Dipl. Product Designer (FH)
Claude-Lorrain-Str. 7 // 81543 Munich // Germany
phone: +49(0)89.330990336 // fax: +49(0)89.33099338
mail: info@creative-brain.com
english | deutsch
...welcome to my web portfolio!
My name is Karsten Willmann and I am a Product Designer located in Munich, Germany.
All of the shown projects are developed during my study, so if you are interested in more detailed information feel free to contact me. Thanks for your interest in me and my work.
2010.08.01 // Design Award of the Federal Republic of Germany 2011
"Nominee - young talent", Frankfurt/Germany

The Design Award is sponsored by the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology and was given for exceptional international achievements in the field of product design as the »Federal Prize for Good Form« for the first time in 1969. Since 2006, it has been presented annually under the name »Design Award of the Federal Republic of Germany« and is given for outstanding achievements in the fields of product and communication design, as well as to a celebrity from the world of design. Additionally, since 2010, an endowed prize to encourage up-and-coming new talent has been awarded to a young designer.

The competition is open only to entries that have been nominated for the Design Award of the Federal Republic of Germany by Ministries for Trade and industry or Senators of the German states or by the German Design Council on behalf of the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology. There is no restriction on the number of nominations. Only products from the fields of product design and communication design, which have emerged successful from a state competition, from a formal selection procedure (overseen by a panel of experts) or from an international competition, will be accepted for the competition for the Design Award of the Federal Republic of Germany.

I'm proud to be selected as one of the nominees in the catagory "up-and-coming new talent" The result of the jury will be anounced at the end of september.

2009.09.16 // BRAUNPRIZE 2009
"finalist", Kronberg/Germany

Over 160 leading representatives of the design sector from some 18 countries gathered at Braun's headquarters to see the project presentations given by the four finalists whom the five members of the BraunPrize Jury had selected from the original 1074 entries. I'm so proud to tell you that one of this four finalist was me! I got the chance to introduce me and my Skylino project in front of this international expert jury. I'm not the "Grand Winner" of this competition but I'm one of the last four guys at the most important and most respected design award for young professionals in the world. Additionally to this unique honor I got three new friends and received a price money of 5.000 Euro for my achievement!!!

Finding of the Jury: This project is a good example for approaching a problem in a holistic, conscious way. Accordingly ‘Skylino’ does not only address multiple ‘technical’ scenarios of flight safety when traveling with a baby, but also keeps the psychological layer of mother/father/child connectivity during emergencies in mind. In addition, the idea of the design can be easily transferred to other transportation vehicles as well where similar solutions do not exist yet...

2009.09.02 // JAMES DYSON AWARD 2009
"finalist", Cologne/Malmesbury

Skylino reached the finals of the James Dyson Award 2009! I'm looking forward to report you that my "Skylino" was able to convince a jury of design experts in Germany as well as a panel of engineers from Dyson and at last an international jury of design experts.

Regrettably, Skylino was unable to achieve the first place but it's rated with one of the highest scores of the final jury. They had to pick the winner of 420 entries form 21 countries around the world!

The James Dyson Award is an international design award that celebrates, encourages and inspires the next generation of design engineers. It’s run by the James Dyson Foundation, James Dyson’s charitable trust, as part of its mission to inspire young people about design engineering.

2009.08.12 // RED DOT AWARD communication design
"winner", Essen

We did it again!
Together with the Project-team of Designlabor (Silke Heimberg, Eva Rudolf, Sybille Neumeyer, Thomas Rodemeier) we achieved a secound Award for our projekt “Temporarily open” new shop usage laboratory.

This time our projekt documentaion has been awarded and I´m proud to tell you, that we have been selected from about 6.112 entries from from 42 countries!

2009.03.18 // BRAUN PRIZE 2009
"secound round", Kronberg/Frankfurt

The first jury session is now complete and the eminent judging panel has selected Skylino as one of the 58 outstanding projects from 16 nations that will progress to the second round of evaluation.

I'm proud that I have reached this secound judging panel at one of the most important and distinguished design competitions for young professionals in the world. On June 8th - June 10th the jury members will have a detailed look at our design-models and the circumstantial documentation.

Once again the Braun Prize documented a significant, international response and established a participant's record. There were never before such a high number of entries in the history of the Braun Prize.

This year they received 1074 projects from 54 different countries!

2009.03.17 // iF CONCEPT AWARD 2009
"honourable mention", Hannover

More than 3,200 entries from 1,840 participants from 39 countries have been submitted in the year 2009. Together with the Project-team of Designlabor (Silke Heimberg, Eva Rudolf, Sybille Neumeyer, Thomas Rodemeier) we achieved on of the few honourable awards with prize money!

2009.02.01 // MAGAZINE PLUGGED
German magazine for digital lifestyle (2/2009)

featured: Skylino_a child restraint system for use in commercial aircraft

2008.12.28 // RED DOT -YEARBOOK
yearbook, Singapore

featured: Skylino_a child restraint system for use in commercial aircraft

ISBN:978-3-89939-100-8

Furthermore, Skylino is presented for at least one year at the Red Dot Design museum in Singapore!

2008.11.28 //RED DOT AWARD CONCEPT 2008
"best of the best", Singapore

The red dot design award is one of the most prestigious international design competitions. In 2008 there have been 1.906 entries from 52 countries in the world. With the award "red dot: best of the best" for the highest design quality, expressing innovation in form of function in an exemplary manner, Skylino gets on of the 20 highest honours!

2008.10.30 // LOST PLACES -
new perspectives on unoccupied shop premises

The Designlabor has produced a survey with this title, which focused on vacancy rates in Bremerhaven. The interdisciplinary project team analysed locations and developed new innovative temporary forms of use. These are forms of use that link in with business, cultural and social trends, provide future prospects and generate an aura of vibrancy for these districts. The documentation covers all phases of the project, from research via conceptual design and drafting through to implementation of three temporary use concepts and their realisation in the temporary “Laboratory for putting shops to new uses”, hitherto empty shop premises in Bremerhaven-Lehe.

6 individual booklets in a slipcase, with a total of 152 pages, featuring a wide range of colour photographs, charts and blueprints.

order: info@designlabor.com

2008.10.22 //FOCUS GREEN
yearbook, Ludwigsburg/Stuttgart

featured: Skylino_a child restraint system for use in commercial aircraft

ISBN:978-3-89939-100-8

2008.10.22 //FOCUS GREEN + MIA SEEGER
Award ceremony of the Mia Seeger Prize 2008 in Ludwigsburg/Stuttgart.

Skylino is highly commended and participate for one month at the Focus Green exhibition in Ludwigsburg.

2008.03.12 //6 MONTH SCHOLARSHIP
at Designlabor Bremerhaven - International Design Institute, Bremerhaven

I'm one of the 5 glad designers, who is selected for the scholarship 2008 at Designlabor Bremerhaven. So I'll move to the coast and will work within an interdisciplinary team for the next 6 month.

2007.11.08 //DEUTSCHLANDS WAHRE SUPERSTARS
Book publication in Berlin

I was invited to write an essay about my Two-in-One, a forward looking concept especially developed for the transport of containers in interaction with automated interfaces such as in big harbours like Hamburg or Rotterdam.

Deutschlands wahre Superstars, 50 Enwürfe junger Wissenschaftler für die Welt von morgen; Max A. Höfer & Dieter Rath; HEEL Verlag GmbH, 2007, Königswinter

ISBN:978-3-89880-885-9

2007.9.01 //STUFF
French magazine for Gadgets and Design (2/2007)

featured: Two-in-One a forward looking concept especially developed for the transport of containers in interaction with automated interfaces such as in big harbours like Hamburg or Rotterdam.

2007.06.01 //COVER-PICTURE
German Railway magazine "Privatbahn"(1/2007)

While my time at ma-design I did this PS-rendering of the Voith Maxima which was designed by the ma-team some time before.

2007.04.01 //MAGAZINE PLUGGED
German magazine for digital lifestyle (3/2007)

featured: unique_a flat concept phone for business people

2007.02.01 //DESIGN REPORT
German magazine for design (1+2/2007)

featured: Two-in-One a forward looking concept especially developed for the transport of containers in interaction with automated interfaces such as in big harbours like Hamburg or Rotterdam.

2007.02.01 //CADplus
German magazine for Business + Engineering (2/2007)

Interview (Dr. Bernhard D. Valnion): Design student Karsten Willmann about networking in projects.

2006.9.22 //VDA Design Award
Future Road Transport 2020, Hannover

Two-in-One is highly commended at the VDA international Design Award 2006. "Future Road 2020" was the topic of the competition invitation by the German Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA - Verband der Automobilindustrie) and the German Design Council (Rat für Formgebung). The competition was sponsored by Iveco, Krone, MAN, Meiller, Mercedes-Benz, Opel, Schmitz Cargobull and VW-Nutzfahrzeuge.

The award ceremony takes place in Hannover at the IAA "Nutzfahrzeuge" (commercial auto). The awarded concepts are presented while exhibition and are published in a competition catalog

Additionally I received the opportunity to do an internship at the new Design Center of GM-Europe.