Winners chosen in International Marimekko Design Competition

14 Sep '11

5 min read

The panel of judges for the first international Marimekko design competition was comprised of Marimekko's Creative Director Minna Kemell-Kutvonen and Product Director Niina Nenonen, Aalto University School of Art and Design's Head of Department Professor Pirjo Hirvonen and Researcher Tuuli Mattelmäki, Design Academy Eindhoven's Curator Ilse Crawford, Tama Art University's Professor Tadashi Takahashi, Parsons The New School for Design's Assistant Professor Timo Rissanen, Philosopher Pekka Himanen, and Academician Vuokko Eskolin-Nurmesniemi. The judges were taken by the high quality of the competition and the originality of the ideas.

“The design competition has been an excellent collaboration between the top-class design schools of the world. We have been able to see what's going on in the minds of the young generation of designers, the makers of tomorrow. Fresh thinking and responsibility are expressed particularly well in doing things together and enjoyment. Everyday things that are close to us in daily life are becoming more and more interesting,” says the chair of the panel, Marimekko's Creative Director Minna Kemell-Kutvonen.

“The Why Not Together competition has been an inspiring and wonderful opening not only for the students but also for the collaboration between universities and companies. This represents joyful and fruitful collaboration that needs to be continued,” says the Aalto University School of Art and Design's Head of Department Pirjo Hirvonen.

“This competition provides an insight into what design competitions of the future will likely look like, with its open design briefs and by expanding the definition of design beyond products to also designing services and systems. It has been a pleasure to witness the Marimekko philosophy and spirit being interpreted from a variety of international perspectives.By creating the competition Marimekko and Aalto University have demonstrated that international collaboration between universities will be increasingly important, as many of the problems design needs to solve are shared regardless of national boundaries,” says Assistant Professor Timo Rissanen of Parsons The New School for Design, New York.

Students from six of the world's leading design schools were invited to take part in the competition: Aalto University of Finland, Design Academy Eindhoven of the Netherlands, Konstfack of Sweden, the Royal College of Art of the UK, Parsons The New School for Design of the US, and Tama Art University of Japan. The finalists of the competition were announced on 24 May.

Marimekko Corporation

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