Gensler Los Angeles to Host Spark Design Awards Juries

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Spark Design Awards

Jul 31, 2013, 23:55 ET

Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB) July 31, 2013 -- It was announced today that Gensler will be home to the Spark Awards' two newest design competition juries. "The action will take place in late October," said Spark CEO, Peter Kuchnicki. "Entries from around the world will arrive at their spectacular Los Angeles office. We're honored with Gensler's recognition of Spark and grateful for the opportunity to launch our Experience Design and Transport Design competitions in this space."

Gensler's Design Director, Shawn Gehle, welcomed Spark, "We'll enjoy having such a diverse body of work in our space—our designers will love to see the entries. We look forward to having you and your juries on-site."

Gensler’s award-winning workspace opened in Downtown Los Angeles in November 2011, rethinking a 1972 Bank of America branch for a new age. Gensler Los Angeles serves as a prototype creative workplace of the future, balancing comfort and energy efficiency through sustainable design, the perfect place to inspire innovation.

SPARK>TRANSPORT
"Spark will actively seek out and promote audacious transportation designs and technologies that challenge the state of the art," according to Geoff Wardle, Jury Chair and Director, Advanced Mobility Research for the Art Center College of Design.

Spark>Transport is for all major transportation modes and includes many entry categories. If designers have a world-changing new car, system, aircraft, charging station or biofuel generator—entering this competition can help spark its success.

In addition to Wardle, the Transport Jurors include:

  • Jean Jennings, Editor in Chief, Automobile Magazine
  • Dan Sturges, Hardware/Systems Designer, Project 100, Inc.
  • Christopher Chapman, Chief Designer, Hyundai Design North America
  • Dave Muyres, Director, Corporate Innovation Center, Johnson Controls Inc.
  • Brent Oppenheimer, Principal, O+CO (Brand consultant on Acela Trains)
  • Anne Asensio, 3DS, Dassault Systemes (former Design Director, General Motors)
  • Tom Matano, Executive Director, School of Industrial Design, Academy of Art University (former Executive Director, Mazda Design)
  • Ryan Chin, Managing Director, City Science Initiative; Research Scientist, MIT Media Lab

"Sustainable transportation must be thought of as an integrated system--every vehicle relates to the others," said Chris Chapman of Hyundai. Anne Asensio, from Dassault, pointed out, "The bottom line--we must sustain and nourish a very delicate thing--the quality of life. That is why the Spark>Transport Design Award will be so important. It will find and encourage great new solutions."

SPARK>EXPERIENCE
The design of the "user experience" of a product, system or building is gaining great importance as organizations strive to improve their customers' experience. The Spark Design Awards have created a new award to honor the world's most compelling and effective experience design. "Every customer touch point is studied and analyzed before the actual design is crystallized," observed Ravi Sawney, CEO of RKS and Spark>Experience jury Chair.

The Experience Design Jury includes:

  • Jury Chair, Ravi Sawney, CEO of RKS
  • Craig LaRosa, Principal, Service Design, Continuum
  • Frank Tyneski, Chief of Design and Experience at JMI Equity
  • Don Norman, Nielsen Norman Group, IDEO Fellow
  • Mark Davis, Senior Director of the Autodesk Research Group
  • Maryln Walton, Business Insight Manager, Herman Miller

"We are expecting some very diverse and complex solutions," said Craig LaRosa from Continuum. "We want to see the 'experience of the experience'. This includes the process followed, the iterations explored and the ultimate choices made in a wide range of media. For anyone designing or interested in cutting-edge innovation, this is exciting stuff!"

Bonus Information
Spark is proudly sponsored by Autodesk, Core77, ArchNewsNow, Archinect, Bustler, Pluo Consulting and RIOT Creative Imaging.

All Seven Spark 2013 Competitions are Now Accepting Entries
Spark>App
Spark>Communication
Spark>Concept & Student
Spark>Experience
Spark>Product
Spark>Spaces
Spark>Transport

The Spark Design Awards core mission is to help create a better world though design excellence.

Learn more about this organization and all these competitions at the Spark website landing page at http://www.sparkawards.com.

Peter Kuchnicki, Spark Design Awards, http://www.sparkawards.com, +1.914.481.6106, [email protected]