Nominator: Attila Bárkányi

Nominator's statement

Domonkos Balázs Kincses graduated in 2025 with distinction from the METU Design MA. He is an intuitive designer, characterized by deep immersion, intellectual preparation, latent intuition, and sudden insight, yet his decisions are well-founded and his process consistent.

His creativity is combined with thoroughness, professional rigor, and precision. He regards computer-aided design as essential knowledge and naturally applies digital tools for design and visualization.

He enjoys challenges and often responds with unconventional solutions. Social sensitivity and environmental awareness are integral to his approach. In behavior, he is friendly, supportive, and service-oriented, paired with strong community engagement.

TUBY

My diploma project investigates how furniture can move beyond static definitions and become both a system and a playground. Rooted in modular thinking and the legacy of Bauhaus tubular design, the collection balances between utility and excess, function and playful absurdity. Each piece is imagined as a small “guilty pleasure,” carrying more than one role and inviting unexpected uses. The aim was not to design a perfectly coherent set, but to mark out a direction where openness, transformation, and narrative become central values.

The project suggests that furniture can reflect on human flaws and delights while remaining practical and enjoyable. In its afterlife, the work could grow in two ways: as autonomous objects that carry strong characters on their own, or as a flexible toolkit of parts, where users are drawn into the design process, free to assemble and customize their own variations.

SEEP

MEEF, the Hungarian Elite Athletes’ Advocacy Forum, supports sportspeople during and after their professional careers. I designed a piece of merchandise for them in the form of a small brass whistle, an object universally tied to sports, fairness, and transitions. The whistle is not only functional, but also symbolic: it represents the moments of change that MEEF helps athletes navigate, from competition to life beyond sport. Its geometry is designed so that when four whistles are placed together, they form the organization’s logo, emphasizing teamwork, and the idea that athletes are stronger when they support one another.

The material choice, brass, connects to tradition, durability, and value, making the piece both timeless and meaningful. To frame the design, I created the slogan: “What happens after you hear the whistle?​” a prompt that points to MEEF’s mission of guiding and empowering athletes in the crucial chapters beyond the game.

SUMMA

I designed a multifunctional jewellery piece for the Budapest Metropolitan University community that serves both as a symbolic object and a practical tool. Made from a single bent steel plate combined with colorful elastic textile, it embodies the spirit of creativity and versatility that METU represents. The elastic bands come in the four faculty colors, visually uniting the different disciplines within one community.

Beyond its role as an emblem of belonging that can be clipped to clothing, a hat, or a sketchbook, it also functions as a bottle opener, pincushion, ruler, and pencil holder. This dual nature makes it both a meaningful token of identity and a handy accessory for everyday student life. Awarded or sold to students and alumni, it strengthens pride in the university while reflecting its values of innovation, openness, and community.