The 10th edition of the International Design Award organised by Hettich and Rehau invites participants to take furniture design to the next level.

Open to school pupils and students of product design, architecture, interior design and art as well as wood technology and processing, the International Design Award competition will receive entries up to 1st March 2015.

Hettich and Rehau have also announced the specialist jury that will assess the design submissions. The prestigious judging panel consists of award-winning designers Gordon Bruce, Max Lamb and Luisa Robinson who will provide a diverse, informed and independent assessment of the entries.

Jury member Gordon Bruce

American designer Gordon Bruce studied at the Art Centre College of Design in California and began his career at Eliot Noyes Architecture & Industrial Design with customers such as IBM, Cummins, Westinghouse and Mobil. Over his 40-year career, he has worked for well-known companies such as Polaroid, Siemens, Samsung, Porsche Design and GE, creating products for the broadest range of sectors from computers through furniture to aircraft. Bruce published a book about Noyes design principles in 2007.

He also serves as a guest professor at various universities in the USA, China and Taiwan. Bruce has won several design awards and a number of his designs can be seen in museums such as the Museum of Modern Art in New York, Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.

Explaining his motivation to be a jury member for the International Design Award, Gordon Bruce said that being an adjudicator is like ‘having a bigger window on the design world that stretches in multiple directions’.

Jury member Max Lamb

A former winner of the International Design Award, Briton Max Lamb is a member of the jury for this year’s event. Briton Max Lamb won the design award in 2003, when he was in the last year of his bachelor’s degree in 3D design at Northumbria University in Newcastle. Speaking about his visit to Hettich as part of the award presentation, he said that it was a good opportunity to gain a deep insight into the real world of industrial design. After taking his master’s degree at the prestigious Royal College of Art in London, where he continues as a lecturer, the product designer established his own studio in London, working for companies such as Discipline, 1882 Ltd, Lobmeyr, E&Y in Japan and Habitat.

Jury member Luisa Robinson

Luisa Robinson comes from Manila, Philippines, where she studied Interior and Industrial Design. After working for several companies and brands, she recently launched her own range of home accessories under the name Luisa. Robinson’s designs have won many awards for product design and material innovation.

Luisa Robinson believes design competitions are important for students because they offer a platform for them to apply the skills they have learnt in a practical way, showcase the best ideas and also improve on them. A competition also offers great opportunities for networking with other designers or with companies such as Hettich and Rehau. She advises students taking part in this year’s International Design Award to be open, research, and improve their work as a designer.

Robinson has been designing furniture for over 20 years, which is exported all over the world. As a member of the jury, she wants to share her experience with participating students.