We’re pleased to announce that the winner of the British Council’s International Young Design Entrepreneur of the Year (IYDEY) 2007 award is Sigal Cohen from Venezuela. Sigal is an independent visual communicator and multimedia graphic designer. She is the founder and current Art Director of Oruga Films, her own design and communications agency in Caracas. Sigal’s prize is a stand at 100% Design 2008 and money to be spent on a design project in conjunction with the British Council.

Speaking on behalf of the panel of judges, Emily Campbell commented that as 'a highly skilled motion-graphics designer in her own right, Sigal privileged the jury with another deeply edifying presentation about the unique cultural gifts of her country which she is hell-bent on expressing’. A unique typographic certificate by the acclaimed graphic design Wood McGrath was presented to Sigal by the acclaimed independent designer Thorsten van Elten, at the award ceremony at 100% Design on 21 September.

About the award

The British Council’s International Young Design Entrepreneur of the Year (IYDEY) award champions the development of young entrepreneurs working in design in emerging markets. IYDEY is distinguished from other design awards because it recognises the entrepreneurial and leadership ability that bring design to the front of public and business consciousness.

The ten finalists, selected by the British Council and expert partners across the globe, travelled to the UK for a two-week programme which introduced them to fellow design entrepreneurs and exemplary initiatives in London and Glasgow. The programme finished at 100% Design (20-23 September 2007) where the British Council hosts a stand promoting the award and showcasing design from the IYDEY countries, and featuring the work of the 2006 winner, Paula Dib (Brazil).

You can find out more about the International Young Entrepreneur Award series on the Creative Economy website.

Selecting the winner

During their visit all finalists made a presentation to the UK jury about their work and about their understanding of, and vision for, design in their country. The winner was then announced at 100% Design on 21 September and received a financial prize to be spent on a design project to be implemented in collaboration with the British Council in the winner’s country.

IYDEY 2007 Jury:

• Emily Campbell - Head of Design & Architecture, British Council
• Nick Barley - Director of the Lighthouse (Glasgow)
• Thorsten van Elten - independent furniture and accessories designer
• Alice Brown - Head of Sales 100% Design
• Paula Dib - Designer/Founder Trans.Forma, IYDEY 2006 winner

About the IYDEY 2007 finalists

These are the ten finalists, aged 25-35, singled out for their strong creative leadership and entrepreneurial ability and their commitment to advancing design.

Argentina – Manuel Rapoport
Design field: Product design and sustainability
Designer and Founder of DESIGNO – Patagonia
Website: www.designopatagonia.com.ar
Email: estudio@designopatagonia.com.ar
Manu was born in Bariloche (Patagonia, Argentina). He graduated as an industrial designer and also studied environmental management. Some years ago he founded his design studio, which produces and commercializes its own products. He focuses on local identity, the values of natural materials, and social and environmental sustainability. The studio also has collaborated with local communities through design.

China – Xu Ming
Design field: Interior and Furniture design
Founder and Partner, De MVW Shangai
Website: www.design-mvw.com
Email: de_mvw@126.com
Xu Ming graduated as an interior designer from L’École Supérieure d'Arts Graphiques et d'Architecture Intérieure Penninghen (E.S.A.G.), Paris VI. In 2005, he founded with his French colleague, Virginie Moriette, the agency De MVW. Based in Shangai, the agency develops projects in architecture, interior and furniture design. Supervising the entire process from design to manufacture, De MVW transposes Chinese cultural elements and local craft techniques to designs which reflect and satisfy the demands of the evolving global design market. Clients have included L’Oreal, Petit Point and the Accord Group. In 2006, they were awarded the Best Furniture Design prize by Elle Decoration China.

Estonia - Markko Karu
Design field: Graphic design
Creative director, Velvet Creative Alliance
Website: www.velvet.ee
Email: markko.karu@velvet.ee
Markko graduated from the Estonian Art Academy in 1997 as an industrial designer and worked for several years in advertising as an art director. In March 2004 he formed, together with five other talented designers, the design bureau Velvet, where he now works as Creative Director overseeing its corporate identity. Velvet created all the print materials for the Eurovision Song Contest 2002 in Tallinn and participated in the Absolut Tallinn project. Markko lectures on Design Methodology in the Estonian Art Academy’s Open Academy and writes articles in Betamag, an Estonian e-zine. He was chosen to represent Estonia in the FCO/British Council Rising Stars celebration of EU Accession in 2002, and has won several local awards in a variety of media.

India – Gunjan Gupta
Design field: Furniture
Director, Wrap Art & Design
Website: www.wrap.co.in
Email: gunjg@wrap.co.in
Gunjan holds a Masters degree in Design (Furniture) from Central St. Martins College, London, and has eight years of experience in interior design projects for hi-end residential & commercial properties. She is the Director of Wrap Art & Design, a young, innovative design company based in New Delhi. Wrap endeavours to engage with material and social sustainability and creates value for objects in the global luxury market by combining traditional craft and contemporary design. Wrap was launched at 100% Design in London in September 2006, and showcased its collection of Gold & Silver Wrapped Contemporary Furniture at the International Contemporary Furniture Fair in New York (2007). In 2007 Wrap won  the Elle Décor India International Design Award for Furniture.

Indonesia – Gustaff Harriman Iskandar
Design field: Design Promoter, Media Arts & Social Development Projects
Director and Head of Research & Development, Bandung Center for New Media Arts/ Common Room Networks Foundation
Website: http://www.commonroom.info/bcfnma/
Email: blauloretta@yahoo.com
A Fine Arts graduate of the Bandung Institute of Technology, Gustaff primarily works in media arts & multi-disciplinary practice. In 2003 he initiated Common Room, an open platform that seeks to connect individuals, communities and organisations to discuss diverse economic, cultural, and political issues. Through Common Room, he and partners have established a number of city-wide film, music, new media and hybrid festivals, events, and workshops. He is the co-author of a cultural and historical mapping of Bandung’s creative industries.

Nigeria – Oluseyi Olubunmi Taylor
Design field: Graphic Design/New Media Design
Chief Creative Officer, The NoAH69 Company
Website: www.noah69.com
Email: staylor@noah69.com
Oluseyi graduated from Medical School before becoming a full-time designer in Lagos and co-founding E37 Design, a multi-media brand design consultancy. He is also involved in interior and furniture design projects, experimenting with diverse materials and local forms to create innovative products for an international market. His aim is to build a local design industry that can act as a significant financial and social force in Nigeria. Seyi recently founded the NoAH69 Company, a new media design studio.

Poland – Tomek Rygalik
Design field: Product and Furniture design
Lead Designer, Tomek Rygalik Studio
Website: www.tomekrygalik.com
Email: tomek@tomekrygalik.com
Tomek is a graduate from the Design Products course at Royal College of Art, London, and holds a BA from the Pratt Institute, Brooklyn. Following his entrepreneurial drive, he founded his own product and furniture studio, Tomek Rygalik Studio, where he strives ‘to achieve experimental, intellectually stimulating and long-lasting functional results through minimal means’. The studio works on a variety of projects for clients in Poland, Finland, Italy and the UK. He has been awarded a series of prizes including a recent Gold Medal at the 2007 Poznan International Trade Fair, and his work has been exhibited across the world, from Berlin, Frankfurt and London, to Milan, Munich, New York and Tokyo.

Slovenia – Martin Bricelj
Design field: Multimedia, Graphic design
Creative and Art Director, Codeep
Website: www.martinbricelj.com
Email: martin@codeep.org
Martin is a media artist and graphic designer based in Ljubljana. He mainly creates media art, audiovisual installations, events and visual communication devices . He has exhibited and lectured in galleries and institutions worldwide, including the ICA in London, Sonar in Barcelona, Columbia University in New York, and venues in Helsinki, Graz and Buenos Aires. His work has been reviewed and published by the New York Art magazine, boingboing.net, Harper Collins, El Pais (Spain), and Martin received the Europrix Top Talent Award in Vienna for the best cross media project in 2006.

Thailand – Ruttikorn Vuttikorn
Design field: Toys and Children Product design
Design Director and R&D Manager, Club Creative
Website: www.ruttikorn.com, www.club-creatives.com, www.leknot.com
Email: ruttiko@gmail.com
After six years working in educational toy design and research, Ruttiko opened two design companies devoted to industrial design for children. Club Creative focuses on a wide range of children products, such as toys, textiles, and playground/children’s furniture. Her company is now one of the leaders in children’s design in its local market and regularly supplies designs for leading foreign companies – in the UK, Germany, India, Greece, and Egypt. Meanwhile, Le Knot (the second company) designs, produces, and sells their own toys under the brand “Toy Wizard” and “Paper Wizard”.

Besides running the two companies, Ruttikorn has participated in charity programs to help design special toys for disabled children around the world.

Venezuela – Sigal Cohen
Design field: Multimedia and Graphic design
Design and Art Director, Oruga Films
Website: www.orugafilms.com
Email: scohen@orugafilms.com
Sigal is an independent visual communicator and multimedia graphic designer. After graduating from college in 2002, she founded Oruga Films, her own design and communication agency. Oruga works in a wide range of design areas - 2D animation, compositing, basic programming, printed designs, and webpage design. Four years after its inception, Oruga has become one of the top 5 design companies in Venezuela, developing motion graphics, print and web design projects for important clients such as Cable TV channels all over Latin America. The company recently won two bronze medals at the 2006 BDA World Gold Awards.

To find out more about the IYDEY finalists and their work then please visit the Creative Economy website.