November 30, 2010

Collab’s Annual Student Design Competition was held at the Philadelphia Museum of Art on November 15th. First honorable mention went to Interior Architecture and Design student Candace Foster for her design “Segno”. “Segno” is the Italian word for “sign”. By slightly altering shapes based on signage, “Segno” symbolizes bringing life’s journey to the table through a set of serving plates that store nicely in a clean, minimal manner. Candace was advised by Product Design program director Mike Glaser.

Each year, the Student Design Competition is linked thematically to the Collab Design Excellence Award recipient. This year the theme was table top accessories in conjunction with the  Philadelphia Art Museum’s exhibition “Alessi: Ethical / Radical”, celebrating Alberto Alessi - who is widely regarded as the world’s most innovative and influential maker of kitchen and tabletop accessories and the recipient of Collab’s 2010 Award. Students were asked to consider Alberto’s theory that “design is a new form of art and poetry but with the strange destiny of bringing a little bit of joy to people.”

Tabletop accessories cover a wide-range of functional objects we use in the kitchen or dining room and most are designed as sets. The challenge was to design a set that included at least 4 pieces. The products needed to have a central design theme that was targeted to the American market. Any materials and technology could be considered, and the pieces had to be mass reproducible. This year’s panel of judges, that included industry professionals, judged 84 participants from nine regional schools including: Drexel University, Moore College of Art & Design, Philadelphia University, Pratt Institute, Rochester Institute of Technology, Salem Community College, Temple University’s - Tyler School of Art, The University of Pennsylvania and The University of the Arts. Click here to learn more about Collab and the Alessi exhibit at The Philadelphia Museum of Art.