“The International Design Yearbook” is the 20th edition of this leading showcase for domestic design featuring guest editor and acclaimed Dutch designer Marcel Wanders. He surveys the world of design and identifies new, interesting work in the areas of furniture, lighting, tableware, textiles and products.

His eclectic selection ranges from packaging for lipsticks and disposable underwear to a loft cube and inflatable mobile office space. The latest technologies are also featured, including a washing machine from Dyson, Apples mini I-pod, a new robotic dog from Sony and the world’s first intelligent shoe, created by Adidas.

Marcel Wanders (1963) grew up in Boxtel, the Netherlands, and graduated at the School of the Arts Arnhem in 1988 with a cum laude certificate. He is now an independent industrial product designer operating out of Amsterdam where he has his own studio, Marcel Wanders studio. Marcel Wanders designs products for various design labels, like Moooi, Cappellini, Boffi, Magis, Droog Design and Mandarina Duck.

Buy here:  “The International Design Yearbook” (Marcel Wanders)

Business 2.0 and frog design announce their 2nd “Bottom Line Design Awards”

Good design is nice to look at, but great design exhibits beauty that’s more than skin-deep — it integrates form, function, and market need. The best place to see the latter, of course, is the bottom line, which is why Business 2.0 and frog design created the first industrial design awards to honor products not just for their beauty but also for their commercial success.

For the last competition they assembled a panel of nine expert judges—from industries as diverse as advertising, fashion, and technology — who were asked to consider everything from a product’s success in the marketplace to its impact on a corporate culture. And, of course, how nice it was to look at. Here are their picks for this year’s best-designed products.

Recently they started the nomination for the 2nd award in 2006 - only accepting third-party nominations for the competition. To nominate a product that has been released in the 2005 year, download the nomination form (PDF).

NOMINATION DEADLINE: December 1st, 2005

For further details check out…
www.bottomlinedesignawards.com
www.frogdesign.com
www.business2.com

From 21st to 24th September 2005 “MYS” Monaco Yacht Show - the only international yacht show devoted exclusively to luxury yachting - will give our hearts delight. It’s the biggest in-water display in Europe of super and mega yachts.

I want to draw your attention to just one highlight:
At the Quai Chicane in Port Hercule Wally will premiere “Open Season” - the new 29-meter (94-foot) sailing yacht - and “Lunch Boat” - the first 67 WallyPower.
Open Season is developed from the successful lines of Y3K, while the deck and interior layouts follow the concept of Tiketitan’s.


Lunch Boat is the first yacht of the new motor yacht line 67 WallyPower, the new motor yacht design that integrates design and technology and combines the open-air living characteristics of the WallyTender, with the hull lines of the 118 WallyPower.
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Fuel cell technology should be a worthwhile alternative in times when the price for oil keeps rising and rising. env shows the world’s first purpose-built fuel cell motorcycle which could be a first answer to ever increasing energy costs. This technology helps us continue to enjoy the benefits and pleasures of mobility without mortgaging the health of the planet.

After years of research and development, hydrogen power is no longer a distant dream and can be packed in such a neat and compact “Core” that good design is no longer limited. By the nature of its electrochemical reaction, a fuel cell can be more than twice as efficient as an internal combustion engine!
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A little under a year since its inception in September 2004 and Established & Sons has already become a byword for accomplished British furniture design and manufacture. From the commissioning of a collective of Britain’s best design talents - Barber Osgerby / Future Systems / Zaha Hadid / Mark Holmes / Michael Marriott / Alexander Taylor / Sebastian Wrong / Michael Young - to the production of a celebrated premier collection, the advance from fledgling company to established industry player has been a swift and exciting one.

In April 2005 Established & Sons launched their company, its mission and first design collection on an international platform at the Milan Salone. Now Established & Sons will be launching their first collection during London’s design week. An exhibition in partnership with retailer Liberty and an exciting independent off site event and exhibition will be held.

Some examples?

“Writing desk” - the little practiced action of letter writing was Michael Young’s inspiration for this product. The writing desk therefore has a very specific function though its appeal is due, in some considerable part, to the elegance of its fluid form, taking the traditional elements of a writing bureau and reinterpreting them in a most contemporary design is the charm of this piece.

Sebastian Wrong’s “Convex mirror” is a wall mounted convex mirror with a steel ball joint at the back allowing movement along three axes. Sophisticated compound curves are combined with precision injection moulded casing, die-cast aluminum fixings and an instrument grade mirrored glass lens to create a very clear expression of quality and a unique, desirable design object. This wall-mounted mirror is engineered to rotate and move in any axis and present a near-perfect reflection.
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Carbonfunctions‘ “Mantis” is the ultimate outcome of a project that started in 2001. High end German aeronautical and automotive engineering paired with sophisticated German product design by Wolf Udo Wagner resulted in that über-golf caddy. The caddy was designed and named inspired by the shape of a Praying Mantis - from the first form study to the final product marketing.

The task was to develop a fundamentally new electric golf caddy. The unique technology of the electric driven and also manual usable caddy makes it easy to handle. Steering is simple two-handed. The caddy can be folded compactly or taken into pieces. Put together the mixture of carbon and aeronautical aluminum sums up to 8,2 kilogram.
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Publishing house Hermann Schmidt is another nominee for the 2006 German Design awards.

“Typographic Top Trumps” - remember how you passed whole childhood afternoons playing top trumps, hoping the winning card would be yours – no matter if the car in it boasted many cylinders, lots of horsepower or fabulous top speed? Although this did not make you a formula one pro, it gave you a feeling for the world of fast wheels.

The Typographic Top Trumps put you into the pole position in a race where sans serif, ascenders and descenders are what matters. With these cards, you will learn the characteristics of each font, as well as its construction year or its designer, at breakneck speed. By the way: did you know that, just like cars, fonts can be loud and obnoxious or even dynamic? The three authors offer different scales for the characteristics such as durability, repertoire, volume, dynamics, stars, bad taste points and personality. These elements give the game unexpected turns and contribute to the fun.

www.typografie.com …where you can shop “Typographic Top Trumps” for 14,80 €.

Awarded with reddot 2004 and iF 2005 Eisfink’s kitchen unit “airclean 3d” is one of the nominees for 2006.

This is absolutely professional technology for your kitchen at home. The down-draft extractor catches odours, vapours and steam precisely where they develop - directly above the pots and pans. After sophisticated filtering, the cleaned air simply flows back into the kitchen.

But it’s not only about technology… your airclean is part of a modular kitchen unit that allows multiple combinations of different units corresponding to your individual demands and the surrounding interior design.

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The German Design Award is the official recognition of excellence in design offered by the Federal Republic of Germany. It is the central thrust in the campaign of the German Ministry for Economic Affairs to promote good design. From 2006 the award will be given for exceptional creative achievement in the fields of product design and communication design.

The official presentation will take place on the first day of Ambiente International Trade Fair, on 10 February 2006, in Frankfurt am Main.

Neither companies nor individuals can compete for the German Design Award; they are nominated by the state ministries and senators of economics or by the Federal German Ministry of Economics and Labour. It is a condition, however, that a product has already been awarded a national or international prize. Awards go to a maximum of 25 products, in the categories of Gold and Silver.

During the next weeks LIFESTYLENAVIGATOR is going to introduce some of the nominees for the 2006 award.

Further information…

German Design Council
Ludwig- Erhard-Anlage 1
60327 Frankfurt
Tel ++49 (0)69 74 74 86-0
Fax ++49 (0)69 74 74 86-19
www.german-design-council.de

To the best of my belief, the days of lousy radiator design are numbered - that’s another insight from our days in Paris!!! At least if you can afford some of the following…

For example the Italian manufacturer Ad Hoc (damned… what a website in comparison to their products???), DeltaCalor and UK-based Eskimo represent a real revolution in domestic heating, thanks to the idea of formal and technological distinction of the radiant element. Their exclusive design gives heating appliances an importance the hidden position of the traditional element never had.

DeltaCalor’s “System I” is a sculpture per se and an interesting decoration for every room of your home.
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