Sledge, buckle, blanket, feeder, splint, hanger, kit, table. FA's achievements in the National Student Design Awards
19/12/2023
The aim of the competition is to connect design schools and students with industry, manufacturing, production and business companies, studios and studios in the Czech Republic and abroad. This year's competition attracted 203 designers with 226 entries from 18 universities and 15 higher and secondary vocational schools. Their works were evaluated by three independent juries composed of teachers, curators, professional designers and designers from the Czech Republic and abroad. Special prizes are awarded by educational institutions, professional associations or museums.
Vojtěch Veverka's sledge won the Excellent Student Design Award, the Ergonomics Award of the Czech Ergonomics Society, the NTM Director's Award and the Design Institute Award of the FA CTU. He designed the multifunctional product for sports and load transport in the mountains as his diploma project under the supervision of Jan Jaroš. "In the course of designing the product, I added the frame backpack function, which is created after attaching the pulling waist strap and shoulder straps to the sled frame," adds the designer.
Martina Wimmerová won awards for two works. The belt buckle čOčka, which she worked on in the Streit studio, placed in the category of Excellent Student Design. The buckle is an elegant minimalist accessory. Its design was inspired by the Brazilian parliament building Palácio do Congresso Nacional. The design of the Safety Blanket, which helps people suffering from panic disorder and self-harm, won the Design Department Award at the FA CTU. By weighing down the body, the blanket reduces the level of anxiety. It helps the user during the attack itself and after the crisis situation has passed – the user can keep the blanket on and, for example, fall asleep in its "embrace".
The Berry bird feeder by Markéta Vápeníková, which she worked on under the guidance of Filip Streit, won the Excellence in Student Design award. Its spherical shape gives the feeder a large hopper volume, the food is protected against moisture and gradually discharges into the feeding area with limited movement of the birds, preventing the spread of viruses, bacteria and mold. Berry was designed for the Czech company Plastia.
Markéta Ptáčková designed a vacuum splint for dogs in the Šulc studio and won the Good Student Design award for it. The product is used when transporting animals for treatment. By reinforcing the broken limb, it relieves pain and prevents further deterioration of the condition during the journey. Due to its shape, the splint can be placed on either the front or back legs of the animal. The product was developed in cooperation with Ego Zlín.
In the Good Student Design category, there was also a laced hanger by Klára Vinklárková from the Jaroš studio. The design uses material from TON – pieces of bent wood that have a defect and would otherwise be destined for disposal. The leather-bound hanger is intended as a complement to traditional hangers, hence the loop.
The third work, winning an award for Good Student Design, is the project Empty Na Perštýně by Petra Deáková from the Tesař–Barla studio. The empty house in the historical centre of Prague is filled with memories of loved ones. The designed steel structure is used to store urns in the shape of bricks. In this way, an empty house for the deceased is gradually being built. The building makes itself known with its mass and tries to stand out and draw attention to itself amongst the tall surrounding buildings.
Tereza Horičková designed the educational kit Kocki as her bachelor project under the supervision of Jan Jaroš. She won the Ergonomics Prize of the Czech Ergonomics Society and the Prize of the Czech Art Foundation. The educational wooden building kit for children contains coloured pegs which, in addition to connecting, allow graphic completion of the buildings and thus bring simple geometric shapes to life. "In this way, children become cubist architects who discover the limits of their imagination, but with the help of adults they can also learn basic mathematics, colours or how to tie a bow," explains the designer.
The award for ecology went to Karolína Petřeková from the Fišer studio for the design of the festival table. The product serves as an aid for outdoor festivals and picnics, making it easier to carry drinks and consume them while sitting in the grass. It is made from a mix of plastic waste, mostly plastic advertising film, which ends up unused in landfills in the order of tons every year. It consists of easily assembled legs and a removable tray that holds up to eight drinks. Its colourful design reflects the atmosphere of festivals.