above > editors’ choice:: heartbeat / karim rashid / nienkämper / neocon 2019

dear neocon:

i am so looking forward to you coming back in october 2021. and when you do i would love to be one of the 2021 best of NEOCON awards judges.

my love of and passion about architecture and design spans over 40 years — NEOCON was there when this love affair began and served as an inspiration for me in the mid-70s. at that time i was seeking out the highly coveted by the design profession stendig wall calendars. in doing so i discovered the merchandise mart and the neocon showroom samples as the showrooms prepared for presenting their latest and greatest. the next thing i knew contract furniture became part of my design portfolio.

there’s a notion that most people are unable to fully grasp more than three selling points. that’s been my design philosophy for over 20 years. so in telling you what makes me a qualified candidate to judge NEOCON i’ll stick to the following pertinent 3’s, with three attributes of course within each category.

[ rk 3’s ]
my elevator pitch re me is. . . experience, talent, and passion. these three particulars have given me public exposure and recognition by a worldwide audience of elite designers, manufacturers, design mavens, and the toolbox to judge what is great design. i have judged numerous design shows and in chicago have served as a judge for the past eight years for the inspired home show, formerly the international home + housewares show. they now have a new curated design-centric discover design effort which i consult and help curate.

[ criteria for good design 3’s ]
a jury needs a unified and agreed upon set of design criteria usually given by the organizers. here are the classic 3’s which i totally embrace. . . appropriate, concept, and execution. is the solution appropriate ? is the concept noteworthy ? how is it executed ?

in my opinion the classic criteria above adequately addresses today but doesn’t reflect tomorrow. today’s plights and technologies are tomorrow’s opportunities. so here are my embellished contemporary 3’s . . . not just another, sustainable, and corporate ethos. is the solution a new needed idea or is it just another thing heaped upon what’s already out there ? is it sensitive to climate / sustainable qualities of life ? does the designer, manufacturer walk the talk with a committed and visible personality via recognized design-centric media outlets ?

additionally, i’d be remiss if i didn’t make mention of my favorite raymond loewy‘s 3’s. . . good design keeps the user happy, the manufacturer in the black and the aesthete unoffended. // between two products equal in price, function and quality, the one with the most attractive exterior will win. // the most beautiful curve is a rising sales graph.

[ notable 3’s ]
so what else makes me a qualified judge ? my notables, where i apply my design-in-the-know. three of them are. . . DesignApplause/CHGODSGN, DesignApplause/NEOCON, and about RK. in 2014 the chicago cultural center hosted chgodsgn, a design happening where i exhibited, helped curate, and served as a media sponsor. an event necessity was to showcase chicago designers. i used my international design happenings to pair chicago with international talent putting each on equal footing via [DesignApplause/CHGODSGN slide show] // also, DesignApplause is proud to be a NEOCON media partner for nearly 10 years. [DesignApplause/NEOCON media sponsor] // finally, this whole narrative is about me and why i’d make an excellent design judge but there’s more to be found by looking at my writing and editing within DesignApplause itself [moreRK]

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