The international jury of the Designblok 2024 festival awarded designer Natálie Navrátilová and the company Mikov first prize in the Best New Product by a Manufacturer category for their Office stationery collection. The award was presented during a gala evening on October 3, 2024, at the Lobkowicz Palace at Prague Castle.
“I’m glad that the more than three years of effort that went into developing the Office collection has come to such a nice conclusion. I’m very happy about the award, but I’m equally delighted by the enthusiastic reactions from visitors to the Mikov booth. These come from experts—designers—as well as from schoolchildren and students, who find these office supplies very appealing,” said Natálie Navrátilová.
The Office collection includes six products—a pencil sharpener, a letter opener, a scalpel, a straightedge, a protractor, and a triangular ruler. The collection’s unique, minimalist, and instantly recognizable appearance is enhanced by its DLC coating. An integral part of the products is the graphic design and packaging created by Kateřina Pravdová, a graphic design student at UMPRUM.
“As a company building on nearly three centuries of history in the production of knives and small industrial goods in Bohemian Switzerland, we know full well that the future of the industry depends on innovation, design, and quality. That is why we are happy to give opportunities to young and talented creators like Natálie Navrátilová. And we are pleased that the international jury took into account both the undeniable quality of the Office set and the connection between industrial tradition and youth,” said Karel Ježek, owner of Mikov.
The goal of the Designblok Awards is to highlight exceptional new products from among hundreds of exhibitors, to draw attention to innovative approaches or ideas with a societal impact, and to bring them to the attention of both the professional community and the general public. The winners are selected by an independent five-member international jury headed by the President of the Designblok Awards, who this year was Ben Hobson from the United Kingdom, co-director of the Dezeen platform.