Statement of the jury

Kalina Kondeva studied industrial design at the University of Wuppertal. Her pieces to date, which are not only remarkably advanced but also very diverse, have one thing in common: they are all based on a design concept that was developed from the requirements and needs of users and aims to provide the best possible user experience. Accordingly, her product solutions are clear and structured – whether it's a system for stabilising cameras, a shock absorber for cars, a smartwatch or the interface for an app. Kondeva demonstrates with every single one of her projects that she has understood what makes good industrial design of the future.

Interview with Kalina Todorova Kondeva:

You are a »Newcomer« Finalist at the German Design Award 2022. What does this award mean for you and your work?

This is of course a great compliment for me to get from industry experts. In addition, I see the award as a great opportunity to build up valuable contacts.

In your projects, you occupy yourself with the topic of semen donation. How did you get involved in this topic and what interested you in particular? What was the greatest challenge?

The original task was to look at the subject of blockchain and find out where the technology, with its advantages and disadvantages, could be meaningfully deployed. After in-depth research and analysis, we discovered the subject of semen donation. We quickly recognised that there were many unanswered questions that were later confirmed during stakeholder interviews. The biggest challenge was answering particular ethical questions in order to move forward with the project. Our moral compass oriented itself toward the question »Is this the right decision for the donor offspring?«

Which projects of yours are particularly close to your heart and why?

On the one hand, my bachelor’s thesis, the camera stabilising system, because it was an interesting challenge from a design-technical viewpoint. On the other hand, the semen donation project is also close to my heart because I believe the project has the potential to create a marked improvement in this social sector.

After completing your bachelor in product design, you decided to study interface design. How did you arrive at this decision?

I already encountered the subject of interface design a number of times during my studies and the accompanying internships. This topic is becoming more and more relevant for product designers due to digitalisation. I think it was the right decision because this degree doesn’t only involve the design of digital products but also offers a deeper understanding of user experience design.