Every year, Dutch Design Awards (DDA) celebrates the best of Dutch design. This year during Dutch Design Week (DDW), we will announce a new DDA winner on DDW TV every afternoon for eight days. We start off with the category Young Designer! Who has received the Keep an Eye Foundation Young Designer Grant of 12,000 euros? And the winner is...Simon Dogger!
Simon Dogger
Simon Dogger is a designer who had to get used to a whole new perspective: that of non-visual designer. In the period that he lost his power of sight, Dogger was studying at Design Academy Eindhoven and had to take a lengthy absence. But he returned with a renewed ability to listen and feel, and a strong drive to win back his independence. Simon Dogger sees himself as someone who absorbs information in a different way and, as a designer, is searching for more inclusive forms of communication. He combines visual, auditive and sensory means of improving the quality of life for anyone who can benefit from self-empowering, intuitive tools that help you to make contact with others and the environment around you.
— Simon Dogger turns his limitation into a power; he uses technology so ingeniously that it creates a truly inclusive design and an even richer experience - the jury.
Jury statement
Simon Dogger reminds the design world of its own limitations: how inclusive can a design be for a reality that the designer is not familiar with? Dogger thereby opens up a domain that was not visible to everyone, and that remains relevant far beyond the context of the museum. His holistic approach and solid collaboration emphasise that all kinds of perspectives are needed for a society in which everyone can move freely and independently. Simon Dogger challenges the inclusivity of our public spaces and applies facial recognition technology to something positive. He thereby turns his limitation into a power; he uses technology so ingeniously that it creates a truly inclusive design and an even richer experience.
Young Designer
This is the incentive prize for young, talented designers who graduated no more than five years ago. Participartion for students is excluded. The designer is central in the assessment process, and the quality of the entire portfolio is judged. Keep an Eye Foundation and DDA believe that financial support can really make the difference at the beginning of someone’s career. Keep an Eye has therefore linked a financial stimulant to the DDA Young Designer Award since 2018, so that we can give young designers a worthy helping hand.
Committee: Saskia van Stein, Jeroen Junte, Georgette Koning, Thomas Clever, Evelien Reich, Tamar Shafrir.
The other nominees in this category were Katinka Versendaal and Iris van Wees. They each received financial support by Keep an Eye Foundation worth 9,000 euros.
DDA20 on DDW TV
For eight days, we will announce the winner of each category every afternoon at 16:00h during ‘DDA Award Show Live’ on DDW TV. These afternoons are hosted by none other than Isolde Hallensleben and give us the opportunity to take a closer look at the three nominees per category. From 17 to 24 October you can watch the DDA Award Show Live at 16:00 on ddw.nl.