Phoenix Design

blog.phoenixdesign.com

In our blog, we will regularly tell you about our origins, about the present, and about the future of Phoenix Design. We listen, write, and move. Look forward to reading fascinating stories. We want to share the unique Phoenix Design spirit – with texts that are heart-warming and intellectually inspiring.

1987 – come with us and discover the origins of Phoenix Design.
2017 – enjoy our success today together with us.
2047 – read our thoughts about the future.

How can we live in an energy-conscious way without compromising comfort? Just one of the questions recently asked by an interdisciplinary PHOENIX team in close collaboration with STIEBEL ELTRON. In two current projects, the designers are working on products and digital services representing smart energy management and outstanding user friendliness – while offering added value for feeling at ease at home.

“The products and services are to integrate perfectly into the living environment of the people, and be most of all easy to use. Moreover, it is an exciting assignment and a great proof of trust and confidence for us to develop a new design language overarching physical and digital topics,” says Design Business Manager Claudia Tietge, leading the team on the Phoenix Design side.

With STIEBEL ELTRON, Phoenix Design wins over yet another renowned industrial client, following STILL.

About STIEBEL ELTRON
STIEBEL ELTRON is an internationally operating Group and is among the global market and technology leaders in the fields of building services and renewable energies. As a family-owned company driven by innovation, STIEBEL ELTRON pursues a clear strategy in the production and development of products – for environmentally friendly, efficient and convenient building services. Turnover is more than €500 million, with approximately 50 percent coming from export.
 

>> to MICROSITE
 

Today, the point is not only to generate and shape the Brand Moments along the Customer Journey, they also need to be protected against competition by imitation.

We are looking for candidates for this Fellowship Program: “Suppressing imitations by means of IP (Intellectual Property), for design-based added value in brand experiences with digital products and services.” Academic supervision is done by the Centre d'études internationales de la propriété intellectuelle (CEIPI), the European Education Center for IP Management, at the Université de Strasbourg; practical supervision will be performed by Phoenix Design. 

Within the framework of the Fellowship Program, a project doctorate is being worked on whose topic fits the program while at the same time encompassing a corporate issue. Candidates need to be interested in the topic of intellectual property and have three years’ experience in handling IP (brands, design, copyrights, etc.). An expressly legal training is not required.    

Statement: Andreas Diefenbach, Member of the Board, Phoenix Design: “Germany as an industrial location is pre-eminent in having invented and formed many strong brands. The core essence of each brand implies ‘the warm glow of familiarity.’ The power of this implicit memory is an essential driving force and influencing factor for forming and shaping brands. In the digital age, some seemingly manifest brand management rules will be broken or turned upside down. New factors like participation or adaptability are shaping existing brands and creating new ones. In this context, IP will play an enormous part in securing added value, since the meaningful brand moments are exactly the things that will continue to create confidence and trust, orientation, and differentiation in our interconnected society.”

Find more information about the Fellowship Program and contact details at: https://www.forum-dieselmedaille.de/rat-fur-formgebung-phoenix/

Feel free to address any additional questions to Silvia Olp, Head of Communications, Enable JavaScript to view protected content.
 

"Design is the way you experience a product and understand a brand:" Lumod understands design as a highly successful instrument of brand management and branding. Starting with the product as the most important communication carrier for the brand values, a precisely matching and coherent brand image is created. | www.lumod.com

Afterwards (at 12.30 pm), there will be served a fine meal from the PHOENIX kitchen plus good conversations in order to learn from one another, benefiting from synergies. Our guest speakers will get insights into our world of Logic, Morals, and Magic.

Lunch Talk Speakers to date: Tilla Goldberg, Ippolito Fleitz; Markus Jehs & Jürgen Laub; Alexander Trage, Dorten; Marcus Fischer, Mackevision; Prof. Matthias Held, HfG Schw.Gmünd; Robin Hofmann, HearDis; Prof. Jochen Rädecker, Strichpunkt; Dr. Frank Heinlein, Werner Sobek; Martin Wippler, Klangfinder; Prof. Thomas Hundt, jangled nerves; Jürgen Späth, Projektriangle; Andreas Kunert, Leithaus-Film; Kai Bierich, Wulf Architekten; Marius Bauer, Umwerk; Vera Schmidt, Sr. Manager Advanced Digital Design, Daimler AG; Friedrich Schmidgall, HU Berlin; Roman Rackwitz, Engaginglab; Ahmet Sakali, Testingtime; Moritz Dörstelmann, FibR; Aline Käfer, LIGANOVA; Prof. Dr. Peter Zec, Red Dot; Joël Gähwiler, ZhdK; Ivan Mallinowski, and Christine Schaal, Containerwerk.
 

Matching the impending product launch of Axor MyEdition on the Chinese market, Jonas Hänel – together with Michael Kiolbassa, Head of Brand Communication at AXOR – will present the new customizable line of fittings to an exclusive circle of journalists, among them representatives from GQ, ELLE DECO and Interni, at 4:00 pm and answer their questions.

After the official start of the event, Jonas Hänel will appear as a speaker at the Design Forum, presented by Domus, starting at 7.15 pm. Following the AXOR lead topic "Reinvent Luxury", the designer from PHOENIX will present his views on the importance and the design of luxury to an by-invitation-only trade audience, together with Ma Yansong, architect and founder of MAD Architects, as well as T.K. Chu, interior decorator and Chief Designer at T.K. Chu Design Ltd.

Expected participants comprise some 240 representatives from design, business, and the media.

The AXOR MyEdition line of fittings and further products by the same brand will be on display from 20 through 25 September 2018 at the Design China Beijing trade fair grounds, Contemporary Design Hall, Stand No. D15.

More about AXOR MyEdition >>>

Photo: Jonas Hänel (left) on stage at the Award Winning Ceremony of the Red Dot: Design Team of the Year 2018 in Essen.
 

According to Containerwerk, they’re developers, designers and self-starters. “We went in search of answers to housing shortages and to affordable, resource-conserving, contemporary living and found them. In the spirit of the circular economy and environmental and social sustainability, Containerwerk purchases used shipping containers and upgrades the body into high-quality, affordable living space.” | www.containerwerk.com/en

Excellent food from the PHOENIX kitchen and good conversation afterwards (12:30) are a guarantee. We know each other, want to learn from each other and benefit from synergies. Our guest speakers also got insight into our world of logic, morals and magic.

Former LunchTalk speakers: Tilla Goldberg, Ippolito Fleitz; Markus Jehs & Jürgen Laub; Alexander Trage, Dorten; Marcus Fischer, Mackevision; Prof. Matthias Held, HfG Schw.Gmünd; Robin Hofmann, HearDis; Prof. Jochen Rädecker, Strichpunkt; Dr. Frank Heinlein, Werner Sobek; Martin Wippler, Klangfinder; Prof. Thomas Hundt, jangled nerves; Jürgen Späth, Projektriangle; Andreas Kunert, Leithaus-Film; Kai Bierich, Wulf Architekten; Marius Bauer, Umwerk; Vera Schmidt, Sr. Manager Advanced Digital Design, Daimler AG; Friedrich Schmidgall, HU Berlin; Roman Rackwitz, Engaginglab; Ahmet Sakali, Testingtime; Moritz Dörstelmann, FibR; Aline Käfer, LIGANOVA; Joël Gähwiler, ZhdK.
 

The iF World Design Index (WDI) is a benchmarking and evaluation tool acknowledging continuously substantial, excellent and sustainable design. In the categories Design Studios and Bath 2014–2018, Phoenix Design has been able to move to the very top of a phalanx of 1,709 and 196 Winner Awards, respectively. In the category Europe, PHOENIX ranks on 5th place of 2,379 winners, in Germany on 4th place of 1,365.

"The iF World Design Index is congruent with our discerning claim to design quality and sustainability. We were excited for it to arrive, and now we are very happy indeed about the very good ranking positions we've achieved – we see them as appreciation of our work throughout many years," says Andreas Haug, Founder and Managing Partner of Phoenix Design.

The iF WDI for the first time refers to the past five years, depending on the kind and number of iF Awards won, split into six index groups: Continents, Countries, Industries, Companies, Inhouse Design Teams and Independent Design Studios.

More at: www.ifworlddesignguide.com/if-top-labels
 

The competition’s categories comprise the segments »Excellent Product Design« and »Excellent Communications Design«. Moreover, the »German Design Award Personality« honours the lifetime achievement of an outstanding design personality. Up-an-coming design talent may hope for a special prize complete with financial endowment: the »German Design Award Newcomer«.

With a new category called »Classics & Re-Editions« in Excellent Product Design, the German Design Council is for the first time honouring products which prove compelling thanks to their timeless design or which carry a design classic further and re-interpret it.

The award winning ceremony will take place on 8 February 2019 on the occasion of the trade fair Ambiente in Frankfurt am Main, Germany.

Quote by the panel of jurors: “As regards trends, I first and foremost see one thing here: everything is getting more digital, in many areas! Making technology easily usable for people is a big thing in current design,” says juror Dina Gallo, Head of Design Management at TRUMPF.

www.german-design-award.com

The jurors at a glance >>>
 

Alongside Barbara Schmidt/Berlin, Harald Gründl/Vienna, Inga Sempé/Paris, Erik Spiekermann/Berlin and Stefan Diez/Munich, PHOENIX Design Strategy Manager Joon-Mo Lee answers the journalist’s questions.

Is there a theoretical position which influences your practical work?
Lee: The guiding principles of our work at Phoenix Design are the terms Logic, Morals, and Magic developed by Tom Schönherr and Andreas Haug. Here, Logic not only means the rational coherence of a product, but rather a comprehensive creation of cultural sense according to the maxim of “Form Follows Meaning”. Moral refers to our societal mission as designers: we don’t want to abuse our responsibility as cultural mediators, but effect changes that improve people’s lives. Magic, then, represents our claim to touch people with our design in a lasting way. Especially in a time that’s strongly characterised by technological innovations, we need to find ways of shaping product experiences in a way that’s more human and more emotional.

Why is this approach important to you?
Lee: Theory and practice belong together. Theory on its own cannot change the world. And practice without philosophical underpinnings is in danger of becoming meaningless or lacking direction.

Where does a critical discussion about design take place these days?
Lee: For instance inside design agencies. At the Universities of Applied Sciences, too. All in all, however, industry does not discuss design and innovation sufficiently. The terms are used in everyday business language, it is true; but only a few people actually think about what design may mean in concrete terms for an organisation; what innovation really consists of; and which consequences a serious commitment to design and innovation really brings about.

Which aspects are short-changed in the current design debates?
Lee: Definitely the topic of Morals. Corporate Social Responsibility should not only be a polite part of the Corporate Vision. We really have to live moral principles in order to shape innovation and growth in a humane way.

Source [in German]: Meyer, Klaus (2018): “Hand mit Kopf”, in: designreport, issue 4/2018, p. 24-27.
 

“STILL is a strong international brand and a precursor in the area of comprehensive logistics solutions. Together, we will be developing the transport and logistics highlights of the coming years and we’ll thus follow the trend which shows that design – alongside technological leadership – is increasingly becoming an important factor in B2B decision making,” says Phoenix Design Business Manager Jens Wingerath, Client Manager and project leader.

As exclusive design partner, an interdisciplinary team of Product, Transportation and Interaction Designers, together with Design Modellers, has recently started working on a new language of forms, innovative products, and holistic digital solutions, all in close coordination with STILL. Both partners share the same design philosophy in terms of brand typicality and user centricity, with the goal of filling the STILL quality promise with life in the future as well.  

Together, both companies will tie in with the history of STILL innovations with their intensive interlocking of development, product management, and product design.

About STILL
For a long time STILL has been one of the leading suppliers of forklift trucks, platform trucks and tractors plus the latest Intralogistics systems. With more than 8,000 employees and a turnover of 1,96 billion (2015), STILL is successfully active on an international scale. The key to the company's success is highly efficient products, stretching from complete solutions for specific industries, for large and small operations, right up to computerised logistics programs for effective warehouse and material flow management.
 

Urbanisation, Micro-Living, Service Economy – how can digital services exert a positive influence on living in tiny spaces so as to be able to use less and create more that has real meaning? How can we liberate ourselves from digital dead weight, enriching our lives rather than feeling constantly challenged? How can principles of Minimalism flow into concepts for interconnected products and services which understand us, thus providing us with more time, freedom, and well-being?

The workshop content comprised research and idea generation, conception, storytelling and finalisation, culminating in a presentation.

About the Space Camp
The Design Summer 2018, entitled “Space Camp – maximising small spaces”, is an extra-curricular workshop on the topic of minimalist living for students at the Hochschule für Gestaltung Schwäbisch Gmünd [University of Applied Sciences]. The workshop is accompanied by impulse speeches held by experts from the respective specialist fields.

www.aquarium.digital
 

The Winners are:
- AXOR ShowerPipe 800
- hansgrohe Raindance E Showerpipe
- hansgrohe Novus washstand fittings
- hansgrohe SilicaTec granite sinks C51

The 40 jurors evaluated the products according to strict criteria, comprising e.g. degree of innovation, functionality, formal quality, ergonomics and longevity.

For us, this year’s awards are very special indeed. The Phoenix Design team receives the Award of Honour “Red Dot: Design Team of the Year 2018”! On 9 July 2018, the Phoenix Design team will be officially honoured during the Red Dot gala event and will be handed the challenge trophy Radius on-stage at the Aalto-Theater in Essen, Germany.

In this context, we thank our clients for their sustained and long-standing trust and confidence in our work, with client relationships often lasting many years.

>> Press Release “Red Dot: Design Team of the Year 2018”

>> Press Release red dot

Joël Gähwiler is creator of the Internet of Things prototyping platform shiftr.io, teaching assistant at the Zurich University of the Arts and researches on Network Artifacts and the Internet of Things.

Afterwards (12:30 o'clock) there will be fine dishes from the PHOENIX kitchen and good talks. We know each other, we want to learn from each other and use synergies. Our guest speakers get insights into our world of logic, morality and magic.

>> Limited seats for interested guests are reservable via Enable JavaScript to view protected content..

Former LunchTalk Speaker: Tilla Goldberg, Ippolito Fleitz; Markus Jehs & Jürgen Laub; Alexander Trage, Dorten; Marcus Fischer, Mackevision; Prof. Matthias Held, HfG Schw.Gmünd; Robin Hofmann, HearDis; Prof. Jochen Rädecker, Strichpunkt; Dr. Frank Heinlein, Werner Sobek; Martin Wippler, Klangfinder; Prof. Thomas Hundt, jangled nerves; Jürgen Späth, Projektriangle; Andreas Kunert, Leithaus-Film; Kai Bierich, Wulf Architekten; Marius Bauer, Umwerk creative; Vera Schmidt, Sr. Manager Advanced Digital Design, Daimler AG; Friedrich Schmidgall, HU Berlin; Roman Rackwitz, Engaginglab; Ahmet Sakali, Testingtime; Moritz Dörstelmann, FibR; Aline Käfer, Liganova; Michel Casertano, Atelier Brückner; Prof. Dr. Peter Zec, Red Dot Award; Joël Gähwiler, Zürcher Universität der Künste.