SaloneSatellite is an annual event geared to fostering contact between young designers and exhibiting companies. It takes place during  Salone Internazionale del Mobile , on Fairgrounds, Rho in Milan. 

Each year participants, young designers under 35 present their ideas for the first time at this event. The founder and Curator of  SaloneSatellite is Marva Griffin. The year 2019 represented the 22nd edition of SaloneSatellite. Approximately 550 designers and undergraduates from international design schools presented their fresh ideas and design on an area covered over 3,000 square meters.

Young designers offered their new prototypes to 1.800 exhibitors on the Fair.( Total exhibitors number was 2,350, including the 550 SaloneSatellite designers).They exposed their product on the  203,000 m2 of net exhibition space (total exhibition space is 203,000 m2 including SaloneSatellite designers}.

The young participants of SaloneSatellite probably dreamed of reaching international reputation. Many of the prototypes presented in the previous editions have gone into production, and many of the 10,000 designers who have taken part over the years, along with 270 international design schools, are now big names on the design scene.

The selected new rising stars will join ranks with designers who have already taken part in previous editions of SaloneSatellite.Milano.

About SaloneSatellite Award 2019

SaloneSatellite Award 2019 continue to facilitate the interface between supply and demand, between entrepreneurs and designers, between creativity and manufacturing. 

The theme of the 10th edition of  SaloneSatellite Award was "FOOD as a DESIGN OBJECT" with a focus on the relationship between design and food. The aim was to draw attention to the many opportunities that the food industry can offer the design industry and the importance of design in this sphere. 

Nature provides us with food ingredients but in further stages of food processing, food can become a design object. All steps of the food processing from production to consumption, including waste management and education, can offer designers inspiration, the topic for new products and showcase their creativity.

The theme was overarching intending to put the accent on nutrition in the future. Therefore, the young protagonists of SaloneSatellite were not expected to offer only new forms of cutlery, dishes, or kitchen equipment. The slogan FOOD as a DESIGN OBJECT, address the global food changes in which design, technology and traditional manual skills can come together and take on the challenges of the future. It was expected that young designers see the theme as stimulants to rethink food production, packaging, distribution, consumption, and disposal processes. It is also expected that designs and concepts are based on both artistic and scientific approach with interdisciplinarity consideration. The design solutions should confirm that food is a design process, not just a production process. 

The competitors have also been informed of this year’s theme while being free to adhere to it or not when working up their prototype entries.

The Award is assigned by an international jury chaired by Paola Antonelli (Senior Curator of the Department of Architecture and Design at MoMA and curator of the XXII Triennale di Milano), which selected the top 3 contenders.

The prizes were awarded on the based-on poetry, technological innovation and social commitment. The three winners of  SaloneSatellite Award 2019 competition were: 

• The first prize was awarded to KuliI-Kuli (Japan) for his Kobe Leather, a collection of new products. Kobe Leather was realized with Kobe cowhide, in collaboration with local tanners. The Project was based on a process of recuperation, harnessing the material to create a design system applicable to a wide range of product types. 
• The second prize went to Studio Philipp Hainke (Germany) for The Halo chair concept which the designer developed during his “Organico” research project. Halo chair was devised to showcase the strength and possibilities of a lightweight material made from hemp and casein. It is an example of design in its broadest sense, calling for the contemporaneous study of material, form, functionality and production method.
• The third prize went to the Baku Sakashita (Japan) for the 2.5 Dimensional Objects. These 2.5-dimensional objects are 3D wire structures that look like 2D black lines drawn on flat paper. The optical illusion derives from the thinness of the wire, which is 0.3 mm in diameter. The sophisticated artistic abstraction of the 2.5 Dimensional Object project is striking while demonstrating the scope for further different potential in terms of development and application.

The 2019 edition has featured two new Rong Design Library Awards. It is offering two Residency Programmes that take place in the local village to study traditional Chinese craft materials and craftsmanship. During this period the winning designers will be introduced to traditional Chinese culture and thus inspired, will be free to complete a project of their own choice. The winners are Koko (Croatia) for Koko Loko, a project for kids in which every Loko is a combination of eight elements, and Studiomirei (Italy) for the banana fibre Nebula Lamp which resembles interstellar clouds of dust in space.

In the 2019 edition, Banca Intesa Sanpaolo  has awarded a special prize to Melbourne Movement / Kristen Wang (Australia) for the Re. Bean Coffee Stool made from locally collected coffee grounds. This designer in the opinion of the jury, best captures the theme of the 2019 event, “Food as a Design Object”. 

Philipp Hainke in 2019

Philipp Hainke has won the Second SaloneSatellite Award at the Salone Internazionale del mobile 2019 for the Halo chair, made from hemp and casein. At that time, he was a young, unknown designer. Chair LePipe, bench JellyJoint , Ivo hook designed for a shelf-system, Denta Cup are some of the prototypes he presented at the same event. 

His Project Jelly Joint has been specially developed for the Salone Satellite Milano 2019, in line with its topic ‘Food and Design’. The designer performed research on the field of the modification of sweets and candy. The sweats have been melted, frozen, expended, and recomposed. It turned out that the Gummy Bears turn super sticky when heated. Some experiments proofed that they can be used as a strong glue. Consciously it has been used more glue than necessary so that it is pressed out. The colorful glass-like detail gives the bench its unique character. By using food as glue the designer wants to throw attention on the topic of the competition between the growth of sustainable materials and food production. 

On the other hand, the Pipe Chair is based on classic steel construction, which consists of five steel pipes and seats in a maple veneer. The chair is characterized by its low weight and its flat stackability . 

Awarded Halo is a stackable chair with a biological seat pan and a supporting construction made from steel. Halo chair is the result of a research project Organico which utilizes traditional and renewable resources for the development of new, innovative material. An adhesive, composed of calcium hydroxide and casein, is used to press hemp fibres and shives into solid forms. The optimal composition and structure were developed, with a cover of hemp fibres and a core of hemp shives, simultaneously stable and light. The Halo chair concept showcases the strength and possibilities of lightweight sandwich material. The seat-pan is carbon-neutral and biodegradable. Its benefit is an ecological approach, the needed attribute in contemporary design. 

 It is important to mention that the project Organico does not stop with the Halo chair concept, it continued in the same direction. 

Philipp Hainke graduated from the Berlin University of the Arts (UdK) in 2019. He was born1989 in Berlin and spent his childhood and youth in the countryside in Bavaria. He acquired a specific experience travelling throughout Europe and living on a bio-dynamic farm for a year.

His educational path includes the attendance of an art school for two years, before his design studies. His design education started at the University of Applied Since Coburg/Product Design (2010-2012) in southern Germany which gave him the basic knowledge of technical mechanics, ergonomic and problem-solving from the bottom up. From there he moved to Poland to study for one year in the art and design context at the Academy of Fine Arts in Gdańsk (2013-2014).

Since 2014 Philipp Hainke takes part in many design events all over the world: Burgos (Spain), Lodz (Poland), Berlin, Cologne, Munich (his birth country Germany), Milan (Italy). All the prototypes for the events in which he participated, were crafted by the designer himself. Before graduating he obtained practical experience through design internship in different companies, workshops, and freelance work.

Philipp Hainke about himself

1.SaloneSatellite is an international event in the design world to help designers under-35s establish themselves in the industry. What do you remember about your taking part in SaloneSatellite 2019?

In 2018 my Professor Ineke Hans (University of the arts Berlin) curated an Exhibition for the Salon Satellite and selected my Project ORGANICO. Looking back, this was important for me because it gave me the chance to familiarised with the fair and to collect lots of experience.

With this preparation I felt confident enough to present my work in a single showcase. At that time I worked on my chair LePipe and with the fair in mind, I had a deadline to finish it. Simultaneously I develop a project just for the Salone’s Topic, Food as a Design Object. The resulting JellyJoint is a bench that only uses gummy bears as adhesive to join wooden bars. Of cause I had support from my family and friends, but I’m pound to say, that all the prototypes are crafted by me.

 2.Started in 2010, the SaloneSatellite Award introduced a further opportunity to facilitate contact between young designers and businesses. 

With your “The Halo chair”, you were the Second Prize winner 2019. Have the Award had much of an impact on your career? If so, how?

The Satelliten Award was one of the most important prize in my career till now. The Salon is widely known in the design field and gave the project a lot of new recognition. I don’t know it the award had a significant impact to my career. Generally I try to look ahead for wants next. Which is not to say that I am not grateful for this award.

Anyway, for a new Material like ORGANICO it’s really hard to find its way in the Market. The obstacles with ISO/DIN-Norm, quality management etc. are enormous without a big enterprise behind it. To push the project one step further, it would be interesting for me to collaborate with a bigger brand in developing a larger structure.

3.What is your opinion, why you received the Award? How your design was different from others and what additional values it carried?

I think there were many good designs in the completion and I'm not sure if I am able to answer the question well. If you want to showcase in Italy, I think your work has to be on a highly aesthetically level, which I believe Halo is. Its benefit is, that the project doesn’t stopped there and clearly an ecological approach is the most needed path in contemporary design. The additional value of Halo is that its carbon-neutral, biodegradable seat-pan from my material ORGANICO.

 4.What is most important in the process of development of the new product?

The biggest challenge was certainly to master the material. Since I developed ORGANICO by myself, there was no rule-book on how to process it. It was the biggest joy to explore this process as well as the major pain. The second huge obstacle was to bring all this into a clean aesthetic form.

5. Design is very much connected to society and its changes. Today the changes are numerous: a new way of doing business, coronavirus pandemic conditions, circular economy… Designers have to look for solutions and responses to them.

Do you think that the role of the designer changed now and how? 

In my understanding you could paraphrase the contemporary role of a designer as an active observer. Different to a passive observer which analyses and describes a situation I would describe the active observer as one that analyses and acts on them. For me design is the meeting point of social, technical and sustainable questions and by this a key element in our globalized world. As designers, we should be involved in a continual process of observation and reflection to generate purposeful objects.

Another role of designers, that is growing in importance is the role of the visionary. I think it's extremely important to develop utopian scenarios and to inspire society and as designers we have the perfect tool set to do that.

6.Do you have any piece of advice for young designers entering the design world? 

 It might sound a bit pathetic, but maybe the most important is to stay persistent, learn from your failures and repeat.

I also believe it's needed to make yourself familiar with new technologies, like VR, and cloud based products but at the same time continue with your analog sketchbook (or start one if you don’t use a sketchbook)

Philipp Hainke in 2021

Two years after receiving  SaloneSattelite Award Philipp Hainke works and lives in Berlin. He established his Studio Philipp Hainke in 2019-2020.   

He is a product designer, creating furniture, lighting, or everyday objects. Some of his present customers are Cybex GmbH (Consulting), Hoheacht eBikes, Technisat GmbH, Cooper Bikesa, Wunderatsch Design. 

His opinion is that designer have to be involved in a continual process of observation and reflection, to generate purposeful objects. As he said, for him design goes far beyond the shape of an object and becomes the intersection of social, technical and ecological issues.

Philipp Hainke confirms that he follows the above statement in his work. In the design process, he analyzes, proposes new solutions and conducts serious research which he includes in the final product. The research refers to the use of new materials, various ways of processing, always with a new and sustainable way of thinking. Currently, some of his research is still not included in the final product.

His products bring innovations, combining traditional knowledge and current know-how, that combines an artistic background with technical solutions, and a clean aesthetic form with the archaic character of their natural resources. 

Philipp Hainke chooses the difficult path of design realization with many obstacles. He developed all his prototypes himself for the needs of exhibition or design events. For further development of his products and introducing them into production, he is looking for a furniture manufacturer to collaborate with.

Philipp Hainke is convinced of the power of design and believes that the objects we put into the world become an active part of our society and can have the power to influence it back.

We believe that his way of consideration of new products will positively affect our world through a new and sustainable way of thinking about materiality and product life cycles.

His work has been honoured with several international awards, including the Salone Satellite Award and the Materialica Award.

This post is the story of the SaloneSatellite award and how it gives a lot of new recognition to a young, unknown designer. Further steps ahead of Philipp Hainke are to find a partner(s) to produce his designs and finding their place in the market. The future is ahead of Philipp Hainke and I hope we will hear more about him.