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2022 Polestar Design Contest

Design is art with a specific purpose.

An abstract design with the text "Polestar design contest" on it.

Which isn’t to say that art doesn’t have a purpose, reasons behind it, or a message within. Art is a form of creative expression. One that provokes a response from the viewer. It can even communicate that which can’t be put into words. But design is art on a mission, form and function combined. A design is a work of art that has a job.

The submissions to the Polestar Design Contest have a few jobs.

The first? To answer the brief. These submissions have to directly address the theme of that year’s contest. Previous years saw “Pure” and “Progress” as themes, the designs expressing either an aesthetic and environmental purity, or a way to advance societal progression, respectively. The 2022 theme, “Performance”, requires submissions to embody a new type of electric performance that shakes off the shackles of internal combustion and noise (as well as air) pollution. And while it’s encouraged to let the imagination run wild, these designs have to have some real-world technological explanation behind them. Science fact, as opposed to science fiction.

The second? To show what’s possible. The Polestar Design Contest is a test bed. A forum in which to push boundaries, to follow one’s wandering muse wherever it leads, whether it’s to the mountain tops or the treetops.

The third? Well, to win the contest. But as we’ve said before, every contestant is a winner, given that they’re showcasing new technologies, new approaches, and new ways of tackling current issues and solving shared problems.

The 2022 Polestar Design Contest will be open for submissions on Monday, August 22nd. The creativity and innovation, as with previous versions of the contest, will be something to behold. After all, design is art.

With a specific purpose.

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