until Sunday February 12 2012
Musée de design et d’arts appliqués contemporains
6, place de la Cathédrale
CH - 1005 Lausanne
Switzerland
The award-winning work and projects will be exhibited at the Museum of Design and Contemporary Applied Arts (MUDAC) in Lausanne.
Stephane Barbier Bouvet from Lausanne has designed the scenography for the exhibition. At the same time, the annual publication will be published, featuring both the award-winning designers and their work. This year's publication is designed by Jonathan Hares, Lausanne and is published by Birkhäuser.
Winners of the Swiss Federal Design Awards 2011
The Federal Design Commission selected 24 works / projects by 33 young talents. The fashion/textile design and photography categories were strongly represented this year, each being awarded six prizes. Five prizes were awarded in the graphic design category, and two distinctions were awarded in the industrial and product design category. Exceptionally the strong presence in the field of scenography garnered three prizes and a prize was awarded for the first time in the design business category. This year, a designer was also selected in the ceramics category.
In this year's competition, 266 designers submitted their dossiers. The competition prizes consist either of a cash sum of CHF 25,000, internships with renowned studios or offices, or studio residencies in New York. The award winners decide on the form of their prize.
The Federal Design Competition 2011 is the last year in which the over-40 eligibility requirement will apply. From 2012 there will no longer be an age requirement. The Federal Design Competition is the most important national competition for the promotion of young Swiss design and has been held since 1918.
Winners of the Grand Prix Design 2011
Every year, the Federal Office of Culture awards the Grand Prix Design to designers or distinguished design studios to honour them for their significant contribution at national and international level to the reputation of Swiss design. The awards are given only to designers over the age of 40. This year, the Federal Design Commission nominated four designers for the Grand Prix Design. They will each receive prize winnings of CHF 40,000. The product designer Jörg Boner ranks among the most important middle-generation Swiss designers. He will be
honoured for his work and his teaching activities. Dimitri Bruni and Manuel Krebs from the graphic design studio NORM in Zurich have been successfully involved in book designing and typography for many years. Their work has influenced innumerable young graphic designers. The photographer Ernst Scheidegger will be honoured for his life's work, which involves the exploration of the many facets of applied art. His portraits of artists have been published and exhibited worldwide for decades. Walter Steiger who works in Paris has been designing shoes for more than 40 years. He often creates his exceptional designs in close collaboration with world-famous fashion designers. His designs are still very much in style today.
Federal Design Commission
The jury consists of the Federal Design Commission, whose members are appointed by the Federal Council, as well as several invited international experts. The members of the Federal Design Commission and the experts first evaluate and make a selection from the dossiers submitted to the competition. These enter a second round, in which the jury examine the original works to select the prize winners, judging them across disciplines by comparison not only with work from the same discipline but from other disciplines as well.
