The international Sound Innovation Competition has assembled a high-profile jury. Sponsors Plantronics and Altec Lansing have recruited leading international designers Alberto Meda, Matali Crasset and Darrin Caddes as judges. The competition is seeking futuristic speaker designs for the music lifestyle and innovative Bluetooth-headset concepts that make communication appealing through a fashionable accessory.
“We are delighted with the leading designers we have attracted to the jury,” said Luc Ackaert, Consumer Director at Plantronics and Altec Lansing. “It is not every day that you have the opportunity to work with designers of this calibre. We are very curious to see the innovations the competition produces.”
Each of the competition’s two categories carries prize money of US$5,000. Marketing experts will assess the entries alongside the internationally respected designers. The five-member jury consists of:
Matali Crasset, industrial designer
The French industrial designer’s work can be found in contemporary design and art museums around the world. Crasset initially spent five years working with Philippe Starck, both at his design agency and with Thomson Multimedia, before founding her own company in 1998. She received the City of Paris Grand Prix du Design in 1997.
Alberto Meda, industrial designer
Italian designer Alberto Meda is renowned for his elegant simplicity and his ability to create designs that are modern in form while organic in feel. Over the years, Meda has worked for many major companies, including Alias, Alessi, Cinelli, Gaggia, Ideal Standard, Luceplan, Mandarina Duck, Omron Japan, Philips and Vitra.
Darrin Caddes, Plantronics
Designer Darrin Caddes spent more than 20 years developing innovative product designs for leading vehicle brands including BMW, Fiat and Indian Motorcycle. Today, he is Vice President of Corporate Design at Plantronics and leads a team of first-class industrial designers.
Philip Vanhoutte, Plantronics
Philip Vanhoutte, Managing Director EMEA at Plantronics, has proven marketing expertise and extensive knowledge of Bluetooth and headsets. Before joining Plantronics, he held several senior marketing positions at companies including Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications and Dell Computer Corporation.
Birgit Lohmann, co-founder and editor-in-chief of Designboom
Designer and Designboom co-founder Birgit Lohmann has worked with numerous designers and companies, including De Padova, Enzo Mari, Königliche Porzellan-Manufaktur (KPM), Hänsel & G. and Interflex/Flou. She has also worked as a design expert for courts and auction houses and has delivered seminars.
For years, Plantronics has addressed the demand for innovative, technically advanced and stylish Bluetooth headsets, beginning with development of the headset for the first Moon landing in 1969 and continuing through the recently introduced Discovery 925, an elegant Bluetooth headset inspired by jewellery design. Altec Lansing has a similarly successful design history. The company developed the first cinema sound systems in the 1920s and today manufactures iPod and MP3 speaker systems, PC speakers, home-entertainment systems and headphones.
Participant information
To register for the Sound Innovation Competition or obtain further information, visit http://www.designboom.com/sound_innovation.html. The submission deadline is 25 October 2008.