Playing off the quick fire challenges made popular by the likes of Top Chef and Project Runway, the International Interior Design Association’s New York Chapter (IIDA NY) on April 2 hosted Design This!, a friendly competition where New York area design students had one hour to redesign a Humanscale showroom, including the reception area and conference room.
Six pairs of students were tasked with creating an educational environment where Humanscale’s customers could learn about ergonomics, functional design, simplicity, and experience the products. At the end of the hour, which included two breaks where mentors jumped in to give feedback, each group presented their final work on trace paper, which had to include at least three of the following deliverables:
- 3D perspective sketch
- Details such as product display
- Elevation
- Floor plan
- Material concepts
“We were thrilled to host the New York IIDA Chapter for the student ‘Design This!’ event,” said Chris Gibson, vice president of marketing at Humanscale. “We welcome the students’ energy, enthusiasm, and fresh approach to design. Seeing their perspective of our brand through this quick exercise was insightful. We very much appreciate their engagement and creativity.”
Two IIDA NY members and Chris Gibson picked the winning concept designed by Penporn Teerasukprasarn, a student at the New York School of Interior Design, and Esin Ekincioglu, a student at Pratt. The duo walked away with a Humanscale chair for their design, which the judge’s agreed had a realistic approach to a successful showroom design, having efficient flow for visitors and excellent opportunities to showcase Humanscale brand and product. The runners up, Indira Lourenco of NYSID and Jana Homes of Pratt, received a Humanscale lamp for their presentation.
Design This! is an extension of IIDA NY’s Speed Mentoring events, which started back in 2008 to help address the stress graduating students were feeling about meek job perspectives. The events seek to engage with students, providing them an opportunity to expand their network and introduce themselves to what design professionals do on a daily basis. Past design challenges include a wallcoverings design and faucet fixture design.
“IIDA NY has been a tremendous resource as a designer,” said event judge Katherine Plunkett, a designer at Gensler. “As a student, I benefitted from having an IIDA mentor and after school I felt that I already found a great network within the New York design community. Design This! is a great opportunity for students to get real world experience and have a fun night of friendly competition.”
