Dezeen promotion: a virtual architectural extension, a window to other parts of the world and an interactive ninja feature on the longlist in the Dezeen x Samsung TV Ambient Mode Design Competition, revealed today.
Fifteen designs have been longlisted in the graphic design competition, which asked entrants to create a visual experience that displays when the TV is not in use and will award prize money totalling €29,500.
The competition attracted a large number of submissions. Other highlights include an immersive meditation experience, a sunshine-inspired visualisation for people whose homes lack daylight and a pointillist artwork that gets painted while you watch.
The designs are for the Ambient Mode feature on Samsung's new QLED TVs. The feature makes the screen look almost transparent by mimicking the appearance of the wall behind the television, and adds additional imagery and information to enhance the home environment.
The winner will be picked in September by a jury made up of graphic designer Neville Brody, industrial designer Erwan Bouroullec, Samsung Electronics' head of the design centre Dontae Lee and Dezeen's editorial director Amy Frearson.
Judging will take place at electronics trade show IFA in Berlin from 31 August to 5 September 2018, with the winner announced on 3 September 2018 on Dezeen.
Each of the entrants longlisted here receives €1,000, with €8,000 for the ultimate winner.
The winner will be displayed at the IFA show, and will have the opportunity to commercialise their idea.
Read more about all of the longlisted designs below:
Architectural Extension by Gerard Puxhe
UK
Gerard Puxhe offers an architectural illusion with this design, which creates a virtual niche that combines the wall pattern with decorative objects like vases and candles. Weather and time information can be coded into the design.
Mind Place by Jaemin Cho, Hyunseon Ko and Joohyung Lee
South Korea
Jaemin Cho, Hyunseon Ko and Joohyung Lee's design turns the QLED television into a "meditation platform". It uses the full screen and sound system to create a calming immersive experience that roots participants in the here and now.
Time Frame by Alex Warr and Zach Walters
USA
Alex Warr and Zach Walters' Ambient Mode design features a window whose outline points to the time of day, mimicking the hands of a clock. The concept is highly customisable – the exterior scene depicted can either resemble the television's actual environment or offer a glimpse of somewhere completely different.
Alight by Zsófi Ujhelyi
Netherlands
Zsófi Ujhelyi's design targets people whose indoor space lacks natural light, whether because of geography, climate or urban density. It mimics the look of sunlight shimmering through a window and onto a wall.
Floating Points by Devin Ariyaratne
Canada
Devin Ariyaratne's design allows users to watch a pointillist artwork evolve from just a few dots overlaid on the wall background to a completed picture. Ariyaratne says it is for people who appreciate a "minimalist approach to life".
Bird Clock by Jianshi Wu and Yitan Sun
USA
The time may be displayed in digits on our personal devices, but Jianshi Wu and Yitan Sun wants to make the act of checking the time less of a mindless errand and more of a "joyful experience". Wu and Sun's design uses an arrangement of birds to indicate the time of day.
Kinetic Decor by Swift Creatives (Matthew Cockeril, Stephen Waller, Peter Hälldahl)
UK
Swift Creatives' Ambient Mode design is intended to be "calming and reflective". A decorative mobile of hanging fish (easily switched for alternative objects like balloons or sheep) transforms with the passage of the day, coming to life in response to increased lighting in the room.
Hiding Ninja by Lenny Ming Lo
Canada
Lenny Ming Lo's plays with the idea that Ambient Mode disguises the TV by making it blend into the wall. Ming Lo's design hides an animated ninja in the camouflaged display — the closer a person comes to the screen, the more the ninja is revealed.
Post Screen by Clint Heyer
Denmark
Clint Heyer's design is an evolution of the fridge door — a place that might be "cluttered and messy" but helps a household to communicate via reminders, notes and mementos. It is intended not for individuals but for families and people living together with others.
Lume by Jan Augsberg
Germany
Jan Augsberg brings the sun and moon indoors with Lume, by simulating their current position in the sky. Augsberg says the design is not just about indicating the time of day but also serves as a visual centrepiece that provides "soothing comfort".
Cymatics by Bennett Oh
Canada
Bennett Oh has designed a visualisation based on the phenomena known as cymatics, which refers to the patterns that become visible when a surface thinly coated in liquid or paste vibrates. Oh's design would make it look like the wall behind the QLED TV is undulating.
Pattern Clock by Sam Aitkenhead
UK
"Today we don't tell the time, we are told it," says Sam Aitkenhead. Aitkenhead's design explores the idea that a rough idea of how far through an hour we are might, in some situations, be more useful than millisecond accuracy with this abstract visualisation.
Particle Graphs by Adam Pickard
Canada
Adam Pickard's design presents data visualisations based on a users' location and life. It also makes use of the television's motion sensor to change the visualisation depending on whether a user is close to the device or far away.
Sphere by Doisign (Duhan Ölmez and Irem Deniz Akçam)
Turkey
Doisign serves the TV's users with imagery and information based on their preferences as well as their social media and other personal data. "Our identities are based on things we have done, we are doing, we are to do, and this shapes our decisions," says the studio.
Elements for Living by Sandra Lettow and Franc Cheetham
France
Sandra Lettow and Franc Cheetham's decorative display features an arrangement of seven discs that capture natural textures and the patterns of light refracting through glass. The textures are meant to create an ambiance of "elegance and timeless beauty" in the room.