Chicago Industrial Design Student Reaches Top 100 in Electrolux Design Lab competition
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Leading global design competition presents top 100+ submissions
Charlotte, N.C., April 4, 2013 – Today, Jillian Tackaberry, a Chicago industrial design student was chosen from 1,700 submissions to be presented among the 100 best ideas in Electrolux Design Lab 2013. The concepts represent the Inspired Urban Living theme and focus on social cooking, natural air and effortless cleaning. Some of the trends to be seen in this year’s competition are the rise of 3D printing technology, wearable appliance accessories and smart technology in social cooking.
More than 100 ideas from 29 countries around the world can be seen on the Electrolux Design Lab website where the public can also vote for their favorite concepts. Best concepts chosen by Electrolux professionals and the public make it to the next stage of the competition and compete over the main prize of 5 000 Euros and a six-month paid internship at an Electrolux global design center.
Though 26 American design students submitted competition ideas, 21-year old Jillian Tackaberry, who is pursuing a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Illinois at Chicago, made it to the top 100 with her Air Drop concept, a hanging plant design that removes indoor air pollution and reflects the trend of smaller and more efficient living spaces. The idea features a hanging plant container that absorbs gasses and removes particles from the air through the use of two filtration methods. Tackaberry is excited to be a part of the globally recognized competition and wanted to choose a relevant topic as the basis for her design:
“I am honored to receive this global recognition,” says Tackaberry. “I live in a small apartment and understand space constraints. This design incorporates a trend that consumers are facing every day, and provides a solution to eliminating air pollution without compromising space.”
“This competition truly brings out the best in a designer, as it outlines a specific design theme, but still leaves plenty of room for your creativity and passion to shine through,” she said.
New technologies and inspiring design solutions
Electrolux professionals from Design, R&D and Innovation chose the best concepts from all of the submissions. Design Director Thomas Johansson comments on the submissions:
“The concepts we chose from 1,700 submissions to be further developed are relevant, inspiring and convincing, with clever ideas how to make cooking, cleaning and air cleaning more inspiring in the future. Some of the trends we can see in this year’s competition are different ways to use 3D printing technology, wearable appliance accessories, new approaches to integrated appliance solutions, concepts that reflect our memories and highlight our senses as well as smart technology in social cooking solutions. This is an exciting year also because the concepts go beyond products; we received many interesting design solutions which also have services and consumables.”
This year the competition will be conducted in five stages, allowing the applicants to concentrate on different areas throughout the process. The best concepts will now be developed further after which they will be evaluated by Electrolux professionals. Each concept can be voted by the public and the ones that receive the most votes receive direct access to the next round. The next submission deadline is Wednesday, May 1, at which point the field narrows to the top 50 concepts.
Global recognition, prizes and an internship to be won
Once the talented finalists have been selected, the student whose concept receives the most public votes will be named the winner of the People’s Choice Award and will receive a prize of 1,000 Euros. First prize will be awarded to the student that the judging panel highlights as creating a ground-breaking design solution of the future. This student will receive 5,000 Euros and a six-month paid internship at an Electrolux global design centre; second prize is 3,000 Euros; and third prize is 2,000 Euros.
The top 100+ entries can be seen at electrolux.com/electroluxdesignlab.
For media enquiries, please contact: designlab@electrolux.se
Notes to Editors:
The link to Tackaberry’s entry:
http://electroluxdesignlab.com/en/?post_type=submission&p=2339
Five submission stages:
1 Stage: Submit a Concept Idea and a Sketch, March 1
2 Stage: (CURRENT STAGE) Concept Development, deadline May 1
3 Stage: Visual Development, May
4 Stage: Functionality Development, June and July
5 Stage: Design Lab Final Event, October
Learn more about Design Lab in Electrolux social media channels:
Design Lab website for information and submissions:
electrolux.com/electroluxdesignlab
YouTube: youtube.com/user/electrolux
Facebook: facebook.com/Electrolux
Twitter: twitter.com/Electrolux
Flickr: flickr.com/photos/electrolux-design-lab
Pinterest: pinterest.com/electrolux
About Electrolux
Electrolux is a global leader in household appliances and appliances for professional use, selling more than 40 million products to customers in more than 150 markets every year. The company focuses on innovative solutions that are thoughtfully designed, based on extensive consumer insight, to meet the real needs of consumers and professionals. Electrolux products include refrigerators, dishwashers, washing machines, cookers, air-conditioners and small appliances such as vacuum cleaners sold under esteemed brands like Electrolux, AEG, Eureka and Frigidaire. In 2012 Electrolux had sales of $16.3 billion and 58,000 employees. The Electrolux North American headquarters are located at 10200 David Taylor Drive, Charlotte, NC 28262 in University Research Park, where they have been based for two years. For more information go to www.electrolux.com/press and www.electrolux.com/news/
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