One of the selection jury members for the National Design Award of Latvia 2026 is interdisciplinary designer Mārcis Ziemiņš, who evaluates entries in the environmental design category. The studio founded by Mārcis, Don’t Panic Design Solutions, creates works that utilise novel forms of expression and new ways of interacting with the audience, prioritising the experience of the user. In the Nice Touch section, Mārcis shares a recipe for overcoming spring fatigue.
«To avoid viruses and other health issues, I make my own vitamin shots. The ones you can buy in stores seem too weak for me, and during the winter season, when I take one dose of vitamins daily, the amount adds up quickly, so it’s worth making them myself.
My favourite recipe is the following: 1 l of unsweetened sea buckthorn juice, 1 l of quince juice, 500 g of fresh ginger, 3 tablespoons of linden blossom honey, 1/2 teaspoon of Tabasco, and 100 ml of Fernet Branca. Pour boiling water over the ginger, let it sit for about 3 minutes, then strain, chop into pieces, and blend, filtering all the juice through cheesecloth. Combine all ingredients in a pot, stir, and heat to 70 degrees, maintaining this temperature for half an hour while stirring occasionally. Then let everything cool and pour into 50–70 ml sterilised containers. It is best to keep the vitamin shots in the refrigerator, but they can also be stored in a dry, cool place.»
Mārcis Ziemiņš, a designer and founder of Don’t Panic Design Solutions, works in different areas of design — as a graphic designer, he has worked at various advertising agencies, and for the past 10 years, since graduating from the Design Academy Eindhoven, he has created a wide range of environmental and product designs. Scenography, interactive installations, kinetic objects, and other cultural and entertainment solutions created by Mārcis have won countless international awards.
One of Mārcis’s latest designs is the Altar at Home candle, crafted in unique proportions — 190 cm in length and 5 cm in diameter — for which there is currently no equivalent in the world. This work is among the nominees for the National Design Award of Latvia 2026 in the product design category.
The National Design Award of Latvia is the highest honour in the field of design in Latvia, presented with the aim of identifying, evaluating, and promoting the achievements of Latvian designers, as well as encouraging the use of Latvian-created design and the development of the design industry. Learn more about the award on the competition’s website.
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