Founded in 2013, the Lexus Design Award continues to seek out and acknowledge innovative and ambitious work by some of the world’s most promising young designers. 2019’s goal is no different yet the program is like nothing we’ve seen before—this year’s participants were encouraged to follow the guiding principles behind the Lexus brand: to anticipate, innovative, captivate and produce for the future.
The designs highlighted by the award employ the newest technologies and ingenuity to devise solutions to problems plaguing the 21st century. The impressive group of Lexus Design Award finalists (Lisa Marks, Rezzan Hasoglu, Jeffrey E. Dela Cruz, Dmitriy Balashov, Shuzhan Yuan and Ben Berwick) come from all over the world and, together, represent an optimistic look at future uses of method, materials and craftsmanship. Their projects are incredibly diverse. Some incorporate sustainable and biodegradable materials or harness by-products, while others employ renewable energy. Some address health and wellness issues, others make our homes more habitable and some focus their attention on environmental disasters.
All of this year’s semi-finalist award winners receive mentorship from some of the industry’s top figures—including Jessica Rosenkrantz, Shohei Shigematsu, Jaime Hayon and Sebastian Wrong—who will assist in developing the projects from idea to working prototype. Additionally, semi-finalists receive the opportunity to present at the Lexus Design Award Event during Milan Design Week. At the event (taking place on 8 April) the Grand-Prix winner will be selected by the program’s four judges: Sir David Adjaye OBE, Paola Antonelli, John Maeda and Yoshihiro Sawa.
We can’t wait to see in-person what’s on display in Milan, and will—of course—report back on the highlights and winners.
Images courtesy of Lexus