Uday Uday, the most straightforward and simplest reason why your entry wasn’t chosen, and the other one was, is because you’re not based in London ( my wild speculations, based on the history - Not official statement ). Already written numerous times, the designer who wins—whether it’s for hardware design or marketing—will be working with the team based in London for multiple weeks and months to develop the final piece through several iterations.
When I saw the final winning entry, I didn’t really understand it. I had previously seen a video before the contest where the design team talked about presentation, and they emphasized that each designer or team should also include something about themselves and their creative process. The winning entry lacked a lot in that regard. I’m not saying the idea is bad, but…
The winner is an IF Award-winning, London-based designer. Last year, Astrid and Kenta won with a translucent design based on the ECO concept—using ECO materials that supposedly charge from sunlight. The final product came with a UV flashlight to charge it, and the glow lasted only a few minutes—not even through the night. The original pitch was that your phone would charge from sunlight or daylight and glow all night, which sounded like something out of Star Trek. But the reality was that they had to include another piece of hardware (the flashlight) just so users could actually see the phone glow. Let’s be honest—phones sit in pockets. They’re not solar panels, so they’re not going to charge like that.
This year, to me, it feels like we’re back in the early 2000s trying to recreate the transparent iMac.
On a positive note, I really like Astrid and Kenta’s design in terms of colors. When I look at the final product, it gives me a calm, zen-like feeling. The earthy tones and that subtle green tint are absolutely lovely. The product looks great from a design perspective. But come on—the whole pitch was the ECO concept, charging from sunlight—and the final product includes a UV flashlight? Don’t forget to shine it on your phone for a few seconds… and don’t forget to buy batteries for the flashlight itself :-)
Am I the only one who doesn’t get it? Am I really missing something here?
I know we need to stay positive—because let’s be honest, negativity kills everything. I seriously know that from personal experience. But I also don’t like feeling like I have to keep thoughts bottled up, especially when it feels like we’re just sugar-coating things.
Example, check my post of the last year winner, what I write about that translucent material, and that its not gonna work that way as it is mentioned, when winner was picked before final product.
