What do you think are the biggest challenges and opportunities facing the design industry now (in your particular sector)?

Design was already a complicated profession as it need to combine customers wishes, economics and technology. Current environmental concerns, supply chain issues and inflation add another level of complexity and require us to think even harder to make a product that is truly a gamechanger.

What did you most enjoy about the IDA judging process?

I enjoy most when you come across a great idea and you say to myself “Damn, I should have thought about that! Well done!”

How much influence does your own personal taste influence your decisions in judging a design award?

In French they say “ Les goûts et les couleurs ne se discutent pas “, or in other words, everybody’s taste is different. I try to judge more on the validity of the underlying idea, rather than the aesthetical interpretation.

What advice would you give to future entrants?

A powerful idea can be summarized in 2-3 sentences. Make sure you your description focusses on what is unique about your product and keep it catchy and short. Same goes for the photos, avoid tons of text, maximum some keywords. Remember, as judge, we go through hundreds of entries, the time we can spend on each entry is limited.

What did you learn from this experience, and is there anything that you learned that you will take back to your respective business?
When I used to participate to design competitions, I used to be very frustrated why judges “failed to understand” my entry. I learned through failure and as being a judge how important concise yet engaging communication is. I practice that now with every presentation I do.