Berendsohn Give-Away AWARD 06
We demand high standards with regard to design. After all, we have been manufacturing advertising media, excelling in their authenticity, creativity and style for many years. One of the reasons why we are one of Europe's leading enterprises in the industry producing exclusive promotional articles is the fact that we continuously cooperate with designers from Germany and abroad -- the result being that many of our products are awarded renowned prizes year after year. Since a good design is thus an integrate part of our corporate philosophy, we thought we should launch a design award -- as a way to say thanks and also as a challenge. So we decided to launch the 'Berendsohn Give-away AWARD'.
Michael Philipp (CEO Berendsohn): "This is to provide up and coming designers with the opportunity to have their ideas realised since nothing is better than putting a good idea into practice. It is also our intention to facilitate the integration of a good design into our everyday life and to strengthen Germany's reputation as being home to good designs.
We want to provide our clients (mainly small and medium-sized businesses) with special, exclusive advertising ideas so that they will be able to improve their own market position. We want to strengthen the fragile relationship between our clients and consumers. To this end, special products are required".
124 young designers entered 193 design ideas to the first Berendsohn Give-away AWARD 2006. "That is an encouraging number", says a delighted Michael Philipp.
A jury of seven members judged the ideas at the end of January. In addition to the independent members Dr. Babette Peters, Director of the 'hamburgunddesign' initiative of the Hamburg Senate, architect Thorsten Wehrhahn and agency boss Olaf Gollnek (both based in Hamburg), the jury consisted of the Berendsohn representatives Michael Philipp, Ingo Schmitz, York von Sobbe and Hans Jürgen Eilken. "Overall, the quality of the entries was surprisingly high", say Thorsten Wehrhahn and Dr. Babette Peters in agreement. Dr. Babette Peters points out, "There are only a few competitions in this field. What makes this award so special, particularly for young designers, is the fact that the awarded products are in with a good chance to see the light of day in the real world of the market".
The 1st. prize was awarded to Judith Höfel and Massimo De Nittis from Pforzheim. They convinced the jury with a give-away that is both original and diverse. It is a business card which can be converted into a utensil just by folding it and serves as picnic cutlery, a toothpick, bottle opener, candle, bookmark or even as a three-dimensional flower. "A product that is appealing, useful and surprising. It is flexible, convertible and counters stereotypes of supposedly gleaming, high quality design with new charm. It defines the area of conflict between professional design with unusual means and imagination and results in a brand-new, well founded idea", says Dr. Babette Peters justifying her vote.
Initially, Thorsten Wehrhahn was convinced of the conceptual approach, "A familiar, functional utensil, an information medium in business card format, which can be converted with wit and precision. At the same time, authenticity and the high quality of the variations make the design a refreshing game with all the potential uses.
Johannes Müller from Karlsruhe was awarded the 3rd prize for his funny and efficient fly-swat ' 3 flies with one swat'.
Ursula Bongartz from Forchheim was awarded a special prize for her unconventional and unusual treatment of an ordinary plastic shopping-bag which she converted into a real eye-catcher.Another special prize went to Schlagheck Design from Munich for the 'Promotion Thermometer', an underwater advertising medium with a handy hook.
The winners of the first prize received two rewards. First of all, their idea will be converted into a Berendsohn product and secondly they won a trip to New York City and an exclusive visit to the MaterialConnexion Studio which was founded by George Beylerian in 1997 and is a materials library. It is recognized worldwide as a source of information on innovative, futuristic materials and manufacturing processes.
"This will be our first visit to New York – it's fantastic", commented the delighted winning duo. "This award is a wonderful reward for a path of trial and tribulation. It is a big encouragement to carry on!" The idea for the prized multi-functional card came in answer to the theme of the competition, "but the development of an idea actually means observing and reflecting everyday processes". And what makes a good design according to the award-winners? "A medium of communication, an agent of ideas and thoughts, a humorous moment".
The positive outcome of the first Berendsohn Give-away AWARD 2006 is encouraging for our objective to develop, promote and produce top quality designs.
So we say THANK YOU -- until the next Berendsohn Give-away AWARD in 2007.