International Young Design Entrepreneur 2007

Past IYDEY Winners

IYDEY 2006 Winner - Paula Dib

Founder/Partner- trans.forma design

Paula Dib is a Designer and Consultant, and develops the research, creation and production of products together with handcrafting communities in different areas throughout the Brazilian Territory.

Ceramics, modeling, textiles and weaving, and other techniques, often inherited by the craftsmen from parent to child for generations, become renewed and refreshed with the interference of the Designer, without losing, though, its intrinsic cultural and regional characteristics.

By suggesting the introduction of new colors, forms, uses and prime-materials, Paula tries to discover and bring forth the best of each craftsman’s knowledge and heart, while stimulating the people’s self-esteem and the value they give to their culture.

The objective is to enhance the product’s quality, creatively transforming it into a marketable product that can improve the income and the quality of life of the group.

Paula Dib has always been focused on developing projects involving design, society, and nature. She has held exhibitions, oriented impoverished communities in the metropolitan area of Sao Paulo – Brazil, acted as a designer consultant on traditional handcrafts for the SEBRAE (Brazilian federal organization for business development), and worked on several projects for economical development of handcraft communities throughout Brazil.

Winner's Update

When I won the IYDEY Award I could not imagine the impact it would have on my life. IYDEY has opened so many opportunities, not only in personal but also in professional terms - many paths have opened up into the spectral, interactive and creative aspects of a designer's field of action.

The prize drew the attention of several international magazines and universities. I had the opportunity to show my work in renowned design magazines from China, Italy, Norway, Argentina, and of course Brazil. The professional credibility gained helped me get invited by the Royal College of Art to speak at the Include conference, where I participated alongside Jane Fulton Suri. The prize also took me to Umea University, near the North Pole, where I contributed in the 'They didn't take no for an answer' seminar . In Brazil, I also participated in seminars and debates discussing issues on the delicate balance between tradition, modernity, culture, conduct, art, politics, nature, and social issues. Furthermore, the media attention received helped me develop new contacts for future projects in Brazil, engaging the developing communities with whom I work into these.

With the prize money, I am developing 'Designing across boundaries' with Dr. Yanki Lee, Research Fellow of the Royal College of Art-Helen Hamlyn Centre. The projected workshop will take place in London, where design students from Brazil (FAAP University) and from the RCA will interact with school kids from different cultural backgrounds to design a productthat can improve understanding between different cultures. The whole process will be documented and showcased at the 100%Design 2007 forum and at the 2nd (Un)common Ground meeting at Amsterdam.

Thanks to IYDEY this year has been, without any doubt, the most intense, challenging, and rewarding period of my professional life.

IYDEY 2005 Winner - Lanre Lawal

CEO, Design Jockey Sessions, Nigeria
www.thedesignjockeysessions.com

Lanre Lawal is a BSc Mathematics graduate (2001) based in Lagos, Nigeria.

In 2001 he started a graphics/animation company, HomeMadeCookies (HMC) as a co-partner. For the next four years he was projects director at HMC, detailing production in the following fields: 3D Modelling / Animation, Multimedia, Web design, 3D Architectural Visualizations, Video Compositing, Branding & Graphic Design. He helped build the company from scratch into one of the most comprehensive media houses in Nigeria today.

In 2005, feeling the need to explore more experimental forms of communication, he founded his latest venture, an innovative graphic design and multimedia company called The Design Jockey Sessions.

In September 2005 he was announced the winner of the British Council’s inaugural International Young Design Entrepreneur of the Year (IYDEY) award. A number of exciting projects have resulted from IYDEY – he has won major contracts with important public and private sector clients in Nigeria, he was selected to represent Nigeria at the Design Indaba Exhibition in South Africa, and he has begun to explore product design – his new range of interior products were exhibited at the British Council stand at 100% Design 2006.

Winner's Update

Since winning the inaugural IYDEY award in September 2005, the last year has been a whirlwind of activity and ‘hyper-do’. There was a lot of press coverage when I won and people recognise me in the street now… the resulting level of respect and expectation is equally alarming and rewarding! The highpoint of the year was my visit to the Design Indaba Exhibition in South Africa, where I was chosen, along with three other Nigerian designers, to showcase the entrepreneurship, innovation, and potential in our national creative industries scene.

Many priceless new commercial projects have emerged as a result of IYDEY. My business has expanded and I’ve done work for a number of high profile clients including visual branding for The Office of The Lagos State Government; motion graphics for the logo of GLO mobile, Africa’s largest telecom network; and visual identity for the Lagos Film Office.

It is also important to me to use my IYDEY title to promote design more widely in Nigeria. With my prize money I am working with the British Council to develop a TV programme which raises local awareness about the importance of good design and encourages others about the opportunities of making a living as a designer.

Finally, the award has allowed me to pursue new directions in design. Since meeting Tom Dixon in three places around the world (UK, Nigeria and South Africa) I have been inspired to explore tactility and to apply the Design Jockey ethos to product design. As an exciting result of this, a new range of interior products that I have designed were exhibited at the British Council stand at 100% Design 2006.