What are the best takeaways from the Launch Pad competition’s live judging round? We find out from last year’s winner of Launch Pad Asia.
March 7th, 2018
If you’re familiar with our Launch Pad competition for emerging product designers, you’d know that there are some changes to this year’s program. The winner’s manufacturing grant – that’s AU$10,000 to help take your prototype to production! – is one of those changes. And some restructuring, with the winners from the Asia and Australia/New Zealand rounds vying for the titles of regional ‘Ultimate Winner’ and ‘Runner Up’, is another.
Last year, we celebrated two very worthy Launch Pad winners. In the Asia competition, the judges were deeply impressed by the sophisticated Never Mind Tableware Series by Singapore-based Indonesian undergraduate designer Jonathan Saphiro Salim. Take a look at the refinement of the ceramic products in this story’s images, and equally, the beautifully cultivated communicative tone of those images, and you’ll see why. It’s great to hear that Jonathan is in the process of expanding the series now.
We caught up with him to ask why Launch Pad was a valuable experience for him.
What was your situation when you won Launch Pad Asia?
When I won Launch Pad Asia I had just finished my undergraduate thesis project.
What’s been happening for you since then? What are you doing now, career wise?
I am currently working as a Junior Industrial Designer at STUCK Design in Singapore.
What was your most valuable take-away from Launch Pad Asia? Why do you think young designers should enter the Launch Pad competition?
I got to meet the judges and the other participants face-to-face during the judging round which many other competitions don’t provide. It was a valuable experience to be able to see the way other designers think and inspire each other. I think it is important for young designers to gain insight about what’s actually happening in the design industry and Launch Pad Asia gave me the opportunity to get constructive comments and critique directly from the judges.
In your opinion, what are the most important things young designers should keep in mind today?
I believe the world of design is shifting together with the way people live today as it is so largely influenced by the development of technology. Young designers should have an open mind in order to adapt to the change and improvise, and keep looking for opportunities to create good design – design that actually improves people’s quality of life; design that is helpful and selfless.
Thank you to the amazing partners who make Launch Pad possible: Principal Partner Schiavello, Founding Partner Living Edge, and Strategic Partner Workshopped. Launch Pad is presented by Indesign Media Asia Pacific as part of the INDE.Awards.
Profile photography of Jonathan Saphiro Salim by Margareth Puteri.
A searchable and comprehensive guide for specifying leading products and their suppliers
Keep up to date with the latest and greatest from our industry BFF's!
Marylou Cafaro’s first trendjournal sparked a powerful, decades-long movement in joinery designs and finishes which eventually saw Australian design develop its independence and characteristic style. Now, polytec offers all-new insights into the future of Australian design.
Create a configuration to suit your needs with this curved collection.
Savage Design’s approach to understanding the relationship between design concepts and user experience, particularly with metalwork, transcends traditional boundaries, blending timeless craftsmanship with digital innovation to create enduring elegance in objects, furnishings, and door furniture.
Sub-Zero and Wolf’s prestigious Kitchen Design Contest (KDC) has celebrated the very best in kitchen innovation and aesthetics for three decades now. Recognising premier kitchen design professionals from around the globe, the KDC facilitates innovation, style and functionality that pushes boundaries.
A third in the series of boutique hotels under the Lloyd’s Inn brand, Lloyd’s Inn Kuala Lumpur bring the immediacy of nature to the new high-rise hospitality experience in the heart of a bustling city. “Lloyd’s Inn Kuala Lumpur is unique from the other properties in that it is a high-rise development, with more than […]
In Malaysia Spacemen has created a world of perfumed wonder with their latest project, Trove, where treasures abound.
The internet never sleeps! Here's the stuff you might have missed
Art, design, architecture and hospitality all combine perfectly at The Ritz-Carlton, Melbourne by BAR Studio and Cottee Parker.
We spoke with Jeffrey Wilkes of WILKESDESIGN about the John Portman-designed building, which has been infused with touches of local culture and colour.