan is one of the world’s leading platforms for business and innovation in the cycling industry. There are good reasons to add this event to your calendar.
Design high flyer MUTABOR from Germany sets new standards in digital branding.
The MyMizu app initiators talk about their success since winning the iF SOCIAL IMPACT PRIZE.
We take a closer look at the popular rumor about the Linz's eyewear manufacturer and the movie "Matrix".
We talked with Chris about unexpected turns of life, virtual coaches and the challenges in fitness app design. She gives us the inside scoop on wearables as a trending topic in home fitness.
"It seems a bit crazy": German company wins 5 o 6 awards for toilet flush plates.
The German manufacturer of industrial cookie former, based in Krefeld, participated in the iF DESIGN AWARD for the first time this year and was promptly honored with an iF gold award - the highest recognition at iF! Read more about their success in our interview.
Hans-Jörg Müller, Head of Product and Design Division at Gira, explains why smartphones pushed Gira's deisgn.
We talked to founder Klaus Hesse about what a paper waste basket and communication design have in ccommon.
We talked to Sony's Vice President and Head of Sony Creative Center about their daily work as designers and their design philosophy.
Sustainable design is more than a buzzword! We asked Patagonia's designer Elísabet Elfa Arnarsdóttir about her philosophy.
In the current 2020 edition, we are beyond happy to welcome Compal Electronics as a new top-class sponsor among GROHE, Haier, Samsung Electronics, and Wonderland. That is why we talked to iF juror Shikuan Chen, Chief Design Officer (CDO) and Senior Vice President of the Marketing and Innovation office of Compal Electronics, about what it takes to be a successful young designer?
We talked to GROHE's Patrick Speck about supporting young design talents and how the company supports their own young designers.
Read how the iF honoured project HOPE Schools gives refugee children new perspectives.
Inhouse Records reduces relapse rate among former criminals through music production. Read what their great success is about.
The German audio company has been honored with 63 iF DESIGN AWARDS since 1969. Congratulations!
The Munich artist wrote more than 50 years of lighting history. The lights and light objects of Ingo are considered groundbreaking in their design until today.
The German world leader in medical measurement and weighing puts safety and design first!
BSH Hausgeräte GmbH/Brand Siemens is one of the world's leading companies in the industry and the largest home appliance manufacturer in Europe. In the last 60 years, their designs have won 372 iF DESIGN AWARDS. We congratulate on their special iF anniversary this year!
What happens when product design shapes a brand: We congratulate German family-based company!
From a Swiss railway train to a wireless microphone, shaped like a pen or a multi-media informational display series: There is probably nothing NOSE Design Experience cannot design. And since 1994, only three years after their founding, Nose has been honored with 36 iF DESIGN AWARDS. We are proud and congratulate on 25 years full of iF awards.
30 years in the business, of which 25 years were full of iF DESIGN AWARDS! We are proud to congratulate Schmidhuber Brand Experience (interior, architectural and communication projects) on their special anniversary they share with iF!
We at iF are proud to share one of the most amazing talent success stories – the story of Junggi Sung, who came all the way from aspiring design student to a remarkable design career and finally an iF jury member!
The world's leading provider of pneumatic and electrical automation technology celebrates its 50th year of iF award participation. Festo has been honored with 158 iF DESIGN AWARDS since 1969! Congratulations!
How can we survive as a designer? This year, iF branch Office Korea is holding a networking event to hear interesting experiences, successful stories and practical advice among professional designers who are actively engaged in various fields. The event would help not only getting to know each other, but also sympathizing with other designers and expanding their business ties.
Vaude is an outdoor specialist, that incorporated sustainability into their design language - and corporate identity. But what else drives the designers at Vaude? And in general: What are the upcoming outdoor trends when it comes to style? What are the biggest challenges for outdoor clothing designers? We talked to iF juror Mario Schlegel, head of design at the outdoor outfitter Vaude in Tettnang, Germany.
Every year, we honor outstanding designs created by students from all over the world with the iF DESIGN TALENT AWARD. We strongly believe in the potential of young designers to change and innovate in our future world. We want to find out which ways our young winners have gone. This time, we talked to Mikhael Geordie Amadeus from Sydney.
Five international projects have been chosen to be supported by iF in the first edition of the 2019 prize. We were overwhelmed by all the great submitted projects and impressed by the great work of the NGOs and all the volunteers all around the world. A big thank you to all of them!
In modern times, we simply have to function. At work, on the way to work and even at home. No wonder, people feel more and more exhausted. Little do they know, what a great impact lighting could have on their energy and well-being. Daily exposure to darkness or artifical light cannot be in terms with the natural human body clock. We talked to sleep expert Edouard Gebski on how light can help to improve our well-being.
In the scope of WAF, we talked to international architect and iF juror Stefan Behnisch about his ideas of good architectural design, the challenges and trends from his perspective.
Lucie Koldova is an acclaimed Czech product and furniture designer and art director at Brokis. Her collaboration with the brand began in 2010 with the timeless MUFFINS and BALLOONS lighting collections, which she designed while living and working in Paris.
Great news: iF goes Berlin! The awards ceremony is heading to the Unesco City of Design - Berlin! On 4 May 2020, the iF design award night 2020 will take place at the legendary Friedrichstadt-Palast in Berlin for the first time! Stay tuned!
Miriam Aust and Sebastian Amelung received their iF Awards for their final project in 2014, a floor lamp, and are busy as furniture, interior and exhibition designers for various companies and projects from their headquarter in Kassel, Germany. We asked them what motivated them back then, what happened since then and, of course: What became of their awarded lamp design?
Six international jurors decided on the winners. Check out the best home furniture designs of the Chengdu International Home Design Award 2019!
The winners of the first round of the iF DESIGN TALENT AWARD 2019 have been selected. The students had the possibility to submit their concepts to four different topics. Check out the final results.
From sneakers that improve a child's walking habits to a silicon cord clip used to test the bacterial infection at a baby’s cord: The winning student concepts from the first round of the WONDERLAND DESIGN PRIZE 2019 by iF expose the innovative power of tommorow's designers.
Household appliances had a boom in the past years. People are crazy for intelligent household helpers that make their busy lifes a bit easier - and are fun to use! The student concepts submitted for the HAIER DESIGN PRIZE 2019 by iF are giving innovative impulses to solve the everyday struggle in the household.
“It‘s the urban equivalent of a tiny house—a small dwelling, typically under 30 square meters, some as little as 10 — that is gaining popularity in pricey cities, where larger apartments are financially out of reach”, says iF CEO Ralph Wiegmann. Find out how Turkish designers see the trend and what role traditions and politics play.
From March to September this year, Finland will participate in the XXII Triennale di Milano for design. The Finnish exhibition is organized and designed by Aalto University teachers and students, from the exhibition design (Monica Romagnoli, Saara Kantele, Ville Kokkonen and Tuomas Siitonen) to curation (Kaisu Savola and Guy Julier) to graphic identity (Adina Renner and Qin Yang).
Swiss architect and artist Max Bill not only shaped the modern design education, he also created iF awarded watches for Junghans.
2019 is the year of the Bauhaus! We celebrate this avant-garde movement by starting a special design dedicated Bauhaus expert series that guides you through the year. As a highlight, we will take you on a journey deep into our iF archives to find traces and names of the Bauhaus. Our second encounter, after Bauhaus founder Walter Gropius, is: Prof. Wilhelm Wagenfeld.
No other country looks back onto such a long and rich cultural history like China. Design always played a crucial part. Yet, there is also this preoccupied image of China as the culture of copying when it comes to design and engineering. Chinese companies and designers aim to eliminate this image and make China a major player in design.
Hyundai, Samsung, LG or Kia Motors: Korea is known for its outstanding innovative drive, design, industries and companies and was honored with many iF DESIGN AWARDS over the past 60 years. Some of them can be seen at the largest and most famous Asian design business exhibition, Design Korea 2018 – from 31 October to 4 November in Seoul – with nearly 400 businesses and 2,500 product designs.
Quality plays a crucial aspect in Turkish design. The Ministry of Commerce of Turkey, Turkish Exporters’ Assembly and Industrial Design Professional Organization even coined the term TURQUALITY®. Under this program, they organize awards, panels and fairs all around Turkish industrial design and its standards of quality.
Hosted by Ralph Wiegmann, CEO of iF, the forum with the theme "Design Visions for the Future" explores the next levels of design trends and design education: How will design shape and create our future in this fast-changing world? How do we redefine the design education for the next generation? The fair and the panel featured many exciting ideas.
iF and Orgatec look back onto a long history of office designs that challenge traditional perceptions. Be that interior designs to increase inspiration and well-being or IT devices that help keep up the flexibility in everyday life. We took a look at the most spectacular innovations and trends at the Orgatec 2018 and asked designers about their visions for offices of the future. How can office designs encourage creativity, diversity and improve our working culture in the near future?
IFA has always regarded itself as a hotspot for technological trends in our kitchens, in the home and home entertainment. Voice control has found its way into all kinds of appliances and devices. Having touchscreens on kitchen appliances has become almost just as everyday as using an app for food management.
When the AXOR design brand was first launched in 1993, the philosophy of producing well-designed products with the greatest possible customer benefits was already firmly anchored in the DNA of the manufacturer Hansgrohe. We talked to Jan Heisterhagen, Vice President Product Management at Hansgrohe SE, and Andreas Diefenbach, Design Business Manager and member of the Management Board at Phoenix Design.
"Social and sustainable city = bicycle-friendly city" – planners and architects often draw on this formula when involved in urban planning in order to afford cities with a better quality of life. London and Melbourne, for example, are both investing heavily in bicycle networks as fast commuter and transport routes.
In April 2018, the leading international design and furnishing event took place in Milan, Italy. More than 300,000 visitors had been expected from over 165 countries. About 2,000 exhibitors presented outstanding products and solutions for contemporary living combining design, technology, flexibility and sustainability.
Ulrike Brandi is an internationally acclaimed lighting designer, author, and educator. Among her works include lighting for the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg, Mercedes Benz Museum in Stuttgart, Airport Pudong in Shanghai, Museum Inam in Japan, Royal Academy of Music in London, Masterplan Light for the City of Rotterdam and the Rotterdam Central Station.
Perhaps you think you know the Domotex, the annual flooring trade fair in Hannover that claims to be the largest B2B fair of its kind. But even for regular visitors, this year's Domotex is different.Redesigned by the award-winning brand architecture agency Schmidhuber, the new Domotex...
iF Portugal representative and professional journalist Tiago Krusse spoke with Eberhard Schrempf, managing director of Creative Industries Styria in Graz, Austria, about Austria's investment and business climate and how the Designmonat event has been changing mentalities.
From 28 to 30 June 2017, the World Design Organization held its fourth World Design Talks in Rabat, Morocco, organized by African Design Days (ADD). iF's Ralph Wiegmann was a jury chairman at the associated AFRICA DESIGN AWARD event. He spoke with ADD's CEO Hicham Lahlou about design in Africa and his favorite designers.
Long Jiao has more than 15 years of professional experience in design consulting and design research. He has unique insights and rich practical experience in design strategy and planning. The industries involved include automotive, technology, consumer electronics, medical health and FMCG.
Keng-Ming Liu is a music video director, illustrator, motion and toy designer. He is the creative director and chairman of the board at Bito, a creative studio founded in Taipei, Taiwan, in 2013. He has worked for international brands such as Facebook, Disney, Asus, Mercedes Benz and Herman Miller.
At iF, we are concerned about the state of our societies, and make an active effort to have a positive effect on the world around us. One way we do this is to focus on supporting young design students and recent graduates. Another is by supporting projects that have a social impact.
iF now has a representative office for Italy. The office has set itself the objective of building close links with the Italian design industry and getting involved in the quality seal "Made in Italy". It is also the main point of contact for all iF activities – from participation in the iF DESIGN AWARD and the iF DESIGN TALENT AWARD to registration for the iF SOCIAL IMPACT PRIZE, which supports social projects around the world.
China is a growth market for designers, architects and agencies. If you're not active in China yet, now is the time. Our White Paper will help you get started.
This is where anyone and everyone of the international design scene meet to celebrate together: at the festive iF DESIGN AWARD 2019 awards ceremony. Some 2,000 guests will meet in the BMW Welt to honour the award winners. After the official ceremony and the following get-together, the party will go on until the break of day.
In June 2018, the iF team honored the project with the iF SOCIAL IMPACT PRIZE and 5,000 Euro in prize money. We are happy to hear great news from the organization’s Gernot Würtenberger: “We are very thankful and happy that iF is joining Conflictfood’s journey – literally: the support we have received helped us to make this year’s trip to farmers in Afghanistan and open new trading perspectives for them."
Three intensive yet exciting days full of discussion, testing and examination in Hamburg are done – and the winners of the iF DESIGN AWARD 2019 are chosen! 67 design experts from 20 countries selected the best designs out of 6,400 entries from 50 countries. Once again, the judges and the whole iF team was thrilled by the high quality and innovative designs from all around the world – congratulations to the well-deserved winners!
Being part of the iF jury is like being part of an exclusive circle. Since six decades, iF invites high profile design experts from all over the world to take part in the jury session of the iF DESIGN AWARD. We are very proud of this year’s jury that lists 67 names and is very diverse – in professional experience, origin, age and gender. The jurors come from 20 countries.
In less than two weeks, from 22 to 24 January, 67 pairs of critical eyes and hands will scrutinize every design entry for the iF DESIGN AWARD 2019! But how do we prepare such an extensive jury session further? The iF logistics partner speaks of 780 cubic metres packaging volume they had to handle to get everything to the jury hall in time.
Johanna Schoemaker and Jonas Buck received their iF DESIGN TALENT AWARD for their final projects in 2010, and have more than one answer to this question for us: they are owners and designers of the Berlin based jewelry label Quiet Quiet, as well as design consultants to international companies and agencies.
Walking through the cities of the world never goes without seeing tons of paper coffee to go cups, either in the hands of commuters on their way to work or, sadly for the environment, filling up trash cans. Many think this is a trend of stressed millennials on the run, who have no time to sit in coffee shops (or even at home) and drink their coffee in quiet.
Great news from Nigeria – and there is even more to come: In June 2018, the iF team honored the project “Girls Not Wives” by the Wadi Ben-Hirki-Foundation with the iF SOCIAL IMPACT PRIZE. And we are happy to hear the report by this outstanding project and its impressively dedicated – only 21 year old – founder: Wadi Ben-Hirki. Since then, Ben-Hirki and her team managed to promote the project even more – and she also launched a new one: “SHEROES”.
What is underneath the Christmas tree? This question is the top priority in many households around Christmas! We at iF dived deep in our design excellence and each colleague from the headquarter found one awarded product, that never left their minds and want to share them with you. Scroll through our personal iF Christmas selection!
The global design industry seems to reach a peak: Major fairs, award ceremonies and other design shows invited a couple of hundred thousand visitors into different countries in last 14 days - especially Asia, as a growing design global player.
Imagine using buckets or latrines as toilets daily, without any water or hygiene. While unsafely managed sanitation is unimaginable in Europe, it is the everyday reality in some other parts of the world, such as Lima, Peru. The certified social enterprise x-runner works towards providing sustainable sanitation solutions in poor regions of Peru.
The Rescue Foundation in Mumbai, India, is a “supported by iF” social project. In 2018 the jury of the iF SOCIAL IMPACT PRIZE 2018 decided to honor this terrific project. Now we are overwhelmed to hear what had happened (in the meantime) in the progress of the project.
In 1976, Dieter Rams gave a speech in New York on his design work for Vitsoe. For Rams, these 10 principles were a method of organizing his own thinking about what makes good design. Since then, they have influenced generations of designers, including Jonathan Ives.
When you think of German design, what comes to mind? Here are eight classic German designs from the archives of iF DESIGN AWARD WINNERS that we couldn't do without.
Learn more about the German design history presented in 10 photos. The pictures speak for themselves.
In fact, Saarinen blurred the lines between industrial designer and architect for most of his career, which was sadly cut short by his untimely death in 1961.
If you want to get a sense for the state of design today, try this experiment: Go to an electronics superstore and stroll through the mobile phone aisle. Wander among the washing machines. What you’re likely to see is this: ten versions of each style of product, all produced by global multinationals, each with a slightly different and equally indecipherable set of functions. Designers are engaged to clean up the mess and try to make everything look nice. Was this what we had in mind back when we were studying for our dream jobs?
We were pleased to exhibit the work of the Danish design studio design-people in our iF showroom in Hamburg. Lena Riemenschneider spoke to the strategic director of the studio, Klaus Schroeder.
Danish designer Jacob Jensen won an iF product design award for his very first project at Bang & Olufsen, the Beomaster 1000. It would not be his last.
Social Impact Report: HOPE Schools