Press Release
Giuliano Ricciardi Receives the Golden A' Design Award for Iedde Mussel Knife in Bakeware, Tableware, Drinkware and Cookware Design
The international grand jury of the 2022 - 2023 A' Design Award & Competition recognizes Giuliano Ricciardi for bakeware, tableware, drinkware and cookware design
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
COMO, Italy, April 20, 2023 /DesignNewswire/ Iedde Mussel Knife by Giuliano Ricciardi, designed for Iedde, has been granted the Golden A' Design Award in the Bakeware, Tableware, Drinkware and Cookware Design category, A' Design Award & Competition has announced. The result belongs to the 2022 - 2023 A' Design Award & Competition and was decided through blind peer review by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members, who evaluated anonymized entries against predetermined criteria.
The Golden A' Design Award Explained
The Gold A' Design Award is granted to designs that demonstrate a high level of innovation and a significant impact on their intended audience. Recognized as a major achievement by the A' Design Awards, these designs are characterized by their visionary approach and the exceptional skill of their creators. Winners of the Gold A' Design Award are noted for their ability to push the envelope in art, science, design, and technology, delivering solutions that not only meet but exceed expectations. These designs serve as benchmarks for excellence, encouraging further innovation and inspiring future generations of designers.
About Iedde Mussel Knife
Iedde is a mussel knife made for shelling mussels. The design is a redesign of the grammella, a traditional tool from Taranto, Italy. The handle is shaped to rest inside the palm of the hand. The blade follows the curve of the grip and joins the base. The curved form holds the tool in the correct position, so the hand does not need to be tilted. The blade is laser cut from stainless steel sheet and hardened in an oven. The handle is made of olive wood. Blade and handle are joined by two pins.
About Giuliano Ricciardi
Giuliano Ricciardi approached design shortly after finishing high school practicing at a carpentry workshop of where he learned the basics and manual skills needed to wood work. This learning experience lasted 3 years, until he was noticed by the owner of an important Architect Studio in Taranto who offered Giuliano to join his team at KinoWorkshop,as a draftsman. these professional experiences inspired him to pursue Graduate Studies in Industrial Design.
Award Record
This recognition makes Giuliano Ricciardi a winner of 8 A' Design Awards. The awards were granted between the 2018 - 2019 and the 2022 - 2023 editions of the A' Design Award & Competition.
About the A' Bakeware, Tableware, Drinkware and Cookware Design Award
The A' Kitchenware Design Award is an international design competition recognizing good kitchenware designs by best kitchenware brands and designers worldwide. It is organized within the A' Design Award & Competition and is open to kitchenware designers, product designers, industrial design studios and kitchenware brands from all countries. Typical entries include pots, pans, cutlery, plates, bowls and glasses. The awarded kitchenware designs are published at https://desingers.org/design-category/kitchenware
About A' Design Award & Competition
Organized annually since 2008, A' Design Award & Competition is an international, juried design accolade. The competition is open to entries from all countries. The philanthropic mission of the A' Design Award is to advance society through good design, by recognizing and promoting superior products, projects and services that benefit society, and by creating a global awareness and appreciation for good design practices and principles. Nominations are peer reviewed and evaluated anonymously by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members against predetermined criteria such as functionality, ergonomics, engineering, presentation, innovation, usability, sustainability and technology, with score normalization applied to remove biases. Awards are conferred at Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze and Iron levels. Eligible laureates receive the A' Design Prize, which includes the award trophy, the certificate of design excellence, the hardcover yearbook, a lifetime license to use the A' Design Award winner logo, exhibition of awarded works, an invitation to the gala night and award ceremony in Italy, inclusion in the World Design Rankings and Designer Rankings, and public relations and publicity services. Registration, uploading a work and receiving a preliminary score are free of charge, and Professional and Digital Edition laureates are not contractually obliged to pay further fees to claim the A' Design Prize. More information is available at https://competition.adesignaward.com
Press Resources
- Winner Page: https://desingers.org/149353
- A' Design Award Page: https://competition.adesignaward.com/149353
- Media Showcase: https://www.designnewsroom.com/!149353
- Laureate Profile: https://desingers.org/d/180616
- Further Information from the Laureate: http://www.iedde.it
Media Contact
Giulia Ferrari, Press Office
Designers.Org
Via Leone Leoni 32, 22100 Como, Italy
press@designers.org
+39 031 4491953
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Fact Sheet
The Work
- Project
- Iedde Mussel Knife
- Function
- Mussel Knife
- Category
- Bakeware, Tableware, Drinkware and Cookware Design
- Discipline
- Industrial Design
- Industry
- Furniture & Home and Food & Hospitality
- Colors
- Dark Khaki, Rosy Brown, Gray, Light Gray and Linen
- Images
- 5
- Client
- Iedde
The Recognition
- Laureate
- Giuliano Ricciardi
- Country
- Italy
- Recognition
- Golden A' Design Award
- Edition
- 2022 - 2023
- Design ID
- #149353
Credits
- Image Credits
- Photographer Giuliano Ricciardi, Iedde 01, 2023; Photographer Giuliano Ricciardi, Iedde Combo, 2023; Photographer Giuliano Ricciardi, Iedde 02, 2023; Photographer Giuliano Ricciardi, Iedde with mussels, 2023; Photographer Giuliano Ricciardi, Iedde packaging, 2023
Design Details
- Unique Properties
- The Grammella, a typical object of Taranto (Italy), is a tool used to shell mussels. Iedde is the result of a redesign operation focused on the analysis of the traditional grammella, its use, the geographical context and the mussel. The ergonomics of the tool, oriented towards a shape easy to handle, derives from the handle, whose shapes lend themselves to being received in the palm and from the blade that arises spontaneously following the curve of the grip, to connect harmoniously to the base
- Inspiration
- The Taranto black mussel was recognized as Slow Food Presidium and in honor of this it was decided to make a re-edition of the traditional grammella. The mussel inspired the shape of the handle from which the whole instrument derives. A current image has been given to an anonymous design object born from necessity and not from a project. Iedde, with its shape, function and materials, isn't just a grammella, but an iconic object that refers to traditions and territory; a tangible visual message
- Research
- Historical research has been oriented towards territorial uses and traditions, thus identifying the traditional grammella as the representative instrument of the maritime culture of Taranto. Interviews with mussel farmers and restaurateurs highlighted the weak points of the traditional grammella, once they were resolved, study sketches were made and then some prototypes to refine the instrument's characteristics. The result is Iedde destined to become a modern gift for the city of Taranto
- Challenge
- The redesign of a traditional and authorless object, born from a necessity and not from a project, always represents an exciting challenge full of pitfalls because, overcoming simplicity and economy isn't never so simple. The main obstacle was that of the diffidence of sector operators in testing the prototypes. Mussel farmers and restaurateurs, accustomed to the use of traditional grammella, appreciated the qualities of Iedde only after assessing the effectiveness of the innovations introduced.
- Realization and Technology
- The blades, in ma5mv stainless steel, were obtained from a 2 mm sheet metal with laser cutting technology, and hardened with heat treatment in the oven. The olive wood handle was made with a cnc machine. The components, blade and handle, were then assembled in a sandwich structure with 2 through pins and finally everything was finished with manual and bench equipment. Each piece was then branded and numbered with laser engraving
- Operation and Interaction
- Iedde must be placed in the palm of the hand that closes around it. The blade is then inserted into the mussel and shells it with a back and forth movement, releasing the fruit enclosed inside (see the video). It works better than the traditional grammella thanks to the new shape of the handle and the curved shape which places the instrument in the right position, as opposed to the traditional version which, being linear, forced the user to tilt the hand (see the documentation).
- Project Duration and Location
- The project started in April 2022 in Taranto and finished in September 2022 in Taranto. The prototype was exhibited at the Ego Festival in Taranto in September 2022. In December 2022, 100 numbered pieces were produced and sold upon reservation and in February 2023, mass production was started for the national and international market. On February 28th it was exhibited at the Amoris Terrae event c/o Fasano (Brindisi - Italy)
- Specifications
- Width mm 125 x Depth mm 36 x Height mm 25
- Keywords
- knife, mussels knife, kitchen tool, handmade, handcrafted, traditional, wood, iron, professional, mussel
