Thursday, 8 January 2009 | Levent OZLER
Francesco Sommacal Wins the Red Dot: Luminary Design Award
Francesco Sommacal, a graduate of the Faculty of Design and Art at the Free University of Bozen - Bolzano, received the prestigious red dot: luminary design award in Singapore on 28th November. He submitted his "360" project in the design concept category.
The "360" is a re-definition of the extreme sport of skateboarding. Riding diagonal to the direction of travel over asphalt, stones or grass, the user can - like on a snowboard - steer by shifting his or her body weight. The versatility of this "summer snowboard" means that boarders everywhere can now enjoy an extra season's fun.
With over 10,000 submissions from a total of 60 countries, the red dot design award ranks among the largest and most renowned design competitions in the world, and is the biggest design award in Germany. The competition was organised by the North Rhine-Westphalia Design Centre. The red dot award is presented to works that feature outstanding design quality. The jury consists of well-known designers and design experts from around the world who rate the products according to such criteria as innovation, functionality, form and ergonomics, as well as their symbolic and emotional content.
The design concept category is open to projects that have not yet reached the production stage. Of this year's 1,906 young designers taking part, 170 received the red dot award for outstanding design quality, while another 21 received the red dot: best of the best distinction for highest design quality. These winners are automatically nominated for the competition's premium award - the red dot: luminary. This year, the "360" project from Francesco Sommacal won the unanimous approval of the jury.
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