ANNUAL REPORT

ANNUAL REPORT

Hungarian Design Council 2007

"Design in Hungary is built upon strong traditions. Hungarian artists were in the vanguard of industrial design in the early twentieth century. The internationally acknowledged works of László Moholy-Nagy, Lajos Kozma, Marcel Breuer and Erno Rubik represent our common cultural heritage."Dr. Miklós Bendzsel

The year 2007 was characterized by projects implemented through creative partnerships. We partnered stakeholders in the field of design, business and higher education with whom our scope of action could be increased jointly, on the basis of mutual advantages.In the course of our work throughout 2007, we focused on career starters. To expand the business knowledge of young designer-entrepreneurs, we compiled an electronic publication and participated in a workshop about design management during the Design Week. We also updated the structure of the Moholy-Nagy László Design Grant, which will be awarded to young designers for the twentieth time in 2008.We closed a highly successful year in our international work. In October the General Assembly of the world organization of design (Icsid) elected Judit Várhelyi, Executive Director of HDC, once again to be a member of its Executive Board. The appointment for further two years confirmed our international work in the preceding years.Please, find more information on the Hungarian Design Award, on the Moholy-Nagy László Design Grant, on our projects and on our international work on the following pages.The design profession is also affected by the change that on the 1st of January 2008 the member states of the European Union introduced the EU NACE Rev.2 activity classification, the Hungarian equivalent of which is the TEÁOR '08. According to the new classification, the professional field of design (product design, graphic design, interior design and fashion) has been withdrawn from the category of other business activities and has been given an independent code number (74.10) among "professional, scientific and technical" activities. The significant change is due to the lobbying activity of BEDA, the representative body of European designers. However, when the contents of the professional field were defined, their recommendations were only partly put into practice.

Hungarian Design Award

"...the load becomes a floating spectacle when the designer leaves behind the mass of plans similarly to the poet who gets out of his own jam through some unexpected rhyme."Miklós Hernádi

To improve the efficiency of design and to acknowledge Hungarian designers, the Design Award competition was announced in the autumn of 1979 for the first time, and it has been seeking and awarding outstanding performances for almost three decades. The competition and the exhibition presenting the works of winners have become one of the most significant events of the profession. In 2003, HDC modernized the competition in harmony with the spirit of the era, and changed its name to Hungarian Design Award. In addition to the former product category, entries may be submitted also in the categories of visual communication, design concept and student work.The field of competitors, which keeps changing from year to year, well reflects the situation of design in Hungary. High quality works were submitted in 2007, too, mainly by young and confident people trying their wings. They can be characterized as dreamy and daring creators who, nevertheless, break through conventional limits with a keen sense of business. Winning works were presented first in the Museum of Applied Arts, as the opening event of the Design Week. For the first time in the history of the award, the exhibition could be seen by the public in the countryside town of Sopron as well. Our reform efforts have come to fruition. HDC is to present the winning works of the past five years to the public at a travelling exhibition in regional centres around Hungary. The exhibition will be accompanied by events demonstrating the catalyst role of design in the economy.

László Moholy-Nagy Grant

"It is not the object, but rather the man that is the goal."László Moholy-Nagy

The basic condition for establishing a knowledge-based economy is availability of well-qualified experts. In this context, the improvement of the efficiency of education and further training play a decisive role.Design, as a part of the creative industries, plays a special role at the intersection of arts and innovation. It provides users with a human-centred surface and creates a new value which improves both our quality of life and the indicators of the economy. The Moholy-Nagy László Design Grant is aimed at facilitating the achievement of the above goals.Upon the recommendation of the Industrial Design and Ergonomics Council, the Grant was established by three ministries with the intent to assist young designers in developing their talent. Any designer under the age of 35, having the relevant diploma, may apply for the Grant with an independently developed professional program. A professional body, the Grant Committee, decides on awarding the Grant. The winners present their work at a public exhibition each year.In the past nineteen years of its history, the Grant has assisted over a hundred young designers in starting their careers, many of whom have achieved significant international success. The social and ecological sensitiveness of the grantees is proven by the fact that in recent years they have dealt with topics such as the renovation of housing blocks, motion-development playing facilities for kindergartens or the revival of forgotten unique Hungarian products called "Hungaricums".

Creative Partnerships

We would not be able to work efficiently in a vacuum. Well-selected partnerships built on synergies considerably increase our opportunities. This has been our aim from the very beginning, but in 2007 we reached the critical mass, which produced tangible results through the work invested.In recent years, the sphere and influence of design, and the definition of the profession have expanded. As a result, in addition to design organizations and training places, we have found partners both from the economic and social fields. Beyond professional consultation, joint work has led to common actions, competitions and publications covering diverse areas.In 2007, a three-year cooperation agreement was signed with the Moholy-Nagy László University of Art and Design (MOME) and with the University of West-Hungary to support training programs, to introduce the study of intellectual property protection and to render assistance to professional development. In addition to the above agreements, we worked with a number of other partners as well.

THE COURSE "DESIGN ISSUES IN CORPORATE MANAGEMENT"

Together with the Marketing Department of Corvinus University, we launched a one-semester course with a curriculum covering the history, the economic significance and the corporate management of design as well as the preparation of a creative brief. We are going to invite participants for this successful course in 2008, as well.

HOME TREND AND DESIGN, "MADEINHUNGARY" EXHIBITION

On the occasion of the 10th jubilee of the Home Trend and Design exhibition, Hungarian designers and schools introduced themselves jointly. The HDC operated an information point together with the Hungarian Patent Office.

"START-UP GUIDE, BUSINESS RECOMMENDATIONS TO NEW ART ENTREPRENEURS"

The digital publication was designed mainly for students and graduates of art and design faculties. The first edition was published during graduation week, while the second one – enlarged with EU information – was published during the Design Week. The Institute of Manager Training of MOME provided expert advice for the publication.

"MARKETING STRATEGY – DESIGN HERE, IN EUROPE" CONFERENCE

The conference jointly organized with the Association of Hungarian Furniture and Woodworking Industries analyzed the relationship between competitive edge, innovation, design and marketing and, based on this, the opportunities of the Hungarian furniture industry.

"CHILD AND PLAY" COMPETITION

With the cooperation of HDC, the Association of Hungarian Creative Artists announced a national competition for the second time in the theme of childhood for professional artists and university students. The winners of the competition were offered the opportunity to introduce themselves in the Museum of Applied Arts.

"COMPOSITES-ON-TOUR" INTERNATIONAL TRAVELLING EXHIBITION

The first EU project of HDC was finished in the summer of 2007. In 2006, the eight-member consortium announced a competition for composite products. The winners of the competition were introduced at a travelling exhibition in 2007. In Hungary, the exhibition was hosted in cooperation with the Budapest University of Technology and Economics.

"TRADEMARK-DESIGN-MARKETING" CONFERENCE

The event organized with the participation of the Hungarian Trademark Association and the Hungarian Marketing Association analysed the mutual effects of trademark and marketing. Within this, special attention was paid to the graphic image of wineries.

"INDEX:" DANISH AWARD COMPETITION

As the Hungarian partner of the Danish award, HDC nominated five works to the competition announced under the theme sustainable development and quality of life. From among them, the LED lamp designed by Balázs Püspök that can be operated without any energy resource was selected to the exhibition of the best works.

"INTERCAMBIO CULTURAL HISPANO HÚNGARO" – SPANISH-HUNGARIAN CULTURAL EXCHANGE PROGRAM

In the autumn we participated in the bilateral program of the Hungarian Chamber of Architects as a part of which Áron Losonczi, designer of the "transparent concrete" and Dominika Tihanyi, garden designer, member of the New Direction Group, were offered the opportunity to introduce themselves in Madrid.

"SOUVENIR DESIGN" WORKSHOP

This international program was launched by the British Council for creating new and inventive souvenirs which communicate the cultural values and local features of a country. The Hungarian workshop and exhibition were organized by Ponton Gallery. In advance of the event, Republic of Art and HDC announced a quest under the title "What are we?" in order to find the object that defines us, Hungarians.

DESIGN WEEK

Design Terminal PBC., organized the "Design Week" program series under the auspices of HDC for the fourth time, this year under the title "Design – A New Chance". The more than 112 events attracted 55 thousand visitors.

HDC's International Activities

The Hungarian Design Council is a member of the European (BEDA) and world (Icsid) organisations of design, and through them, it represents Hungary internationally.BEDA (Bureau of European Design Associations) was founded in 1969 with the participation of the design associations of the member countries of the European Union. Its objective is to ensure a network among professional societies of designers, promotional, educational, research organisations, as well as to act as liaison between them and the authorities of the authorities of the European Union.

Icsid (International Council of Societies of Industrial Design) is the international organization of design, which celebrated its 50th jubilee this year. The primary aim of the organisation is to advance the discipline of industrial design at an international level. In the past two years, we participated in the work of the Executive Board, which enabled us to promote the culture, traditions and design achievements of Hungary and our region. At the Icsid Congress and General Assembly in October we won this honour for a further two years. The HDC participated in the Congress, with a poster and a presentation titled "Design matters in Central-Eastern Europe".In addition to the above two organizations, we maintain connections with the international organization of graphic designers (Icograda) and that of interior designers (IFI). Furthermore, our experts worked together with the Office of Harmonization for the Interior Market (OHIM). We believe, that one of the basic conditions for success is to join forces within our region, i.e. Central-Eastern Europe. In 2004, we held a regional meeting in Budapest, which has become a recurring annual event. In 2007, the Estonian Design Association hosted the meeting in Tallinn. Through our regional network we maintain a unique database that gathers the architectural and design organizations, educational institutions and press organs of our region.

ICSID – "50 Years eedicated to the global design community"

Mission: "Icsid strives to create a world where design enhances our social,cultural, economic and environmental quality of life."

As a part of the Design Week program series, we celebrated the 50th anniversary of the foundation of Icsid and the nearly four decades of Hungarian membership. During the jubilee event held at the Moholy-Nagy László University of Art and Design, the speakers recalled the history of the world organization and presented its mission and achievements.The history of Icsid looks back to 1953 when at the congress of the Institut d'Esthétique Industrielle Jacques Vienot outlined the idea of establishing an international body representing the interests of industrial designers. But it was not until June 29, 1957 at a special meeting in London that Icsid was officially founded, under the name of the International Council of Societies of Industrial Designers. The twelve founding members were all national professional design associations. The work of Peter Muller-Munk, the first President, was assisted by Pierre Vago, the noted architect of Hungarian origin.In the sixties, the membership was enlarged by the then socialist countries. The Industrial Design Department of the Association of Hungarian Artists became an Icsid member in 1971. Later, the Industrial Design and Ergonomic Council of the National Committee for Technological Development – the legal successor of which has been the Hungarian Design Council since 2002 – as well as the Applied Art Institute of the University of West-Hungary also joined Icsid. The three Interdesign workshops organized in Hungary were outstanding results of the Hungarian membership.Icsid represents the multi-faceted design of the global world. 50 years after its foundation, Icsid counts over 150 members in more than 50 countries, representing an estimated 150.000 designers.

Calendar of Events

8-9 January 2007 "Challenges of Design Promotion" conference, Paris
24 January 2007 Annual presentation by the Moholy-Nagy László Design Grant holders
6-25 February 2007 Exhibition by the Moholy-Nagy László Design Grant holders at the Museum of Applied Arts
9-11 February 2007 Icsid Board Meeting
22 February 2007 First meeting of the HDC
8-11 March 2007 Home Trend and Design, "madeinhungary" exhibition
23-24 March 2007 General Assembly of BEDA in Berlin
27 March 2007 Expert seminar of the Association of Hungarian Creative Artists and the Hungarian Patent Office
12 April 2007 Exhibition by the Moholy-Nagy László Grant holders in the Collegium Hungaricum in Vienna
10 May 2007 "Marketing strategy – design here, in Europe" conference with the Association of Hungarian Furniture and Woodworking Industries
11-13 May 2007 Icsid Board Meeting
12 Jun 2007 "Composites-on-Tour" opening of the exhibition in the Centralis Gallery
20 June 2007 "Trademark-design-marketing" conference with the participation of the Hungarian Trademark Association
22 June 2007 Second meeting of the HDC in Sopron
20-22 July 2007 Icsid Board Meeting
20-21 September 2007 Meeting of the regional design organizations in Tallinn
20-21 September 2007 "Souvenir design" workshop
25 September 2007 Third meeting of the HDC in Jászberény
8 October 2007 Gala event of the Hungarian Design Award and opening of the exhibition
8-14 October 2007 Design Week in Budapest
11 October 2007 50th jubilee event of Icsid at the MOME
16-23 October 2007 Icsid Congress and General Assembly, San Francisco
8 November 2007 Opening of the Hungarian Design Award exhibition in the Painters' Hall, Sopron
29 November 2007 Fourth meeting of the HDC
1-3 December 2007 "CHILD and PLAY" competition – announcement of the results and exhibition of the national competition at the Museum of Applied Arts
7-10 December 2007 Icsid Board Meeting
17-18 December 2007 OHIM experts' meeting, Alicante