Kendall College & Davidson Plyforms announce winner of design competition Back to News
Grand Rapids, MI - Davidson Plyforms, leaders in the field of producing high quality curved plywood components, has presented industrial design and furniture design students at Kendall College of Art and Design a unique experience in a design competition. Featuring formed wood as the basic structural element, the parameters of the contest were simply to design an original consumer product using formed wood. Davidson's goal was to share in the excitement and knowledge of formed wood and its potential as well as its environmental soundness. Kendall students responded enthusiastically with 30 product designs. They have been working on their designs since March, and the winners were announced on October 1.
The judging was based on design creativity, use of materials and manufacturing feasibility. The top three designs were developed into full prototypes, and the winning design won an Eames Lounge Chair and Ottoman.
A panel of professional designers judged submissions:
- Ben Cherner (New York, NY) - architect and furniture designer
- Scott Wilson (Chicago, IL) - accomplished designer, experienced in developing iconic, industry-leading products
- Rodrigo Torres (Milan, Italy) - independent designer and instructor and has designed for companies such as Nike, Fiat, 3M and Kvaser
The winning design was Airport Seating by Alexis Brannan. The two runner-up designs were Dorm Chair by Jeremy Kaley and Cocktail Table by Matt Maher. These three designs will be on exhibition at Kendall in the first floor Atrium until October 30. Kendall is located at 17 Fountain Street NW.
Rodrigo Torres described the winning design; "The Airport Seating was ultimately my top pick because of its honesty, simplicity, flexibility and modularity. The strong overall form is pleasing and it is a valid seating option for multiple environments. It is a very good concept with a lot of potential."
Oliver H. Evans, President, Kendall College of Art and Design stated, "This sort of professional experience is one with exceptional value for our students. They absorb information and industry values in a way that can't be offered just through classroom exercises, and this will serve them so well when they enter into the workplace. We are grateful for Davidson Plyforms' interest in Kendall."
