OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENTS IN DESIGN – Designers Society of Slovenia DOS

This year marks an important anniversary for Slovenian design. In 1984, the establishment of the Department of Design at the Academy of Fine Arts in Ljubljana represented the beginning of design education.
That is why the Designers Society of Slovenia decided to award prizes – to the Academy of Fine Arts and to Marjan Žitnik, a first-generation student and graduate of the Academy of Fine Arts. 
The Designers Society of Slovenia is awarding an honorary membership to the Academy of Fine Arts in Ljubljana, and a lifetime achievement award to Marjan Žitnik, in recognition of four decades of continuous work in the field of industrial design. 
 

DOS Lifetime Achievement Award 
Marjan Žitnik 

Marjan Žitnik occupies a unique place in Slovenian design history of the last decades. He may even be the only industrial designer noted for his unwavering commitment to a relatively narrow field of design activity. Despite the fact that Slovenian industry in general has been constantly diminishing, he has succeeded in finding partners and clients with a proper understanding of what the role of the designer involves. In many cases, Marjan Žitnik's role as a designer seems to be less or barely visible, but this is precisely where his contribution is virtually invaluable and merits wider professional recognition. 

A closer look at his output shows an understanding of industrial processes, including the work of the maintenance and repair technicians, many of whom are undoubtedly grateful to him, even though the devices he designed do not bear his signature. 
As a student of the first generation of Slovenian industrial designers, Žitnik is definitely an exception. Although the industry in Slovenia has been diminishing for more than three decades, Žitnik’s output – presented in his monograph – stands out as an exceptionally prodigious and versatile legacy. 
 

DOS – Outstanding Achievement in Design 2024
Oloop Collective for the exhibition and research project PRODUCT AS CHANGE
On view at the DLUL Gallery between 5–14 January 2025

The Designers Society of Slovenia judging panel recognised the social role of the project Product as Change by the Oloop group as an outstanding achievement in space (the exhibition) and time. In life, change is the only constant. Over the last decade, the field of design has proven the validity of this fact. 
Meeting individual needs through various products, which designers have contributed to (and continue to contribute to), and which by definition are supposed to make work and life physically easier for every individual on a daily basis, extends to meeting the deeper inner mental and emotional needs of the individual. The role of design is therefore changing. This trend – i.e. change and social need – has been recognised by Oloop, a collective known for projects that employ inclusive, collaborative and co-creative approaches and processes.
 

DOS Design Achievement Award
Alja Herlah
Dotless type

Dotless type is a digital platform that primarily provides support to young typographic designers, offering opportunities for presentations – type releases – and seeking to motivate them to complete their projects. Many beginners have accomplished no small feats through their research, but unfortunately most of them are relegated to little more than a footnote and barely on the radar of the professional community and the wider public.
 

DOS Design Achievement Award
Jasna Šafar
Florian

In attempting to domesticate the fire extinguisher and adapting it to any environment and space, Florian is an interesting product. We do not see Florian as a definitive solution to an ideal camouflage, but rather as a broader challenge to the design profession, which over the years has paid scant attention to fire safety devices and the like.