The international competition Best in Design, part of the Zlin Design Week festival organized under the patronage of Eva Pavlova, the First Lady of the Czech Republic, revealed this year’s winners on Saturday, May 11, at the Tomáš Baťa Memorial in Zlín. This year, 608 talented designers from all over the world entered the competition, and the jury had the honor of selecting the best works from four categories and three special awards. The overall winner was Marek Kuźmiński, who dominated the Product & Industrial, Media Award, and Martina Dlabajová Special Award categories. His winning project, “HandsUp – a prosthesis with superpowers,” is designed specifically for children with inborn defects or without upper limbs. That is one of the reasons why he won the Best in Design 2024 title.
This year’s Best in Design competition was marked by a diversity of nationalities, ideas, and approaches, with projects dominated by the themes of social design, inclusion, and artificial intelligence. Winners in each category were announced on Saturday evening in the impressive setting of Zlín’s landmark, the Tomáš Bat’a Memorial. The results were announced by Tomáš Kozelský, founder of the KOGAA architectural studio. The ceremony was enriched by a dance performance by the All Style Unit group, which added an exceptional atmosphere and elegance to the whole ceremony. “I am honored that the Tomáš Bat’a Memorial, which is a significant design work in its own regard, hosted the winners of the international Best in Design competition. This connection gives the whole event a special symbolism and dignity,” comments Martina Hladíková, Deputy Mayor of Zlín, on giving the city space to the Zlin Design Week festival.
Best in Design 2024 winners
Product & Industrial Design category
Jury: Zuzanna Wójcik, Hanna Litwin & Romin Heide (Büro Famos)
The first place in this category went to the already mentioned Polish Marek Kuźmiński, who lives and studies in Denmark, with his work HandsUp – Prosthesis with superpowers. Marek Kuźmiński’s project “HandsUp” combines social, inclusive, and universal design with play and bioengineering. In collaboration with AutoMedPrint from the Poznań University of Technology, 3D printing of PLA material has created prostheses with “superpowers” for children with disabilities. The aim is to boost the self-confidence of school-age children and involve them in designing their prostheses. The project responds to the needs of schools and families of children with special needs. The children actively participated in the design process for six months, contributing to their own more accessible future.
The second place went to Czechs Nikola Chromečková & David Hotárek with Pop Up Patisserie and Velké sousto (Big Bite). Their work brings to life the interaction of pastry chefs with customers through their Pop-up Pastry Shop in the exterior, which reflects traditional Czech pastry motifs. Their “Roof,” “Target,” and “Line” desserts are designed for convenient sidewalk consumption and combine historical research with modern design, providing unique dining experiences and promoting community cohesion.
Third place went to Max Greiner from Germany. His work “About Slag” explores innovative uses of slag, a mineral by-product of metallurgical production often overlooked in traditional applications. Through processes such as glass casting and glass blowing, the project transforms slag into a versatile material for crafts and industry. Incorporating slag into the glass mass offers sustainable alternatives, reducing raw material consumption and energy costs. This research stimulates a dialogue about the transformation of raw materials and promotes a greener approach to production.
Fashion Design category
Jury: Branko Popovic, Marija Petraityte
First place in this category went to Rafał Zakrzewski from Poland (Denmark) with his work Reconnect with Cloth. His clothing collection explores the close connection between these aspects in garments whose surfaces stimulate the tactile senses and have a therapeutic effect. Clothing participates in everyday interactions, and its construction allows for a multi-layered interaction with our senses. Receptors react to surface changes; hence Rafal’s components are made with higher grammages and covered with applications. These, in turn, stimulate the sense of touch and offer massage and physical relaxation to the wearer. The production used techniques such as 3D printing, laser cutting, or additive FDM-coating of the material in a semi-liquid form.
Second place went to Aidan-Jayson Peters from South Africa with DUNUSA: A Life of a Garment. DUNUSA in Johannesburg is a street market with plentiful second-hand clothes, often unused, imported from Europe. Local designer Aidan-Jayson Peters has transformed these garments into avant-garde creations that reflect local culture while sparking discussion about over-consumption in the West and its impact on the environment in South Africa. Through his work, he critiques the unsustainability of the garment industry and its impact on informal economies.
The third place goes to Chinese (UK) designer Ziyao Xiao with her work Embracing Female Healing. The project is inspired by the stories of breast cancer survivors, including her mother, aunt, and grandmother. She uses their wardrobes full of floral patterns and lace and their favorite colors to create garments that symbolize their strength and resilience. This collection reflects the psychological struggles and new acceptance of life after illness, highlighting women’s ability to face life’s challenges.
Service Design category
Jury: Matěj Malecha, Janka Csernák
The winner of the Service Design category was Dorothea Wagnerberger from Germany. Her project, Gendermedol+, focuses on eliminating health risks caused by standardized medical diagnosis based on a male “standard.” This exhibition course uses interactive methods, such as case study cards and puzzles, to educate about the differences in treatment between the sexes and encourage visitors to seek diagnoses proactively.
The second place went to Carlos Bravo from Colombia with his work Multisensory Strategy for Navigation and Accessibility in the Silesian Museum. Carl Bravo’s innovative project improves orientation in the exterior of the Silesian Museum in Poland by targeting the tactile, auditory, and visual senses. It contains information in four languages: Polish, Braille, English, and Polish Sign Language, and includes a web app with voice descriptions.
The third place went to Michal Kyselica from Slovakia with his work Design of DAS. In his thesis, he redesigned the driver assistance application, which now offers better clarity and readability of information, and introduces new features to increase concentration during driving. The app meets the highest standards for 3D display, route and track overview, and alert systems. The development of the app involved extensive qualitative research and product testing.
Communication Design category
Jury: Adrián Gubrica, Eva Horská & Jakub Horský (UPUPÆPOP), Pavol Kyselica
The first place went to Barbora Kramná from the Czech Republic for her work “FEMME female issue.” She created a book that explores women’s issues using artificial intelligence. She used AI to ask questions about women’s bodies, beauty, reproduction, and prostitution and worked the answers into artwork available at beta.dreamstudio.ai. Comprising the complete AI works and cut-outs, the book reflects a contemporary view of women’s issues and problems, demonstrating that AI only reflects the knowledge we have provided.
The second place went to Lukáš Demovič from Slovakia with his work Motion Design in Motion / La Montagniere. His work focused on 3D modeling, texturing, animation, and sound design through the reimagining of the Alpine A110 in a short film. The project involved a complex creative process involving scene creation compositing and skills testing, resulting in a rally-themed video. By doing so, Lukas showed that nowadays, an individual with a laptop and the internet can achieve what would have required a whole team two decades ago.
The third winner is Radovan Vašák from Slovakia with his work ID & Type Design PPC Dolné Obdokovce. His project combines global visuals with a rural environment through design for an amateur table tennis tournament in Dolné Obdokovce. The project includes a smiling ball-shaped mascot and “Boing” typography inspired by East Asian fonts, with unique vowel typesetting and reduced accents for different layout types.
Title Best in Design 2024 & Media Award & Special Award of Martina Dlabajová
Publicity is essential for designers, leading to the introduction of the Media Award in 2022. Chief editors from leading design media select the awards. This year, the jury consisted of Lenka Šubrtová from Dolce Vita magazine, Eva Slunečková from Elle Decoration, and Veronika Pařízková, former editor-in-chief of CzechDesign magazine. In addition, this year, the Special Award of Martina Dlabajová, a Member of the European Parliament, and the traditional prize for the overall winner of the Best in Design 2024 competition were awarded. All three special categories were dominated for the first time this year by Marek Kuźmiński with his project “HandsUp – Prosthesis with superpowers,” which he presented in the Product & Industrial Design category.
The Zlin Design Week festival is organized by the Faculty of Multimedia Communications of Tomas Bata University in Zlín. For more information on the specific program parts of the Zlin Design Week festival, please visit the website www.zlindesignweek.com.
