On September 4, the LNAM Museum of Applied Arts and Design hosted the Young Designer Prize events, which included the winners’ award ceremony, the exhibition opening, and the JDP’25 Design Talks lecture series.
During the program, five members of the international jury gave presentations: architect Jolanta Starzak, design research specialist Marco Ferrari, industrial designer Meret Wacker, fashion brand creative director Michael Kampe, and sustainability expert Vinay Bhajantri. In addition to showcasing their own work in greater depth, the speakers offered valuable insights and advice for emerging designers.
Michael Kampe – a graduate of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp, currently a professor of design and management at AMD in Düsseldorf, and a fashion designer and creative director with more than 15 years of experience – presented to the audience eight principles for creating design that is not only aesthetic but also meaningful.
Design Identity
Every design should tell its own story. Without identity, design becomes random and easily forgettable – as if it had no soul. Identity is not only about visual expression, but also about answering essential questions: what lies behind this design, and why does it need to exist at all?
When a design has a clear identity, it gains depth and becomes more than just an object or a form – it turns into an experience that connects the creator’s vision with the user.
The winner of the Young Designer Award 2025 in the interior design category, Gabija Paulauskaite’s work Fused bonds. Cooking together.
Design Protection
“Creativity is an asset worth protecting,” emphasizes Michael. Without proper protection, ideas can be easily appropriated and works used without the author’s consent. Tools such as copyright, trademark, or design registration help in this regard – they give ideas recognition, protect them from unlawful use, and ensure opportunities for further realization.
In Lithuania, original ideas can be protected through the State Patent Bureau.
Product
Michael points out that although creativity, art, and new ideas are important, a product must always have a practical purpose: „When I was a student, I thought that everything revolved around the product: it had to be aesthetic, innovative, and thought out down to the smallest detail. Although this is indeed an excellent basis for creativity, the true purpose of the product was rarely explored.”
According to the speaker, a product is a tool for generating income. Of course, not every project has to be commercial, but the real function of a successful product must meet the needs of consumers and the market.
The winner of the Young Designer Award 2025 in the product design category, Morta Vileikyte’s work gently. Design Objects for Eating Disorder Treatment
The user
The task of a successful designer is to solve consumer problems, because it is consumers who generate value. Even brilliant ideas lose their meaning without a clear connection to the audience, so when creating a design, it is always worth getting to know your audience: who is the consumer of this product, what do they want, and what do they value?
Sometimes even big brands don’t always know their customers, which can be really risky—success without understanding the user is often short-lived. Michael points out that this principle is also important for student work: even a small project can be much more interesting and meaningful if you think about the real user from the very beginning.
Context
In order to establish oneself in the market, it is necessary to understand the broader context: what is happening in the market and how these trends affect consumer behavior. Most trends, however, are micro-trends, such as a particular style of shoes or clothing. Although this may seem significant, it is much more important to observe social, cultural, or economic changes.
By paying attention to these phenomena, design becomes not only a beautiful form, but also a response to the real, dynamic world, allowing the brand to adapt and remain relevant.
The winner of the Young Designer Award 2025 in the product design category, Austeja Martisiute’s work “Lake stories”
Authenticity
Today, almost every brand claims to be “authentic.” But what does that really mean? Authenticity is the ability to defend your ideas and designs, to show that your product is original and genuine, not a copy.
Authenticity is also about the process. Today, when artificial intelligence can generate results in an instant, it is not only the final product that matters, but also the creative journey. The process demonstrates consistency, originality, and the creator’s efforts, and examples of students’ work confirm that the process is often even more important than the result itself.
Strategy
Design without strategy is just a nice idea without direction. Strategy covers many important issues, such as: who is my customer, how do I reach them, what should the price of the product be, how will we manage production, logistics, and so on.
Michael advises that when developing a strategy, it is enough to have a few values that distinguish the product or collection – for example, quality, authenticity, or innovation. These values must be clearly understood by the consumer.
Good design must be timeless, but at the same time able to respond to change. A strategy not only allows you to create a strong identity, but also ensures that the design is successful in the market: it meets consumer needs, offers the right experience, and retains its value in the long term.
Paulina Kiliute’s work “Design that lives on the roof”
The meaning of design
Michael reminds us that design is the primary tool for connecting brand identity with consumer needs. Design allows a brand to stand out from its competitors and achieve its business goals.
Design is not just a matter of beauty or aesthetics—it is a means of creating value, generating demand, and actually achieving strategic goals. Michael invites the younger generation of designers to celebrate the design process and creativity that has a real impact on consumers and the market.
Curiosity – the real engine of creativity
Michael concludes his lecture by stating that good design is the right story, the right product, for the right consumer, in the right environment, at the right time, for the right price, and providing the right experience.
However, there is one more secret ingredient without which creativity would be difficult to imagine—an unflagging curiosity that motivates and inspires creators in a wide variety of fields. This is also the main reason why Michael teaches: working with students, he learns a lot himself, observes how trends are changing, and witnesses the birth of new ideas.
How to register your design?
Young designers who wish to register their designs can contact the State Patent Bureau and sign up for free consultations on the website www.intelektine.lt/konsultacijos. Each consultation lasts 30–60 minutes.
Designs are subject to territorial protection. Therefore, if you want your design to be protected throughout the European Union, you should register it as a Community design; in other countries around the world, it should be registered separately in each country or using international design registration under the Geneva Act of the Hague Agreement Concerning the International Registration of Industrial Designs. For more information on design protection abroad, visit: https://vpb.lrv.lt/lt/veiklos-sritys/dizainas/dizaino-apsauga-uzsienyje/.
More information on intellectual property protection can be found in the leaflet prepared by the State Patent Bureau and on the websites https://intelektine.lt/ and https://vpb.lrv.lt/lt/.