HFDA design SPEED X HYPE | YOZA

HFDA launched its mentor program titled design SPEED together with the renowned Italian Istituto Europeo di Designnal (IED) at the end of the summer, for six stable Hungarian designers possibly having some foreign experience who are committed to the further development of their companies. Each week until the end of January, you can get to know another protégé a little closer here, at HYPEANDHYPER – this time it is Daniella Koós and István Józsa, i.e. YOZA.

Daniella graduated as a furniture designer from AMI in Sopron, while István graduated as a designer from MOME. Previously, they operated under two different brands – Koodform and Yoza Design –, however, after some time, they realized that their scope of interest was quite similar and they attended the same fairs with their objects, and so they merged their range of products and are distributing their pieces of furniture under the brand name YOZA.

Surprising solutions, special constructions

A common feature of the YOZA pieces is the infusion of design and manufacturing technologies. Their aim is to offer an unexpected and fascinating solution and a visual experience to their customer at all times.

While István is primarily responsible for production development and management, Daniella takes care of the unification of the brand as the art director of the project. Daily communication also belongs to her tasks. They do not share the design processes amongst themselves, everyone pitches their own ideas, and they work together on such ideas from then on.

The Blickfang award-winning VERTIGO

The iconic product of the YOZA brand is the VERTIGO shelf system, which was awarded the design prize of the Blickfang exhibition in Vienna in 2019, in the category of furniture.

VERTIGO is a delicate shelf system, in which any number of shelves can be built together vertically with the help of the available four consoles of different length. It is a special static construction that results in high load-bearing capacity and stability even with the use of filigree elements. Design and aesthetics is the result of the static system, with the clear display of the same. The distance between the shelves can be configured according to the needs of the user. By using the four spacing consoles of different length, a distance of 24, 36, 60 and 75 cm can be created between the shelves according to YOZA’s standard, but the height of the shelves can also be determined individually. The shelf system works from either side, and can be placed at any spot in the space. The shelf is accessible from both sides, and may also be used as a room divider.

Besides increasing the volume of production and maintaining high quality, the long-term goal of YOZA is to become a dominant and renowned design brand both on Hungarian and international level. Daniella and István would prefer their work to remain their hobby (just as it is currently), so that they can always remain open to new ideas and their implementation.

YOZA and design SPEED

Daniella and István think that the mentor program gave a new impetus for defining their brand, and for developing the directions of product development and marketing strategy. “As designers, we have the opportunity to get an insight into the operation of other companies, learn about their problems and find solutions to them with the means of design and communication. It is much more difficult, however, to assess and evaluate the situation of our own company objectively, and to develop a feasible plan for solving the problems that have been revealed. Discussing these problems openly in front of the other participants proved to be the greatest challenge for us in the course of the mentor program. At first, it was odd, but then it worked much more smoothly and effectively during the courses. The participating companies also helped each other with their comments and remarks, in a cooperative atmosphere” – told us Daniella and István.

“It is interesting to analyze YOZA and the entirety of the Hungarian design sphere with the help of international, and, especially Milan-based professionals, and to create the company’s strategy based on their instructions. Anyone who wants to enter the international market, who has an already established brand, and whose company is profitable in domestic circumstances should apply to the program, so that they do not only develop their business plan necessary for export by drawing the conclusions from the market in their home country, as the design consumer habits are completely different than the ones they will encounter on the foreign market” – they added.

In our article series titled HFDA design SPEED X HYPE published each week on HYPEANDHYPER, you can read about the design works of the six protégés of design SPEED and their experiences related to the mentor program.

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