Liverpool awards to focus attention on city

Winners have been announced in the 1998 Liverpool Design Awards, which aim to focus the attention of the design world on the city.

A total of 130 entrants were whittled down by a judging panel, including members of The Partners, Seymour Powell and Casson Mann.

The best newcomer award was won by Splinter, which also headed the corporate identity category for the design of its own identity, while the best interior prize went to Shed KM for its Ricci bar.

Joint winners of the print project category were Nonconform and Hitch, for publications Lines of Desire and Live from the Vinyl Junkyard respectively.

The winner of Best Multimedia Project was David Crow, head of graphic arts at the Liverpool Art School, for his CD-ROM Forest of Signs.

Union North won the Product Design award for its modular concrete Blue Staircase design.

The judges did not select an outright winner for Best Furniture Design, but instead highly commended Paul Sweeney for his Lippizan chair and Splinter/ Stockford for Wedge shelving. There was no winner in the Best Advertising Campaign category either.

The winner in the use of a small budget category was Nonconform for its strategic plan for Liverpool John Moores University.

Urban Splash was awarded the plaudit of best commissioner.