The designs of two Spanish companies among the finalists at the DesignEuropa Awards

Excellence in design

The DesignEuropa Awards, which are held every two years and are organized by the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO), aim to give recognition to companies and designers who have introduced outstanding quality designs in the European market under the shelter of the Registered Community Design (RCD). Three are the categories considered: Industry, Small and Emerging Companies and Lifetime Achievement.

The jury, a prestigious panel drawn from the fields of business, design and intellectual property, selected the eight finalists of the Industry and Small and Emerging Companies categories and the winner of the Lifetime Achievement one. This last one went to one of the most influential industrial designers of the late 20th and early 21st centuries, Harmut Esslinger. Regarding the selected finalists, the president of the jury and President of the World Design Organization Luisa Bocchietto declared 'Choosing eight finalists from so many excellent entries was a challenging but rewarding task for our jury. The finalist designs all contribute to their companies’ performance and represent good intellectual property rights management, as well as having high levels of aesthetic value.'

The final winners will be revealed on November 27th at the DesignEuropa Awards ceremony that will take place in Warsaw. Nevertheless, the Spanish industrial sector can already feel more than proud since it has representatives in both existing categories: the modular outdoor furniture Docks, owned by Gandía Blasco and designed by Romero Vallejo, finalist in the Industry category and the blocking system for bicycle parking Loclock, owned by Durbanis and designed by Alex Fernández Camps, finalist in the Small and Emerging Companies category.