Christophe Guberan wins HUBLOT Design Prize
Swiss-born Christophe Guberan, an ECAL graduate, an industrial designer and one who has been working with MIT since 2014 has won the Hublot Design Prize 2016 worth CHF 100,000. Winning prizes from the Leenards Foundation and the Ikea Foundation in 2013, Guberan’s work was awarded by Creative Applications in 2012. His signature is the experimentation and observation of material and its interactions.
“The Hublot Design Prize transforms talent and creativity into success. By encouraging and promoting the next generation of designers and the innovation of the future, Hublot plays the role of a mentor, passing onto others what it has itself received,” said Ricardo Guadalupe, CEO Hublot.
Jean-Claude Biver, Ricardo Guadalupe and Pierre Keller, Former Director of the ECAL University of Art and Design in Lausanne, had a unique vision to develop and encourage young designers and understood that Hublot could offer the ultimate recognition.
Falling between sponsorship and mentorship, the Hublot Design Prize is prestigious in the design world. The principle is simple; the independent jury is made up of 5 experts from the world of contemporary design—each of whom put forward 5 candidates. In total, 25 candidates are selected and 8 of which are chosen and invited to show their creations in the very heart of the Hublot Manufacture in Nyon.
The paramount criteria that guide the jury’s choice include the innovation, creativity and originality of the projects presented; the choice of materials and the quality of execution; the viability and sustainability of the projects; and the utility and value of the creations. From Nigeria to Japan, from Colombia to Switzerland, the Hublot Design Prize unveils the new faces of design.
The Manufacture acts as a temporary exhibition curated by Lausanne designer Adrien Rovero. Created in 2015 in order to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the launch of its iconic Big Bang model, the Hublot Design Prize promotes the talent of tomorrow’s designers. The prize aims to enhance the success of a designer who is accomplished but has not yet been publicly appreciated.
