Earlier this week, the International Institute for Information Design (IIID) in Austria announced the winners of the IIID Award 2020 competition. The gold award in the student work category and the special prize from the competition’s jury was won by the Art Academy of Latvia (AAL) graduate Vineta Kreigere with her 2018 master's thesis - information site “Woman and Work”//”Sieviete un Darbs”. Bronze award in the student work category was won by Rūtas Jumīte’s 2019 bachelor’s thesis “Issue ND (Nonprofits & Designers)” // “Izdevums ND” (Nonprofits & Designers)”, while Nora Gavare’s 2019 master’s thesis “Community Garden _grow_” // “Kopienas dārzs _audz_” received recognition. Bronze awards was also won by design bureau “H2E” ,which is lead by the Art Academy of Latvia design department’s teaching staff Ingūna and Holgers Elers, for their submitted work in the corporate and communication design category - “Infographics of city Liepāja”// “Liepājas pilsēta infografikās”. All the winning works will be included in the IIID Award book and exhibited in the IIID Award traveling exhibition, which is planned in ten countries, the first stop of which is planned already this summer at the design forum in the Vienna Museum Quarter.

The Vienna-based Institute for International Information Design is a global network of professionals and organizations working to optimize the quality, accessibility and usability of information used in everyday, business, educational and scientific life. The vision of the institute is to develop information design as an independent interdisciplinary field, combining both knowledge and practical information transfer. Every three years, the institute organizes the IIID Award competition for information design awards, and regularly organizes other events. This year, the works submitted for the award were evaluated by 11 jury experts from Austria, Germany, Great Britain, Mexico, Japan, Italy, Poland and Latvia.

Maija Rozenfelde, Head of the department of Functional Design of Art Academy of Latvia:

“The ability to see and define what is relevant in society is the main cornerstone of every study project, and these projects have achieved it successfully. The awarded projects prove that solving precisely defined problems, which are initially considered in a local context, can eventually have a wide resonance globally. Such an international recognition of study projects can serve as an important starting point for further career development of young designers, as well as for the implementation and realization of the projects themselves. As the Design Department, we are really pleased with the contribution and achievements of students and professors!”

The work submitted by Vineta Kreigere to the Information Design Award - information site “Woman and Work” - was created in cooperation with LMA professor Barbara Ābele and graphic design department student Rūta Jumīte. It is a site for women to learn about work, entrepreneurship, and taxes. For women, relationships with their work at different stages of life is crucial. For example, when she is the lone caretaker of childrens or parents, when a life partner is divorced from family or life, she is ill for a long time or is a housewife. The site gathers in one place and explains in simple language information which should otherwise be sought in 20 laws and 13 state institutions, which simultaneously inform, advise and also punish. The information is intended for 10 different target groups according to the life situation - a mother, a disabled person, a re-emigrant, a pensioner, and one who is looking for new job challenges or is unemployed. The site prototype has already been tested and appreciated by more than 100 women.

Rūta Jumīte's bachelor's thesis "Issue ND" forms a dialogue between non-profit organizations and designers in Latvia. It is no secret that design methods can help non-profit organizations more effectively  achieve social and sustainability goals that are very important to society. Unfortunately, cooperation between organizations and designers is rare, so the “Issue ND” serves as a study of the working methods of both parties, as well as a tool that breaks stereotypes and reveals opportunities for collaboration. The magazine contains interviews with 10 non-profit organizations and 10 designers - strategists in Latvia.

The work “Community Garden _grow_”// “Kopienas dārzs _audz_” submitted by Nora Gavare to the Information Design Award has been created in cooperation with LMA lecturer Liene Jākobsone and is a social, universal and experiential design project based on the principle of participation - for the public. Where the GARDEN is not just an area to grow vegetables, but a PLACE to create an understanding of the synergy of man, nature and time. The idea of ​​the project “_grow_” // “_audz_” is to bring the city residents together and develop gardening in the city context. Thus, to share and gain knowledge, increasing understanding of the origin of food, as well as actualizing the movement of a healthy and sustainable lifestyle.

The work “Infographics of city Liepāja”// “Liepājas pilsēta infografikās” submitted for the award by H2E is a story about Liepāja, which was created by choosing a method which turned data and facts into information graphics representing the city. Twelve infographics were created for both print media and animated digital media, leaving room for the viewer's imagination.