The talent forum [D3] Design talents shows which way the wind is blowing. At the imm cologne, young designers get the chance to present their original product ideas alongside the established stars of the furniture industry.
Design lives from a constant stream of new ideas. And sometimes from the reinvention of old ones. What’s crucial is a constant change of perspectives that questions what has already been achieved, penetrates beyond established aesthetics and ventures to suggest new approaches. Experimental design thus fulfils an important function for the entire discipline – by ensuring continuous input.
The works of young designers are like a fountain of youth for the professional league. They take a self-confident approach to new technologies and are more than willing to improvise if it means turning their ideas into prototypes. And yet young designers are increasingly on their own: jobs for graduates are even rarer than commissions.
Both, they fear, will be in even shorter supply as a result of the financial crisis. That’s why many designers have come to terms with the idea of turning their product ideas into reality single-handedly, either as spectacular one-offs or in small editions. This has led to the development of an aesthetic language that is less indebted to industrial considerations and even less inclined to compromise. Humorous, unconventional, flamboyant, ambitious, visionary and sometimes just ingeniously simple – that is the face of young design today.
Creative fireworks in Cologne
That benefits platforms like D3 Design talents and its international newcomer competition, the D3 Contest. The exhibition at the international furniture and interior design fair imm cologne sparkles with creativity and has established itself as a talent forum and creative powerhouse that is highly regarded by the industry and design scene alike.
Six years ago, Koelnmesse and the German Design Council were looking for a format that would be just as compatible with the designers’ situation as it was with the public’s interests. They succeeded: the curated exhibition in Hall 3.1 is meanwhile one of the imm cologne’s most popular attractions. Experimental design rubs shoulders with the market-driven offerings of the furniture industry, rough prototypes are juxtaposed with the perfect sleekness of exclusive brands.
A spark of anarchy in a commercial, meticulously organised world. For American architect and art designer Johanna Grawunder, it is this contrast between the commercial and the experimental that makes the imm cologne so attractive. “In the last two years in which I’ve sat on the jury of the D3 Contest, the presentation has been extremely good, really amazing, and shown an incredible amount of talent,” says Johanna Grawunder. “On the one hand you’ve got a professional selection of commercial design, and on the other a strong area of purely experimental design. And the two complement each other wonderfully because there’s nothing standing between them. Both sides can learn a lot from each other. It’s an elegant, intense reduction of what happens in the design world, like the essence of a good sauce.”
Only the best get to show what they can do
Koelnmesse holds the competition every year in connection with the imm cologne. This year 521 young designers from 43 countries took part, submitting a total of 649 ideas. The best 29 works will be shown at the imm cologne 2010.
The curation ensures that the objects shown and the way they are presented meet the contest’s high quality standard. All students and graduates who qualified less than three years ago are eligible to enter their prototypes. The D3 Contest aims to give young designers a forum where they can present their ideas for the furniture, lighting, home textiles and accessories of the future to an international public.
What makes this talent show so special is not just its competitive character but the unusual generosity of its organisers. Only those who manage to convince the selection panel are allowed to exhibit their ideas. But once this hurdle has been cleared, Koelnmesse invites the winning designers to take part in the exhibition with no ifs and buts. “We support the participants by making sure the presentation of their prototypes doesn’t end up being a financial burden,” explains Rüdiger Sprave, who organises the exhibition for Koelnmesse along with Natalie Köhler from the German Design Council.
Those hoping to qualify for the competition can submit their entries free of charge – and Koelnmesse organises and finances transport, travel and accommodation for the lucky few who get to exhibit their designs. The concept has proven its worth – a verdict also shared by Munich designer Stefan Diez: “I really like the Design talents show at the imm cologne. It’s great that the Cologne fair has it curated and doesn’t just set up one design shop after the other as they’re increasingly fond of doing in Milan. It’s so confusing and usually a real disappointment as far as the presentation is concerned – so much so that I didn’t even go and look at it this year.”
