Design School Kolding Receives the Danish Design Council’s Honorary Award 2019

Design School Kolding receives the award as ”a tribute to long and faithful service to design, its use and its dissemination,” declares Lars Thøgersen, president of the Danish Design Council. The school joins the distinguished company of former recipients such as Verner Panton, Jacob Jensen, Nanna Ditzel, Knud Holscher and Coloplast.

They teach companies to use design – not just spell the word
In its justification, the Danish Design Council places particular emphasis on the school's many collaborations with public and private actors and its tremendous effort to integrate design into companies. The Council refers specifically to design courses for more than 800 small and medium-sized Danish companies which, thanks to the school, can now present their customers with user-oriented design methods.

About the choice of Design School Kolding, Thomas Graversen, owner of Fredericia Furniture and a member of the Danish Design Council, says,

– Design School Kolding's work with design methods in small and medium-sized companies is entirely unique and helps to manifest the importance of design and the design profession, not only for design companies in the traditional sense, but also as an innovation driver across business categories.

He also characterises the school as “an indomitable optimist dinghy that is sailing no matter what:”

– When Design School Kolding first saw the light of day, no one imagined that it would establish itself as an organisation that has taught so many people and companies, not just to spell the word design but also to use design.

Henrik Vibskov, member of the Design Council, emphasises that Design School Kolding deserves the award, among other things, for its great design work outside the metropolitan area:

– Design School Kolding has managed to invigorate large design companies in the immediate area and has raised the interdisciplinary standard. The school has also helped to ensure the presence of a strong, high-quality, international design environment outside Copenhagen. It has made the Danish design DNA – based on values and aesthetics – relevant to the 21st century.

Elsebeth Gerner Nielsen, Rector of Design School Kolding, calls the award an extraordinary appreciation of the work that employees and students have accomplished over the past 50 years:

- It is a recognition of the long haul it has been to demonstrate that an artistic education is capable of creating great value for the issues that society and the world are facing. It is also an appreciation of the entire design environment in Kolding – an environment to which the school owes a deep debt of gratitude.

About the Honorary Award and the Danish Design Council
The Danish Design Council’s Honorary Award was presented at Industriens Hus in Copenhagen in connection with the Danish Design Award on 13 May, 2019.
The Danish Design Council consists of 65 members, each of whom contributes to the design profession – be it in a practical sense, as part of the business community, or in an organisational, legal or educational capacity. Together, they work to expand the interest and understanding of what Danish design can accomplish in order to make a vital difference both in Denmark and internationally.