DesignEuropa 2024 winners announced

«This year’s ceremony celebrates industrial design, from the classics to groundbreaking innovations. We are honoured to host the DesignEuropa Award in Riga, Latvia, and salute outstanding industry players who contribute to sustainable development through creative solutions. Industrial design contributes to economic growth and development, especially when it is linked to the protection of intellectual property, which adds value to these works. We are proud to be able to highlight Riga as a thriving European design hub and to introduce this important sector to the wider public,» says Agris Batalauskis, Director of the Patent Office and jury member of the DesignEuropa Award.

Winners

Industry Award — Essenza 300 LT hospital bed

Linet’s design team, together with Divan Design Studio, have developed the Essenza 300 LT hospital bed, which improves patient care and caregiver performance with innovative features. Its technology enables patients, prevents injuries, and improves caregivers’ ergonomics by facilitating patient transport and reducing physical strain. The jury praised the bed’s functionality and human-centred design.

After receiving the award, Linet representatives emphasised that design is a tool that allows to combine a variety of functions in a user-friendly and easy-to-understand way. The company stressed that good design is not only about functionality and aesthetics but also about accessibility. While Linet strives to continuously improve technology and find new solutions to improve healthcare, the company also devotes just as many resources to simplifying complex technologies to make products accessible to as many people as possible. This is also the idea behind the Essenza 300 LT bed, as it provides the functionality of a high-end hospital bed at an affordable price.

Entrepreneurs and Small Companies Award — Transparent Turntable

The record player by Per Brickstad, made of aluminium and glass, is designed for the modern home. It has a fully modular design that allows easy replacement and addition of the necessary components to ensure that the Transparent Turntable will last for many years and not become obsolete as the technology of listening to music changes. The jury appreciated the product’s clean aesthetics, the ease with which the player can be repaired, and the fact that it was designed with circularity in mind.
Per Brikstad emphasised that transparency is not only a characteristic of the aesthetics of the player but of the company’s approach to product design as a whole. His design strives to be honest and does not hide behind superficial decorations, revealing to the user all the components involved in the creation of sound and thus creating a new dimension in the music listening experience. Equally important for the company is to be transparent about sustainability: the Transparent website shows the carbon footprint of all components and traces their origin. In the future, the company aims to produce the player entirely from recycled materials and to ensure a fully circular product life cycle.

Next Generation Award — Chiara Mignani

The talented young yacht designer Chiara Mignani received the first-ever Next Generation Award, which is given to young designers under the age of 30.

The 27-year-old Italian designer is known for her eco-friendly and high-performance yacht designs. Chiara holds a master’s degree in naval and nautical design and has worked for several well-known yacht design studios. Her portfolio includes outstanding designs such as the Nero 777 Evolution and Voltara 645 electric propulsion system yachts, which are made of carbon fibre for increased strength and manoeuvrability, as well as comfort and spaciousness on board.

Lifetime Achievement Award — Dieter Rams

Renowned German designer Dieter Rams has designed more than 200 iconic devices and influenced the look and functionality of consumer products for decades. His T3 Braun pocket radio and 606 universal shelving system for Vitsœ are on permanent display at MoMA. In his work, Rams advocated «a design ethic that respects our limited resources, calling on both designers and society to consider the long-term impact of consumption». In the late 1970s, he formulated his ten principles of good design, including «less but better». Since 1994, the Dieter and Ingeborg Rams Foundation has dedicated its work to supporting responsible product design and addressing the future requirements of industrial design.

Due to his advanced age, Rams (born 1932 in Wiesbaden, Germany) did not attend the ceremony in person, but in a video greeting upon receiving the award, he wished young designers the courage to evaluate what the world needs, calling on them to think about design that helps people. He noted that design that is needed is rarely spectacular but makes our lives easier by remaining in the background.

EUIPO reports that design-intensive industries create 26.8 million direct jobs in the EU and account for 16% of the EU’s total GDP. By registering a Community design, managed by the EUIPO, the design of a product is protected in all EU Member States. The EUIPO currently registers more than 100,000 designs a year and has received more than 1.8 million designs in total. Germany is the leading country protecting designs at EU level, with more than 363 000 Community designs, followed by Italy (216 000). Among the registered Community designs are the Bialetti mocha pot and the Lego brick.
For more information on DesignEuropa 2024 and Community design protection, visit the EUIPO website.