nature – The Creative Corner

First ever Dezeen Awards receive 3,500 entries from across the globe

There were more than 3,500 architect, interior and design projects submitted for the first ever Dezeen Awards.

The international Dezeen Awards will identify the world’s best talent, showcasing the most unique pieces.

A total of 207 interior design projects have now been selected for the long list including a revamp of a house built by Frank Gehry, a loft apartment in a former tank station and the offices of IKEA’s creative team.

The Anima collection, by Kosuke Araki

The shortlist will be announced in August and it will be judged by a panel of leading industry figures, including Terence Conran, Je Ahn of Studio Weave, DH Liberty founder Dara Huang and India Mahdavi.

In the design projects category, a total of 171 entries were submitted including an array of quirky pieces such as a table cloth made from flexible concrete cloth and a garment that could allows humans to breathe underwater.

The category features industry-leading names such as Nendo, Barber and Osgerby, Marc Newson and Patricia Urquiola.

It also includes leading brands like Google and IKEA, plus rising talents such as Normal Studio, Tom Fereday and Envisions.

Other highlights from the list include a wax chair pockmarked by melting balls of resin, clothes that grow as a child does, a UV sensor that tracks sun exposure and a reusable tampon applicator.

Clothes that grow with your child, by Petit Pli

Dezeen says the winners of each category will also compete to be named design project of the year – one of nine Ultimate Design Awards, a top tier of accolades that will honour the most outstanding design talent of the year.

The architecture long lists have also been announced and include Swiss firm Christ & Gantenbein, UK studio Jamie Fobert Architects and Mexican office Rojkind Arquitectos, while contenders for emerging architect of the year include US studio The Living and South American office MAPA.

Joto, by Those

For the full list of each category visit the Dezeen website.

Copyright: All images Dezeen

Graduate designer invents egg themed cafe

James Rich, a recent graduate of University of Gloucestershire’s course in BA Graphic Design, has made an independent cafe working solely in egg dishes. Shell Shock is an innovative and unique brand that correlates with its target audience of young adults through informal language, bold aesthetics and positivity.

James’ main interests revolve around brand communications, promotional material and copy writing, however he often works with packaging designs and corporate identities. James‘ current objective is to pursue a career in the design industry with the knowledge and skillset he has developed throughout education.

Context: Trendy cafes with quirky themes are becoming increasingly frequent in towns and cities around the world. From breakfast cereals, to board games, themed cafes are constantly opening to fill gaps in the market and appeal to a wide range of audiences.

Brief: I set myself the brief of creating my own independent, themed cafe that appeals to young adults in urban areas. Rather than blend in with the themed cafe category, I wanted to create a personality that sets my brand apart from the competitive landscape.

Shell Shock: The Shell Shock style is inspired by video games and cartoons, a modern design style that has been adapted to suit a different medium. A collaboration with MyProtein combines the main benefits of eggs (protein) with a brand loved by gym-goers. This expands our audience into new areas, whilst giving a visual representation of how a Shell Shock product could look in a supermarket. The eggnog flavour protein powder and protein bars are a clever way of tying these two brands together. Shell Shock has endless potential to grow – features such as: menus, toilet signs and interior features of the cafe are all in the works as I continue to expand this project and continue my enjoyment of working on it.

See more of James work over at his Instagram – Jamesrichdesigner

Illustrator Laura Parker on using her Illustration practice as a platform for social issues

London based Illustrator Laura Parker’s colourful portfolio is filled with drawings, installations and paintings of insects, birds, abstract sculptural creations; whether it’s sewn-like human bodies hanging from the ceiling or ceramic sculptures of human bodies with a bird’s head. It’s fair to say Laura’s work is instantly recognisable, due to its unique and personal approach.

Born in rural Norfolk, Laura uses her Illustration practice as a platform for social issues and campaigns she feels passionate about. An example of this is one of her most recent projects ‘Grow Wild – As free as a bee’. Grow Wild was created and motivated by our need as a society to help our Bumblebees in the UK since being listed as an endangered species.

The importance of bumblebees is often overlooked, as their population has plummeted nearly 90 percent. The threats facing the population of bees are argued to be a result of: loss of habitat, diseases and parasites, pesticides, and climate change. This is a big deal not only for bees but for people, too—after all, bees pollinate a lot of our food. “Bumblebees are among the most important pollinators of crops such as blueberries, cranberries, and clover, and almost the only insect pollinators of tomatoes,” according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Laura was funded to create a body of work as part of the Grow Wild Get Creative Takeover at Summer hall in Edinburgh. She aims to use her talents and unique illustration style to bring awareness to this significant issue and encourage people to take action. “For this exhibition I didn’t just want to highlight the issue, but also help towards a solution, so as well as this installation people were also encouraged to take home a pack of wildflower seeds, to grow.”

Laura incorporates a wide variety of media within her work and enjoys the challenge of combining illustration with textile processes. This enthusiasm to combine different materials and mediums ensures each project she works on is unique to the other, whilst keeping her distinguished style. Laura’s unconventional drawings and unorthodox compositions expand the viewer’s creative muscles. Her drawings prompt us to acknowledge the issues she highlights. Her work challenges conventions and offers new forms of visual expressions that have not seen before.

You can see more of her projects here – https://www.lauraparkerillustration.com/