Red Dot marks the spot - Umeå Institute of Design top ranked again

Umeå Institute of Design has done it again! For the second time in a row UID is placed first on the prestigious Red Dot Institute’s ranking which is based on the school’s achievements over the past five years. The competitors are schools in Europe, North and South America.

- UID has a unique atmosphere with very talented students and teachers from all corners of the world. We all share a vision of pushing the boundaries of industrial design and we are very proud of the ideas that are developed at our school, says rector Anna Valtonen.

With small student groups, the latest technology, and a student body from 31 countries the students learn not only from the in-house teachers and the tutors from the design profession, but also from each other. The “Umeå factor” is perhaps based in the school’s smallness and open atmosphere. Most of the projects are carried out in close collaboration with companies or organisations and therefore the students are well prepared for the world awaiting for them. The students are sought after when they graduate, and the UID network of alumni stretches far and wide.

From a total of 4.394 entries from 57 countries, submitted to 24 different categories, Malin Grummas and Kim Risager, both alumni from Umeå Institute of Design’s Master Programme in Advanced Product Design were each acknowledged with an award in Red Dot’s Design Concept category.

Malin Grummas is rewarded for her thesis work AirBorn, a seat for infants flying in commercial aircrafts. AirBorn proposes a solution that increases the comfort and safety for both parent and child. The model reminds of a car seat and can be used on the seat or mounted on the wall in front of the child's parent. It also includes a safe and easy alternative to a lifejacket.

Kim Risager received his award for his concept Urban Composter which enables households to easily manage and monitor their food waste by composting indoors at home. The idea is based on the fact that we, according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation, throw away about 70 kg of food per person each year. By controlling the carbon-nitrogen ratio and providing adequate aeration and moisture, greenhouse gas emissions can be minimized. This was his second Red Dot award since he won one last year for his mining helmet concept Hyperion.

- The fact that our students have won 12 Red Dot awards over the past five years, is a strong indication that our focus on human-centred-design and our core conviction that industrial design has the power to create the solutions to the challenges the future, are both relevant and successful, says Thomas Degn, Programme Director of the Advanced Product Design Programme.

Visit Red Dot Institute's on-line exhibition of the winning concepts.

More about the Red Dot Institute ranking and UID winning concepts

High resolution photo: Malin Grummas concept

High resolution photo: Kim Risager's concept

More about the Master's programme in Advanced Product Design

Designhögskolans vinnare i Red Dot 2009–2012:

2012: Individuellt arbete: Carlos Arturo Torres, Dawid Dawod, Kim Risager. Grupparbete: Natalie Vanns, Maxime Dubreucq, Shivanjali Tomar, Doris Feurstein.
2011: Cenk Aytekin.
2010: John Ju Seok Lee, Anna-Karin Bergkvist
2009: Fransisco Lindoro, Patrik Pettersson

Contact Information:

Anna Valtonen, Rector at Umeå Institute of Design
phone: +46 90 786 53 53, email: anna.valtonen@dh.umu.se

Thomas Degn, Programme Director- Master Programme in Advanced Product Design at Umeå Institute of Design phone: + 46 90- 786 77 41, email: thomas.degn@dh.umu.se