Impressions from the FOCUS OPEN jury 2023.
Photography: Thomas Simianer
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FOCUS OPEN 2024 DIE JURY
OUR JURORS LOVE INNOVATIONS, COURAGE AND FRESH IDEAS

As is typical for the FOCUS OPEN, all submissions are assessed almost exclusively on the original copy. And from experts in a class of their own!!

As always, our jury consists of renowned designers who will come together for a two-day jury in May and carefully and competently examine all registered products, services and future-oriented ideas.. 

The experts of the FOCUS OPEN jury 2024 are:

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PROF. TULGA BEYERLE


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Prof. Tulga Beyerle
Director
Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe Hamburg
Hamburg

Tulga Beyerle was born in Vienna in 1964. After completing her apprenticeship as a carpenter, she studied Industrial Design at the University of Applied Arts in Vienna. She then taught design history there (1994-2000). In 2006, she founded Vienna Design Week with Lilli Hollein and Thomas Geisler and was co-director until 2013. From 2001 to 2013, she also worked as a freelance design curator for exhibition projects throughout Europe. From 2014 to 2018, Beyerle was Director of the Kunstgewerbemuseum Dresden, Schloss Pillnitz, and at the same time a member of the GF of the The Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden (Dresden State Art Collections), one of Germany's leading museum associations. Since 12/2018, she has been Director of the Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe Hamburg.

mkg-hamburg.de

ANDREAS BRUNKHORST


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Andreas Brunkhorst
Head of Innovation Management
Braun-Steine GmbH
Amstetten

Andreas Brunkhorst studied civil engineering at the Cooperative State University in Mosbach. Analyzing material-specific properties, finding new design solutions and gaining new insights through experimentation motivated him to work in the industry immediately after completing his studies. 

Today, he lives and works in Ludwigsburg and, after many years of experience in the concrete block and ceramics industry, has been Head of Innovation Management at Braun-Steine since 2016. 

Numerous awards confirm his courage to continuously turn visions into reality. Allowing concrete to rust like Corten steel, transforming old material into attractive design products by means of upcycling and bringing greenery to passable, previously sealed surfaces are pioneering topics that inevitably raise the question: What innovative and environmentally friendly design product will appear next?

braun-steine.de

HENNING RIESELER


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Henning Rieseler
Manager F.A. Porsche Design Berlin
Porsche Design GmbH
Zell am See, Austria

As Design Director of Studio F. A. Porsche, Henning Rieseler is responsible for all projects for external customers and leads the corresponding design teams at all locations.

As part of the Porsche Lifestyle Group, Studio F. A. Porsche is responsible for the design development of all products under the "Porsche Lifestyle" and "Porsche Design" brands. Founded in 1972 by Prof. Ferdinand Alexander Porsche, Studio F. A. Porsche has also been working for external, international clients ever since. Henning Rieseler pursues a holistic design consulting approach including design strategies, portfolio design and experience design.

Henning Rieseler studied technical product design in Kiel. He has worked at Studio F. A. Porsche since 2002, first in Zell am See and from 2013 as Studio Manager in Berlin.

In addition to working for the "Porsche Design" brand, especially in the areas of consumer electronics, luggage and accessories, he has designed numerous products for international customers in the areas of kitchen, living and consumer goods. Many of the products he has designed have received design awards such as the iF or the Red Dot Design Award.

studiofaporsche.com

Mirjam Rombach


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Mirjam Rombach
Editor
Hochparterre, publishing house for architecture, planning and design
Zurich, Switzerland

Mirjam Rombach lives and works in Zurich. She studied textile design at the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts. After years working in the theater and the textile and fashion industry, she turned to writing and worked as a copywriter, editor and freelance journalist. Since January 2021, she has been responsible for the "Design" department at Hochparterre, the magazine for architecture, planning and design, and writes about relevant topics in the industry.

hochparterre.ch

Alexander Schlag


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Alexander Schlag
Managing Partner
Yellow Design GmbH
Pforzheim und Tokio, Japan

1993-99 Studied at the Hochschule für Gestaltung in Darmstadt and at the Metropolitan University of Manchester
1999 iploma in product design and industrial construction, parallel product designer at Designpraxis Diener in Ulm
since 1999 product designer in the interdisciplinary team of Yellow Design / Yellow Circle (Cologne and Pforzheim)
since 2001 Head of the Pforzheim office
2009 Foundation of the Tokyo office
2011 Founding of Yellow Design GmbH in Pforzheim with Prof. Günter Horntrich
2023 Sole shareholder of Yellow Design GmbH in Pforzheim and Tokyo

Alexander Schlag is managing partner - since 2023 sole shareholder - of Yellow Design GmbH | Alexander Schlag, based in Pforzheim and Tokyo. Previously, he was a product designer at Designpraxis Diener in Ulm in the field of high-tech consumer products and capital goods (overlock sewing machines, electronic components, highly integrated home technology, etc.). Shortly after joining the Yellow Design office in Pforzheim, he managed complex projects for commercial uses for end users and capital goods and took over the management of the office in 2001.

Since then, Alexander Schlag has been responsible for strategy, concept and design for international projects for brands in the FMCG segment such as Wella, Glaxosmithkline, BAT; the technical consumer segment such as Daikin, Falk, Fissler, Pelikan, or the capital goods segment such as Bruker, Omicron, Schroff, Polyrack, etc. The holistic process in design is of particular importance to him. The focus of his work today is on the development of utilization concepts, brand portfolios, design strategies and consulting for both industrial and interior design projects. This includes in particular the area of European-Japanese cooperation.

Alexander Schlag regularly gives lectures and publishes on multisensory perception and its consideration in industrial and spatial design. Alexander Schlag is a member of the German Society for Sensory Science DGSENS. He is also a member of several juries.

yellowdesign.com

Carolin Schmitt


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Carolin Schmitt
Principal Design Researcher
Phoenix Design GmbH & Co. KG
Stuttgart

Carolin Schmitt (*1987) has been part of the Phoenix team in Stuttgart since 2016, at the latest, as a Principal Design Researcher. She studied Information Design with a focus on UX design at the Stuttgart Media University. With great empathy and intuition, she leads strategy and research in innovation projects for clients from a variety of industries, such as consumer electronics, sanitary, robotics, automotive and household appliances. Her dedicated passion lies in intercultural user research initiatives delving deep into understanding user needs, market dynamics, and emerging trends to identify strategic future business opportunity areas.

Carolin has also been a lecturer in service design at Stuttgart Media University for six years and works as a systemic coach, supporting individuals and teams with changes in their professional environment.
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phoenixdesign.com