The shortlist for the world's first Meaning-Centred Design Awards, a competition to recognize those pioneering designs that radically innovate what things mean to consumers and markets, has been revealed in London.
Innovations shortlisted include Jelly Drops - a sweet designed to tackle chronic dehydration in people with dementia; a chestfeeding kit for new fathers designed to mimic breastfeeding for males; Unilever's Day 2 - a dry wash spray for clothes that might have otherwise have been destined for the laundry basket; Croono - a modular make-up brush for men aimed to expand the barriers within which men consider themselves masculine; DoPay - a cloud-based service designed to tackle the financial exclusion of the two billion people worldwide who are in employment yet do not have a bank account; and Scattered Apparel - a fashion brand bidding to showcase the beautiful design of Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander & Maori Artists in Oceania.
A jury of experts, including design theorist Dr Betti Marenko, Visiting Professor at Tokyo Institute of Technology and Mark Bickerstaffe, Director of New Product Development at Kohler Co., will convene at the Saatchi Gallery in London to vote on the winners of the inaugural Meaning-Centred Design Awards in October this year.
"It's clear that many designers are now considering meaning as an integral part of their process," commented Julie Jenson-Bennett, Chair of the Meaning-Centred Design Awards Jury. "The entries were eye-opening, provocative, and should provide some tough decisions for the jurors at the Saatchi Gallery next month."
Photo: Courtesy of Meaning-Centred Design Awards