Second year graduate industrial design student Michael Rall was selected as one of three Grand Prize winners from the U.S. in LG Surfaces inaugural LG Surfaces and Beyond Student Design Challenge.
Posters at the College of Design and an e-mail sent to students brought the LG Surfaces International Design Competition to many industrial design students. LG contacted five schools in the U.S. and held information sessions to explain the design competition, whose purpose was to create new uses for three lines of LG Surfaces (Spectrum, Eden and Hi-Macs). Although LG had held the contest in Europe before, this was the first time the challenge included students from the U.S. and from Korea.
Rall’s approach to the project was influenced by Associate Professor Bong-il Jin’s design thinking of simple is better and modern, clean lines. The theme of balance is what Rall used to visually stimulate the viewer. Originally, he had developed another design and decided days before the competition that he needed to rethink it. He created his new design for a bedside table that he decided to call “Echo” because with the two tables beside each other, they reminded him of audio sound waves.
Surprised that he won the NC State competition, Rall says “I thought a lot of the designs were well done.” Then, he headed to Atlanta to compete with the winners from Cal-Poly Pomona, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Arizona State University and Auburn University.
At the LG Surfaces North American press conference held March 5 & 6, each student presented their concept in a 5-8 minute presentation to an audience including commercial architects and designers, media and representatives from American Institute of Architects Student (AIAS) chapters, LG and Sterling Surfaces.
The judges who determined the grand prize winners were:
Damon Johnstun - Design Director - LIT workshop
Lori Kolthoff - Director of Resource Design - FRCH Design Worldwide
Todd Corey - Specifications Manager - HDR Architecture
Terry W. Russell - Project Manager - HDR Architecture
The three grand prize winners are:
• Michael Rall from North Carolina State University, with “Echo”
• Soo Kang Lee from University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, with “Outdoor Chair X”
• Paul Vu from California State Polytechnic University-Pomona, with “The Jinza Table”
In April, the winners receive an all-expenses-paid trip to Milan, Italy, to join winners from Europe and Asia and exhibit their finished concept at Zona Tortona’s “That’s Design!” show that draws more than 80,000 designers and exhibitors from around the globe.
Rall says that he is excited about going to Italy. He has a dictionary to try to learn the language. Each student will stand by his or her piece for a day during the event. On April 24 they will participate in a photo shoot and will be in the involved in a press conference on April 27.
Born in up-state New York, Rall was raised in Charlotte from a young age. A graduate of Vance High School and Appalachian State University with a B.S. in Industrial Drafting and Design in 2007, Rall plans to graduate with he master’s in industrial design from NC State in the fall of 2009. His career plan is to work in furniture or housewares design.
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Students have fully conceptualized their submissions, which can be viewed online at www.lgbeyond.com. Each has specified material and color from among the LG Surfaces Solid Surface and Eco Surface product categories. With the help of Sterling Surfaces, an award-winning fabrication shop based in the Boston area, the winning concepts will come to life.