Inaugurated in 1999 by the APCI (Agency for the Promotion of Industrial Creation), the Design Observeur is an annual exhibition that aims to highlight and reward a selection of the best creations resulting from the collaboration between companies and designers.

---

The Design Observeur 10 invited companies and designers from all sectors of industry to submit their most recent and innovative creations. The products selected are awarded the Design Observeur label and proceed to form part of a number of exhibitions.

23 June 2009: Screening of registered products by a labelling committee

This committee will check the quality, relevance and originality of each registration, and the quality of its design process. In particular it may check for possible copies or counterfeits.

The registered design that pass the labelling committee are awarded the Observeur du design label and are presented in the exhibition at the Cité des sciences et de l'industrie in Paris, France and the catalogue. They are presented to the Stars of the Observeur jury.

16 October 2009: An independent jury awards "Stars of the Observeur" to the most remarkable designs

ADEME (french environmental agency), Oséo (french innovation agency), and INPI (french intellectual property agency) award special prizes in their area of expertise, and the Ile-de-France region council awards a special prize to a SME.

22 October 2009: The announcement of the Stars of the Observeur

The awards ceremony will be held at the Cité des sciences et de l'industrie in Paris during the exhibition opening ceremony.

The exhibition will be held from Friday 23 October 2009 to Sunday 21 February 2010.

An independent jury of professionals and experts will be announced.

Each year "Stars of the Observeur" and distinctions are presented to the company and designer during the exhibition opening ceremony.

Each partnering organisation, OSEO (National Agency for Research Development), the INPI (National Industrial Property Institute) and the ADEME (Environmental and Energy Control Agency), award special distinctions in recognition of a specific contribution in their domain.

The Ile-de-France region awards each year a particularly innovative regional company of the Observeur.

This year the annoucement of the Stars of the Observeur awards will be held at the Cité des sciences et de l'industrie in Paris during the exhibition opening ceremony on 22 October.

Each year, the Cité des Sciences et de l'Industrie" (Science and Industry Centre) welcomes the selections of the "Observeur" within the framework of a highly acclaimed public exhibition. The annual exhibition attracts a public of 200,000, representing 1/3 of all visitors to the Explora area.

The Design Observeur bilingual catalogue is an effective promotional tool for industrial players that presents and analyses the year's selection and "stars". Free for Observeur participants, it is on sale all year at the APCI.

Almost 1700 designs selected to date can be viewed on the APCI website.

Every year, the Design Observeur selection guarantees the promotion of design in France and abroad.

All or part of this selection is presented during professional fairs and exhibitions. The majority of these exhibitions are accompanied by seminars, conferences or delegations of French designers. Hong Kong, Montreal, Johannesburg, Moscow, Tokyo, Seoul, Prag, Taiwan, Belgrade, Ljubljana, Wuxi, Sao Paolo, Stockholm have all wecomed Observeur Exhibitions.

Design Observeur is organised by Icsid Member, Agence pour la promotion de la création industrielle (APCI).

Design Observeur is supported by:

• OSEO (National Agency for Research Development)
• ADEME (Environmental and Energy Control Agency)
• INPI (National Industrial Property Institute)
• The Ile-de-France regional authority
• The Paris City Council
• The Ministry of Culture and Communication
• The Ministry of Economics, Finance and Industry
• Usine Nouvelle
• Intramuros
• Design Fax

Registration

Register online on the APCI website.

---

For more information, please contact:

Marie Moreira
International Project manager APCI / Chargée de projets internationaux
24 rue du Charolais
75012 Paris
France
t: +33 2 47 21 99 17
c: +33 6 86 95 39 21
e:
w: www.apci.asso.fr