WHITE PLAINS, NY, January 27, 2015…A panel of distinguished industry professionals will judge the 2015 edition of designext®, an annual international design competition honoring art and design students for exceptional surface design work. The competition is hosted by SURTEX®, North America’s premier exposition and conference for the selling and licensing of original art and design, slated to run May 17-19, 2015, at New York City’s Jacob K. Javits Convention Center.
Judges for the 2015 edition of designext are independent designers and design firm representatives, as well as design directors for leading consumer product manufacturers. The panel includes: Nancy Fire, founder and creative director of Design Works International; Ronnie Gold,vice president of design, Home Accent Fabrics; David Laubach, design director for Avanti Press Inc.; Bryan Parker; vice president of design at CHF Industries; and Diane Piemonte, vice president of creative services for Revman International.
“Our judges represent the very best minds from the industry and we are honored to have them critique the projects submitted by up-and-coming designers,” said Liz Crawford, Vice President and Group Show Director. “designext is a great vehicle to showcase new talent and we thank these experienced members of our industry for their help in identifying tomorrow’s top talents.”
Themed “The New Urban Grunge,” the 2015 competition challenges students to create six original surface designs, and imagine their application to a product collection. Students may choose one of four categories for their collections: WEAR (apparel, personal accessories), WORK (office furniture and upholstery, wall coverings, desk accessories etc.), LIVE (sheets, comforters, tablecloths, dinnerware) and PLAY (gift bags, wrapping paper, journals etc.).
Designs will be judged based on factors including originality and marketplace viability. Four winners will be selected and asked to repurpose their entries for onsite display. Following a review of the students’ on-site display, portfolios, overall presentations and the ability to maximize their participation at SURTEX, Show Management and judges will designate one of the four as a Grand Prize recipient. This honor includes $1,000, special mention on the SURTEX website for one year and recommendation letters to prospective employees.
SURTEX is the annual tradeshow for the surface design industry, bringing together owners and creators of surface design (artists/designers/studios/agents/brands/licensors) with manufacturers, retailers and marketers utilizing surface design for product development needs. Since 1986, SURTEX has been the single event and global resource offering the full scope of art selling and licensing under one roof. The 2015 edition, slated for May 17-19, will connect some 325 exhibitors featuring the work of over 1,200 artists and designers from around the world, with over 6,000 attendees. For information and registration, visit www.surtex.com.
