Hasta La Ideas

Congratulations to Nick Hayes, Grand Prize Winner of the Core77 x Braun Design in the Wild Photo Challenge. Our judges chose his photograph, “I Put a Record On,” as the winning entry to receive a grand prize package from Braun of an industry leading notebook computer and tablet!

“I Put a Record On” was selected as the winner for not only the quality of the products shown, but also because the photo illustrates a specific and familiar moment that’s still utterly relatable. The image is highly evocative and brings several products together into a single instance in time while still being dynamic. “I’m in this moment,” summarized judge Duy Phong Vu, Braun Section Head / Manager Product Design & Corporate Identity. “As the author points out, we have much more convenient ways to listen to music these days. So the act of putting a needle to vinyl is much more ritualistic than it used to be,” explained judge and Core77 COO and partner Stuart Constantine. “This photograph conjures up the feelings and emotions that come with the ritual act, and therefore becomes a very powerful image referencing many products, systems, behavior, and environments.”

The Runner-Up Winner is Jennifer DiMase for “2,000 filaments”. The most popular image with 535 votes at judging, 2,000 filaments was described by the judges as an image of “simplicity and power.” It’s a beautifully composed, “instantly recognizable” product shot that gives the viewer an uncommon look at an everyday object from their childhood. The photograph of a koosh ball earned DiMase an industry-leading tablet.

Overall the judges, Phong & Stuart, found this competition complex to judge for a number of reasons. Most obviously, the different categories ended up yielding different types of photos. EAT and PLAY submissions were generally more product focused, while WORK and RELAX contained a lot more system and environmental designs. Entries tended to be either direct and object based, or less obvious but with compelling stories that pulled one in. Finally it was decided that the photo needed to speak first, and then the rest of the criteria were assessed. Looking back at the photo challenge’s overall entries, here were some of our judge’s most memorable notables:

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