Interview with Young Professionals Application Day winner Edgars Treimanis

The MIICE Satellite Bowl is a cat bowl that combines minimalist Scandinavian design with sustainable Japanese Arita ware porcelain. It’s ergonomic 12-degree angle ensures comfort while eating, while raised edges allow for easy handling.

In the interview, designer Edgars Treimanis talks about the inspiration behind the product, challenges and breakthroughs, including his journey to discover the perfect material, and gives valuable tips to aspiring designers.

Red Dot: What inspired you in the development of the MIICE Satellite Bowl?

Edgars Treimanis: My mum! She runs a cat product company called Mikaste and is always inventing DIY solutions for her daily needs. Whenever she has a problem, she creates a rough version and asks if I can turn it into a polished, cohesive product. Sometimes she even hands me a sketch and it becomes my job to bring her vision to life. In this case it was a raised cat bowl that is easy to pick-up, does not collect dish-washing water and gives a stunning yet subtle impression.

What part of your design do you take the most pride in or what makes it particularly meaningful to you?

It's definitely the choice of Arita ware porcelain and the way the bowl is made using its historical process. Even though the shape looks elegantly simple, it took us 2 years to achieve it and to get an even material finish.

Were there any breakthrough moments that shaped your project?

After trying prototypes from three different ceramics companies across Europe and losing hope of achieving the shape, I stumbled upon the 1616 Arita collection in Copenhagen and was immediately struck by its beautiful symmetrical geometry, craftsmanship and feel in the hand. It felt like the dream material I was looking for. I decided to write an email to Arita Porcelain Lab in Japan, not expecting them to immediately respond to or work with a rather young client. One video call later it became history. The finished product from them exceeded our expectations.

As a young professional, how do you stay current with design trends while ensuring that your work stands out as innovative and unique?

Design trends are really a reflection of how people live and who or what culture or events influence their lives. Thus, I am drawn to deeply observe, empathise and capture even the tiniest daily habits, choices, challenges, history and culture of people around me and across the world. A unique design then forms itself through reflection, celebration and creative combination of these observations.

What kind of projects or industries excite you for the future?

Mental Health. The recent obsession to digitise and automate everything made me notice how much we enjoy and even miss physical experiences and how valuable time spent off screen truly is. It makes me passionate about creating tactile products and spaces for reconnecting us with nature and its immense positive effect on our mental well-being. For example, right now, I’m working on a project that’s close to my heart: a safety tool designed to help people experience the benefits of cold water bathing – an age-old practice that has greatly supported me during challenging times.

How has participating in the Red Dot Award: Product Design influenced your career as a young professional?

It provides empowering evidence and recognition for one’s abilities to take a product from a sketch to a customer’s home, and to do so with taste. When working on a product that takes a long time to see the light of day, this kind of evidence reassures you to keep going!

What advice would you give aspiring designers who want to participate in the Red Dot Design Award or who are early in their design careers?

Build as many of your designs as possible with what you got, 3D Printers, for example, are now incredibly cheap and easy to use. A single prototype beats 1,000 sketches and renders. Immediately engaging all five senses, you will acquire an incredible feel for proportion, materials, manufacturing and arrive at novel ideas in the midst of making it real. People are tired of seeing concepts and renders on screens all day. Delight them by putting a real prototype in their hands to play with.

Young Professionals Application Day on 27 November 2024

On this day, young entrepreneurs and designers who have graduated within the last five years have the chance to win one of 50 free entries for the Red Dot Award: Product Design. The products of the selected talents will be evaluated by the Red Dot Jury together with those of all the other participants. In the event of being awarded, the young talents benefit free of charge from the extensive services provided for Red Dot winners that communicate their success in the competition internationally. For further information, please click here.