January 27, 2014
Toyota Corp.'s Lexus is showcasing the works of three designers Apr. 8-13 at Milan Design Week as part of its ongoing "Amazing in Motion" campaign.
The designers were tasked with conceiving a new and unexpected way of expressing the Amazing in Motion idea. Italian architect and designer Fabio Novembre, Japanese designer Nao Tamura and the Tangible Media Group led by Professor Hiroshi Ishii of the MIT Media Lab will have their work highlighted at the exhibition.
"These three designers represent three key regions for Lexus: United States, Asia and Europe," said Nancy Hubbell, prestige communications manager at Lexus, Torrance, CA.
"All of them have distinct views on what Amazing in Motion means to them and will share their vision through unique installations in the Lexus display area for Milan Design Week," she said.
"Whether it’s the melding of design and technology for MIT, or the artistic expressions that Novembre and Tamura offer, they help demonstrate Lexus' commitment to design on many levels."
Fostering the arts
In addition to the three commissioned displays, Lexus will showcase 12 panel displays from the winners of its second annual Lexus Design Award that helps young designers gain an audience and receive feedback from recognized professionals in the area of design.
Lexus Design Award 2014
Two final winners from the group of 12 will be announced by the end of January. Both designers will work with a mentor to create prototypes of their designs for the event in Milan.
Arthur Huang | Lexus Design Award 2014
This year's mentors are game designer Robin Hunicke and engineer/architect Arthur Huang.
Robin Hunicke | Lexus Design Award 2014
The two winners will receive approximately $50,000 to fund their prototype.
The theme of this year's award was curiosity. As Lexus puts it, "Applying our curiosity in a creative manner can result in unexpected innovations that change lives."
Judges for this year's event and additional information can be found here.
Boosting art
Lexus continually supports artists to demonstrate its culturally informed perspective.
For instance, Lexus generated interest in the IS model during New York Fashion Week with a live holographic performance art experience that showcased the brand’s penchant for devising creative ways to engage fans.
The “Lexus Design Disrupted” event centered on the brand’s commitment to technology design and featured model Coco Rocha and a retrospective from the archives of designer Giles Deacon. Structuring the event around a broad theme rather than the IS model itself allowed Lexus to reach greater creative heights and stand out in a crowded arena (see story).
Lexus teamed up with deviantART over the summer to let fans flex their creative abilities by designing the exterior of a 2014 Lexus IS through Aug. 12 for a chance to win glory at the Sema Show in Las Vegas.
The contest allows consumers to use a broad range of materials, from digital programs to pencil and paper, to increase the variety of submissions and maximize the interest surrounding the contest (see story).
Since the Lexus Design Award is still relatively new, it still has a lot of room to grow.
"This year’s Lexus Design Award attracted many more entries and represent a broader representation from around the globe," Ms. Hubbell said.
"We will announce the winners soon and are eager to show how their designs reflect their regions and Lexus’ design philosophy."
Final Take
Joe McCarthy editorial assistant on Luxury Daily, New York
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