The Ralph Saltzman Prize by Design Museum celebrates emergent product designers

Design Museum in London has recently launched a brand new design award, The Ralph Saltzman Prize, which will honour and celebrate up and coming product designers.

In line with their mission of nurturing new talents and design practices, the Design Museum wants the award to serve as another one of its initiatives that will help in the development of a vibrant design sector. The winner, set to be announced in February 2022, will receive a £5,000 bursary and an opportunity to exhibit their work at the Design Museum in London.

The Ralph Saltzman Prize, created by Lisa Saltzman in collaboration with The Design Museum, is being supported by the family of Ralph Saltzman who was the founder of Designtex, a leading design and manufacturing company that has produced some of the most innovative products.

In awarding an emerging product designer, the award will also pay a tribute to Ralph Saltzman’s innovative approach to contemporary design practices.

“I created this prize as a legacy to my father [Ralph Saltzman]. He was an innovator and a pioneer who had a keen eye, great taste and he thought outside the box. He commissioned architects, such as Richard Meier, to design textiles for him even though they had never done this prior. My father brought to America things that had never been seen before and he was one of the first people to bring sustainability into practice.” says Lisa Saltzman.

The shortlisted designers will present their work in front of an eminent jury that will include Sumitra Upham, Head of Public Programmes, Craft Council; Susan Lyons, President of Designtex; Professor Jane Pavitt, Head of Impact, Kingston University; Professor Daniel Charny, Professor of Design, Kingston School of Art; Lisa Saltzman, Representative of the Saltzman Family Foundation and Justin McGuirk, Chief Curator, Design Museum.

The shortlisted designers for the award are:

1. Marion Pinaffo and Raphaël Pluvinage, nominated by Doshi Levien

Doshi Levien is a London-based studio founded by designers Nipa Doshi and Jonathan Levien. The international studio is known for integrating culture, technology, industrial design and fine craftsmanship into all their work.

Pinaffo and Pluvinage graduated from ENSCI - Les Ateliers in 2015, and have been working together ever since. They conceptualise and create objects, systems and simple procedures for visualising complex, concealed realities.

2. Sky Lucy Young, nominated by Michael Anastassiades

Michael Anastassiades is a Royal Designer for Industry at the Royal Society of Arts. His practice dapples in both industrial production and artisan techniques. He has also collaborated with major international manufacturers like Flos, B&B Italia, Herman Miller, Cassina, Molteni and Bang & Olufsen.

Sky Lucy Young is an RCA graduate whose work as a textile designer combines visual and theoretical research and concepts through the exploration of colour, materials and purpose. Currently, she works as a Textile Workshop Manager and Teaching Assistant Professor at the Design School of Kolding.

3. Mac Collins, nominated by Industrial Facility

Industrial facility is a London-based studio, co-founded by designers Sam Hecht and Kim Colin. Considered one of the most progressive studios in product, furniture and exhibition design, the studio works for several pioneering clients like Muji, Emeco, Epson and Wästberg.

Mac Collins, an artist and designer from Nottingham, UK, works to create narrative-rich pieces. He also works as a lecturer at both Nottingham Trent University and Northumbria University.

4. Alexandra Fruhstorfer, nominated by Anab Jani, Superflux

Anab Jain is the co-founder and director at Superflux. A designer, futurist, filmmaker and educator, she has received several prestigious awards like the UNESCO Digital Arts Award and Grand Prix Geneva Human Rights Festival.

Fruhstorfer, a transdisciplinary designer, is a graduate of Industrial Design at the University of Applied Arts Vienna. Her work is primarily investigative and research-driven. Currently, she is exploring the connection that work and productivity have with the anthropogenic impact on our planet.

5. Francisco Norris, nominated by Matt Jones

Matt Jones is the Principal Designer at Google AI. He has over two decades of experience in designing digital products and services

Francisco Norris, an Argentinian-Italian design technologist and the founder of Zelp, currently leads a team of designers, engineers and scientists in the development of innovative technology to neutralise cattle methane emissions in real-time, while also gathering unique data to increase welfare and productivity on the farm.

Founded in 1989 by Sir Terence Conan, The Design Museum in London is a space that dedicates itself to acknowledging, honouring and advancing every form of contemporary design, from architecture and fashion to graphics, product and industrial design. The museum regularly holds exhibitions, events and learning and digital programmes that provide an inclusive space for all individuals to experience, discuss and reflect on the impact of design. Its permanent collection, publishing initiatives and research activities are other areas that attract designers and design enthusiasts alike.