Judging Excellence: Inside the IF Design Awards
Episode Summary
In this enlightening conversation, Leonardo sits down with Uwe Cremering, CEO of the IF Design, to delve into Uwe's inspiring journey and his influential role at IF Design. They explore the evolution of the design profession and the prestigious IF Design Award, shedding light on the meticulous process of selecting jury members and judging entries.
Discover how the IF Design provides invaluable feedback to participants, aiding in the enhancement of their products. Uwe explains how the cost of participation is justified through investments in student awards, marketing for winners, gala events, and the social impact prize. The conversation also highlights IF Design's collaboration with other design awards to offer an international platform for winners, emphasizing their commitment to the global design community.
A significant focus is placed on sustainability, with IF Design working towards integrating sustainability criteria into their judging process. Uwe discusses the rising number of countries participating in the IF Design Award and the notable improvement in design quality from regions such as Korea and Brazil.
The discussion delves into the blend of local and global perspectives in product design, the challenges companies face in understanding diverse cultures and markets, and the importance of maintaining confidence in one's expertise rather than mimicking competitors.
Looking ahead, Uwe shares the future vision of the IF Design Awards, including ambitious plans for sustainability, the establishment of a design academy, and an innovative presence in the metaverse. The interview concludes with a talk about the to Dieter Rams in the last IF Design ceremony (2024), honoring his recent lifetime achievement award and the importance of recognizing the pioneers who have shaped the design industry.
Join us for this insightful discussion and gain a deeper understanding of the world of design through the lens of one of its most influential figures.
About Uwe Cremering
Uwe joined iF International Forum Design (iF Design) as the new CEO in April 2021. The years before, Uwe was part of the management team of the PRO Division of Sennheiser electronic, one of the world's most important headphone and microphone manufacturers. Since 2001, in various positions ranging from Head of New Media and Director Global Marketing Communications to Director AMBEO Immersive Audio and Managing Director of the subsidiary Dear Reality, he has been instrumental in driving forward developments in the 3D audio business. From the beginning of his career, starting in 1998 as Project Leader New Media for the EXPO 2000 in Hannover. The topics of digitalization, transformation, business development, innovation and design have been at the center of his successful entrepreneurial activities and are considered in his position at iF Design.
iF International Forum Design GmbH, based in Hannover, is one of the world's leading independent design institutions. It has hosted the iF DESIGN AWARD every year since 1954. With around 11,000 submissions from around 60 countries every year, it is one of the largest and most prestigious design awards in the world. iF Design has subsidiaries in USA, China, the Republic of China Taiwan and South Korea. There are also representative offices in Brazil, Japan, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands and Turkey. The iF Design Foundation is the sole shareholder of iF International Forum Design GmbH.
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/uwe-cremering-653706b1/
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AtomCAST Host: Leonardo Capelas Romeu
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