For those unfamiliar with Launch Pad, it is, in essence, a program for emerging designers, local and international alike, to explore and cultivate authentic designs from prototype to production, with the support of established designers, and the Australian design community at large.

Launch Pad Exhibition Opening Night

This year the winner received the Ultimate Launch Prize, one-on-one development and mentoring consultations with industry leaders as well as an amazing $10,000 to launch their respective careers with thanks to our generous founding sponsor Living Edge and esteemed major sponsor How We Create.

Judge Gavin Harris at Galleria for Launch Pad 2013

So what was new to the 2013 program?

To begin with, the judging process changed – where the judges once reviewed entries behind closed doors, in 2013 finalists physically presented their pieces to the judges, and were therefore able to receive direct feedback, vital to the ongoing development of their concept.

Judges Aidan Mawhinney (Living Edge) and Norman Johnson (How We Create) discuss entries with Sophia Watson

Secondly, Workshopped has come on board as the official Production Partner. Owner ,Raymond Scott, will continue to play a major role in supporting the finalist in their path to manufacturing their design through prototyping and beyond.

Finalsist: “Numeral”  and “Chevron” 

The Runners Up:

It’s All About The Approach by Andrew Watts

When a chair first hits the world, it is immediately categorised by the consumer to serve a purpose. This subconscious approach is due to a visual understanding of how we are meant to approach, sit and converse while being supported by a chair. This assumption allowed designer Andrew Watts to design for a certain space and environment utilising pre-conceived notions that the public provide.

The Dollop Light by Ash Allen

Inspired by a dollop of cream falling off a spoon, designer Ash Allen wanted to create an asymmetric, yet perfectly balanced pendant light. Dollop is full of contrasts – slender at the top yet voluminous at the bottom, soft in appearance yet hard to touch. The glossy internal walls of the shade reflect the intense, directional light from the LED, to softly illuminate the space below.

Winner:

The Elle Table Lamp by Edward Wong

The Ella Table Lamp, designed by Edward Wong, challenges the archetypical form of the traditional table lamp. Inspired by the mechanics of an umbrella, the final shape was found and moulded out of a series of stacked plates, glasses and bowls straight from the dining table. The result? An ethereal, archetypal and abstract presence that oscillates between reality and dreamlike states.

2013 Winner Edward Wong with Ella Table and Launch Pad Judging Panel

Launch Pad 2013

launch-pad.com.au

Images © John Doherty, Fiona Susanto, Rollo Hardy