Author: Prof. Dr. Peter Zec | 2017-05-22
In early April of this year, hundreds of thousands of design lovers made a pilgrimage to Milan, Italy, with an aim to explore the updated trend of Salone Internazionale del Mobile(Milan Household Appliances Fair) and draw inspirations from their designs. Milan not only is the center town of economy and industry, but also a thriving place for culture, design and fashion, which fascinated each of the visitors.
Also, let's not forget that the globalization is constantly challenging the furniture industry. China already leads the furniture industry and Milan is in the fourth place. But with each challenge comes the opportunity to make manufacturers and designers more convinced than ever that providing quality design in the marketplace will create an enduring and unique brand image.
So I was particularly delighted to see some of the brands that had already won the Red Dot: Product Design 2017, including Italian brands such as Kartell, the winner for three times, participate in this year's Milan furniture fair.
The Piuma seat of this brand won the Red Dot: Best of the Best, the highest honor for a product among the Red Dot award category.
In addition to its simple design, the seat is also attractive because it combines thermoplastic and carbon in an unprecedented way to create a lightweight and stable feature. This work again demonstrates the interdependency between the design and the material.
I also appreciated Artemide's Tizio table lamp. When the so-called low-voltage halogen bulb technology first came out, Artemide turned a lamp holder into a transformer without wires. However, such clever design has been on the market for a long time.
This year, Artemide won the Red Dot: Best of the Best for the Ameluna chandelier. This droplight does not set central illuminant source with a clever confluence of circular appearance and asymmetry measure body, creating the illume atmosphere that resembles a dream.
In the Milan furniture fair, except for many excellent design works, I can also see that this vibrant modern show is just the starting point of an industry event. Such trends are already being observed in music and the arts.
This year's Milan furniture fair not only featured classic works in the exhibition venue, but also many design events in the city center.
For the first time, IKEA holds an activity integrating design and life taste. The Swedish company, which won the Red Dot design award, is showcasing six new series products at the Milan furniture fair, as well as hosting lectures, interviews and music events. This practice, once again, shows that quality products are only a starting point for a wide-range of events.
Engaging consumers with brands and their products, educating them about the benefits of good design, and building relationships with them, are increasingly important in the modern era to create more positive user experiences.
※ This article is published on the design column of "uDesign"
