This year marks the tenth edition of the annual Dutch Design Awards. The prestigious event on the creative calendar celebrates innovative designers who often set the pace in the world of design.
Covering communication, product and spatial design, and everything in between, inspiring professional entries were exalted at the awards ceremony in Eindhoven on 21 October.
The much coveted, best of the best, Golden Eye Award for the evening went to Christian Borstlap for “Louis Vuitton I” Part of a Bigger Plan. The new animation for Louis Vuitton is a graphic homage to the designer and his famous fashion house. Also winning Best Motion Design in the Communication sector, “Louis Vuitton I” Part of a Bigger Plan balances the serious and playful through its multi-layered visual craftsmanship.
The noteworthy Mini Young Designer Award went to fashion designer Borre Akkersdijk for his multifaceted, three-dimensional dress. The designer experimented with ancient techniques for new applications and produced a fresh and individualistic style garment.
Travelling from an initial goal to an expression of free design sees Studio Bertjan Pot winning the Best Autonomous Design Award. Aiming to construct a flat carpet by threading rope resulted in the creation of a series of impressive masks. The creation represents the development that a design can go through to unveil a cheerful and attractive design.
Winners in the Communication Category
Introducing exciting visuals into a unique game technique, Joost van Dongen designs Proun and wins the Best Digital Media Award. The free racing game along a metal tube, avoiding various obstacles successfully translates art into the world of games.
Lesley Moore wins the Best Graphic Design Award for creating a visual identity for the Centraal Museum. The design goes beyond the scope of a logo and is strong in its simplicity. Being significant for the location of the museum, the symbol’s identity is consciously integrated into its context.
Winners in the Product Category
A series of sound-absorbing fabrics with three-dimensional texture was designed for Casalis Architextiles by Aleksandra Gaca, and won Best Professional Product. The craftsmanship is central to the design integrating design, function, beauty and technology in a poetic form. The new way of applying textiles generated endless possibilities.
Drawing on a historical colour palette of Japanese porcelain, Scholten & Baijings win the Best Consumer Product for their tableware series designed for Arita 1616. Respecting the form of the designs in a harmonious way, an ultimate match between consumer culture and design proposition was created.
Winners in the Spatial Category
Architectenbureau Marlies Rohmer wins the Best Exterior Award for designing a compact, urban floating water district, Waterwoningen IJburg, Amsterdam. The design is a good example of an urban solution. The floating homes respond to a new way of living that reflects the historic canals of Amsterdam.
Erick van Egeraat redesigns the Drents Museum and wins the Best Interior Award. The design is the perfect balance of hosting an exhibition while revealing an exhibition of its own through its artistic structure. The strong sculptural power of the museum becomes a dominant presence and fuses the old with the new.
