Round two of the Danish Design Award took place on Wednesday night in Svane Shipping’s warehouse in Kolding Harbor, where the winners of four new award categories and two special awards were announced.

These included the game-changing Open Embassy, the aesthetic-functional walking frame Scandinavian Indoor, the expansive car-sharing concept GoMore and the partnership-building VenligBolig, which promotes the integration of refugee families. Awards were also given for human-centered design in the ‘Young Talent’ category and to the audience favorite RAM’N in the ‘People’s Choice’ category.

It is a great pleasure to present the winners of the Danish Design Award 2017 in collaboration with this year’s partner municipality, Kolding, and D2i. The award-winners are examples of the high degree of innovation and value present in the solutions created by designers and companies throughout the country. The winning solutions have a unique user focus born from Denmark’s strong design DNA, as well as a social and environmental awareness that reflects our welfare society. “The young talents have also come up with empathetic design solutions that generate value”, says Henrik Weiglin, CEO of Denmark’s largest, independent design interest and industry organization, Design denmark (Dd).

The categories of the Danish Design Awards reflect the full range of designs that are making a difference to individuals, companies and society. The awards also demonstrate that design is the tool that makes companies competitive and enables them to develop new and superior solutions driven by empathy with users and clients. We consider it a shared task between public and private parties to promote the innovation that design generates throughout the country. “The broad cooperation we are witnessing tonight is so important – and such a pleasure to see”, says Christian Bason, CEO of the Danish Design Center.

The selection of finalists and award-winners reflects the broad scope of Danish design. It also serves as an excellent illustration that Danish businesses and industry and the public sector have embraced design as a tool, not only for creating attractive solutions but also for managing complex challenges on the users’ terms. “As co-host of this year’s award show in Kolding, we are delighted to see the close collaboration of the Danish design field that makes it possible to celebrate and stage big events like the Danish Design Award across the country”, says Thit Juul Madsen, CEO of D2i…

…In the Improved Welfare category, the winner is Scandinavian Indoor, a walking rollators adapted for both indoor and outdoor use. For many people, the use of a walking rollator is associated with a loss of personal dignity, and identity and the intimate domestic sphere is also impacted when welfare aids are installed in the home. Scandinavian Indoor tackles this challenge with its functional design and harmonious expression, which puts the person center stage and blends seamlessly into the home without introducing an institutional feel…

Source: DanishDesignAward – Danish Design Awards celebrate talent and welfare design at award show in Kolding – 31 May 2017