Emerging Designers Invited to Co-create Pioneering Nightclub

AMSTERDAM, July 28, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Heineken® today opened entry to an exciting design project that invites emerging designers from New York City, Sao Paulo, Tokyo and Milan to become part of a creative journey to collaborate on, conceive and produce a pioneering nightclub.

'Heineken Open Design Explorations Edition 1: The Club' is a unique opportunity for upcoming designers across various disciplines to become part of the design conversation. Selected designers will go on a creative adventure that will culminate in their work being fused together to create a live concept club space that will be open throughout the duration of Milan's eminent design week, in April 2012, in Zona Tortona, where the international design community can experience it.

During their journey, designers will uncover insights from club life around the globe, exchange ideas with esteemed designers and challenge existing club environments by creating innovative design concepts that will be produced to become part of the club. The goal is to enhance people's enjoyment of nightclubs through pioneering design that will have lasting impact on club design around the world.

Enrollment in the project is open until August 14, 2011, and starts with designers submitting a simple portfolio of their work via Facebook (www.heineken.com/opendesign-theclub). The project's coaching panel will then select 20 designers in each of the four cities and invite them to present at a scouting night, powered by the renowned PechaKucha creative format, in their respective home city, New York City, Sao Paulo, Tokyo or Milan. From these events, a final line-up of approximately five designers from each location will be chosen to co-create the club.

"The project genuinely has design at its heart and provides a unique and rich opportunity for emerging designers around the world," said Mark Dytham, founder of PechaKucha. "We are really pleased to be able to lend the PechaKucha powered format as a great way for designers to really showcase their work and what they are all about."

Starting their journey, in mid-September 2011, the designers will each join a design exploration team and receive specialist coaching from recognized designers in their field, including Luc Schurgers, founder of MiniVegas (motion design) and Fabio Rotella of Studio Rotella (interior design).

A tour of nightlife hotspots will further allow the designers to draw inspiration by observing different nightlife environments and by gaining insights in the science of social interaction. This experience will inform their work and inspire them to create concepts that truly challenge existing club life design.

In April 2012, the work will culminate in a live event space open throughout the duration of Milan's eminent design week, where the design community, media and those interested in design can actually experience the club design.  

Mark van Iterson, Manager Global Heineken Design & Concept, said, "This first edition of the Open Design Explorations provides a real opportunity for emerging designers to showcase their work on a global stage, outside the constraints of their everyday work, by being part of an exciting project with a wide-reaching cultural ambition.

"It is especially exciting as it is the first project in our new co-creation design program that will see us collaborating on a number of projects over the coming years. We have a progressive history of design at Heineken, illustrated by the fact that Heineken was recently recognized with a Silver Lion at the Cannes Lions in June and an iF award earlier in the year for our STR aluminum black light bottle. We are excited by the prospect of what innovations can be achieved through this program."

For more information and full details on how to enter, visit www.heineken.com/opendesign-theclub.

About Heineken

The Heineken brand, that bears the founder's family name - Heineken - is available in almost every country on the globe and is the world's most valuable international premium beer brand. Additional information is available on www.heineken.com and www.heinekeninternational.com/presscentre.

About Design for Heineken

Design (and innovation) is and has always been a key driver for the Heineken brand

The brand now has a new, fresh and consistent identity worldwide

The packaging redesigns go beyond the expected and continue to receive accolades

Throughout history Heineken has had a lasting influence and changed the way people enjoy beer: It was the first to introduce green beer bottles and brought draught beer to the home through DraughtKeg.

Award Winning Design

Heineken's STR bottle won an iF award in February 2011 and recently a Silver Lion at the 2011 Cannes Lions; a Dieline award in Chicago, silver in the packaging category at ADCN and a Final Certificate at the New York Festival in the in the Beverages: Alcoholic category.

SOURCE Heineken