This year we’ve tasked our jurors with envisioning the future of product design. Each one of them had their own ideas to share with us and we’ve decided to collect their thoughts in a series of interviews called “Talking to Jurors”. We’ve asked all of them what they’re looking for in an entry and what they’re going to reward. Among all of their predictions and opinions, one stood out – design must be human and provide solutions that meet people’s needs. What is truly unforgettable is the product’s ability to improve the lives of everyone.
Meet the Canadian photographer Ema Peter, hoping to discover the innovation leaders of today.
What are you looking forward to finding in our entries and which features are you going to reward?
I’m going to reward entries that lead in innovation and represent creative solutions focused on sustainability. I believe we are now in a critical time where we need to address our impact on this earth and care more about our environment – climate change is no longer to be taken lightly.
Which role do you think a Design Award should have nowadays?
A Design Award provides exposure and an opportunity to contribute to the creative community. Acknowledgment by leaders in the industry provides the constructive feedback for those to creative work that is relative and more purposeful.
In which direction should contemporary Product Design go and how should it evolve to answer people’s needs?
As our aging population grows and as we move into a place where climate change needs to be taken seriously, contemporary product Design needs to reflect this change.
We are now moving into time where we can not simply rely on beauty and function. Our environmental impact is far beyond what the earth can keep up to. We will also face one of the largest aging populations globally. Through Design there is opportunity to re-educate and pivot the end consumer to be less disposable and more accountable.
© Ema Peter
© Ema Peter
© Ema Peter
About Ema Peter
Ema Peter is a photographer based in Vancouver, British Columbia. Over the past 15 years Ema has established herself as one of the leading architectural and interior photographers in Canada and has worked with many of the leading architects in the country. Ema’s work has been published in the top international magazines including Architectural Digest, Architectural Record, Azure, Dwell, Western Living, Object and many more.
Ema has won the Architizer A+ Awards 2018 both the jury and public vote, she has won the inaugural Architectural photography award 2019 Canadian Architect. Ema’s key goal is creating architectural images that have strong impact and include human element. Ema has masters degree in applied photography from the National Academy of Theatre and Film art in Sofia, Bulgaria and PhD in Photojournalism. She was an intern in Magnum photo agency in Paris where she learned from some of the most famous photojournalists in the world like Henri Cartier-Bresson, Koudelka, Abbas, Rene Burri and Eliott Erwitt. Ema was head of the international photography team for VRX studios, the biggest provider for images to the hospitality industry and was responsible for creating the photography guidelines for brands like Fairmont, Hilton, Hyat and lead photographer for their ad campaigns.