The Good Design Awards are chosen annually by The Chicago Athenaeum Museum of Architecture and Design in cooperation with The European Centre for Architecture, Art, Design and Urban Studies. Entries for design and innovation

Innovation

Innovation is the creation of better or more effective products, processes, technologies, or ideas that are accepted by markets, governments, and society...

, sustainability

Sustainability

Sustainability is the capacity to endure. For humans, sustainability is the long-term maintenance of well being, which has environmental, economic, and social dimensions, and encompasses the concept of union, an interdependent relationship and mutual responsible position with all living and non...

, creativity

Creativity

Creativity refers to the phenomenon whereby a person creates something new that has some kind of value. What counts as "new" may be in reference to the individual creator, or to the society or domain within which the novelty occurs...

, branding, ecologically responsible design, human factors, materials, technology

Technology

Technology is the making, usage, and knowledge of tools, machines, techniques, crafts, systems or methods of organization in order to solve a problem or perform a specific function. It can also refer to the collection of such tools, machinery, and procedures. The word technology comes ;...

, graphic arts

Graphic arts

A type of fine art, graphic art covers a broad range of art forms. Graphic art is typically two-dimensional and includes calligraphy, photography, drawing, painting, printmaking, lithography, typography, serigraphy , and bindery. Graphic art also consists of drawn plans and layouts for interior...

, packaging, and universal design

Universal design

Universal design refers to broad-spectrum ideas meant to produce buildings, products and environments that are inherently accessible to both people without disabilities and people with disabilities....

 are submitted annually by various industrial design

Industrial design

Industrial design is the use of a combination of applied art and applied science to improve the aesthetics, ergonomics, and usability of a product, but it may also be used to improve the product's marketability and production...

 and graphic design

Graphic design

Graphic design is a creative process – most often involving a client and a designer and usually completed in conjunction with producers of form – undertaken in order to convey a specific message to a targeted audience...

 firms working for the Fortune 500

Fortune 500

The Fortune 500 is an annual list compiled and published by Fortune magazine that ranks the top 500 U.S. closely held and public corporations as ranked by their gross revenue after adjustments made by Fortune to exclude the impact of excise taxes companies collect. The list includes publicly and...

 companies. All products and graphics must be designed, in production or manufactured for at least 2 years before the contest title year. One of the main factors for the awards selection is based on whether or not a product can enrich society and people's lives through its design. For example, over 500 of these awards have been given in 2009 by a New York

New York

New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...

 jury of design experts, representing the work of thousands of designers and industries that create design and manufacturing in 35 countries.

History

These trademarked awards were created in Chicago

Chicago

Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...

 in 1950 by three architects: Eero Saarinen

Eero Saarinen

Eero Saarinen was a Finnish American architect and industrial designer of the 20th century famous for varying his style according to the demands of the project: simple, sweeping, arching structural curves or machine-like rationalism.-Biography:Eero Saarinen shared the same birthday as his father,...

, Charles and Ray Eames

Charles and Ray Eames

Charles Ormond Eames, Jr and Bernice Alexandra "Ray" Eames were American designers, who worked in and made major contributions to modern architecture and furniture. They also worked in the fields of industrial and graphic design, fine art and film.-Charles Eames:Charles Eames, Jr was born in...

 and Edgar Kaufmann, Jr.

Edgar Kaufmann, jr.

Edgar Kaufmann, Jr. was an American architect, lecturer, and author.-Early years:He was the son of Edgar J. Kaufmann, a wealthy Pittsburgh businessman and philanthropist who owned Kaufmann's department store. Edgar Jr. attended the School for Arts and Crafts at the Austrian Museum of Applied Art...

. The black dot-shaped logo was designed the same year by the late Chicago graphic designer, Mort Goldsholl. The Good Design Awards aim to give international recognition for some designers and manufacturers when they devise innovative products, through invention and originality, beyond what is considered ordinary product and consumer design. These awards are not to be confused with The Good Design Award

Good Design Award

The is Japanese comprehensive design evaluation and commendation system, operated by Japan Industrial Design Promotion Organization . The system has its origins in the “Good Design Selection System” instituted by the Ministry of International Trade and Industry of Japan in 1957.The award system...

 operated by the Japan Industrial Design Promotion Organization. With the Red dot design award

Red dot design award

The Red Dot Design Award is an international product design prize awarded by the Design Zentrum Nordrhein Westfalen in Essen, Germany. There are prize categories for product design, design agencies, and design concepts. Since 1955, designers and producers can apply for the prizes with the winners...

 and the IF product design award

IF product design award

The iF Product Design Award was introduced in 1954 and is annually conferred by the iF International Forum Design. Every year the iF attracts more than 2,000 product entries from around 37 nations, which are judged by renowned experts, with the best of them receiving an iF seal of outstanding...

, it is perhaps one of the most important international product design awards. This ensures winners good press coverage in the industry. Miele Recognized with 2008 Good Design Awards, Appliance Magazine, Jan. 12, 2009, RKS Wins 8 Good Design Awards, Dexigner Design Portal, Jan. 16, 2010, International Council of Societies of Industrial Design

The annual Good Design Awards are organized by journalist Christian K. Narkiewicz-Laine, Museum President and CEO of The Chicago Athenaeum. "Good Design is the singular, international design awards program the entire design and corporate world waits for each year" states Mr. Narkiewicz-Laine. "Hundreds of leading winning manufacturers and Fortune 500 companies print the Good Design logo for awarded their products on their packaging, marketing information, advertising, websites, corporate information, posters, billboards, and branding."

Some observers have criticized these kind of design awards for being only aimed at boosting manufacturers' marketing. For example, Barbara Usherwood writes: "the design of the physical form is only one element within this environment, the parts of which must all work effectively to achieve the value of good or bad product design. Selected aspects of the product's environment should not merit good design awards if the environment as a whole is deficient in specific aspects."

In 2009, the Green Good Design Awards began providing for a more environment-oriented type of selection of products, organizations and people. For instance, the Kingdom of Sweden

Sweden

Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....

 and the Architect Stefan Behnisch were awarded. This new award system will follow onto 2010 and beyond. 2010 Green Good Design Awards Call for Entries, Interior Design, Oct. 14, 2009

Some categories of entries

• Kitchen appliances
• Floor covering
• Household
  Household
  The household is "the basic residential unit in which economic production, consumption, inheritance, child rearing, and shelter are organized and carried out"; [the household] "may or may not be synonymous with family"....
  
   products
• Office
  Office
  An office is generally a room or other area in which people work, but may also denote a position within an organization with specific duties attached to it ; the latter is in fact an earlier usage, office as place originally referring to the location of one's duty. When used as an adjective, the...
  
   products
• Children's products
• Sports and recreation
• Lighting
  Lighting
  Lighting or illumination is the deliberate application of light to achieve some practical or aesthetic effect. Lighting includes the use of both artificial light sources such as lamps and light fixtures, as well as natural illumination by capturing daylight...
  
  
• Electronics
  Electronics
  Electronics is the branch of science, engineering and technology that deals with electrical circuits involving active electrical components such as vacuum tubes, transistors, diodes and integrated circuits, and associated passive interconnection technologies...
  
  
• Medical equipment
  Medical equipment
  Medical equipment is designed to aid in the diagnosis, monitoring or treatment of medical conditions.-Types:There are several basic types:* Diagnostic equipment includes medical imaging machines, used to aid in diagnosis...
  
  
• Transportation
• Furniture
  Furniture
  Furniture is the mass noun for the movable objects intended to support various human activities such as seating and sleeping in beds, to hold objects at a convenient height for work using horizontal surfaces above the ground, or to store things...
  
  
• Textiles
• Industrial machinery
• Public environment
  Environment (biophysical)
  The biophysical environment is the combined modeling of the physical environment and the biological life forms within the environment, and includes all variables, parameters as well as conditions and modes inside the Earth's biosphere. The biophysical environment can be divided into two categories:...
  
  
• Robotics
  Robotics
  Robotics is the branch of technology that deals with the design, construction, operation, structural disposition, manufacture and application of robots...
  
   and bionics
  Bionics
  Bionics is the application of biological methods and systems found in nature to the study and design of engineering systems and modern technology.The word bionic was coined by Jack E...
  
  
• Hardware
  Hardware
  Hardware is a general term for equipment such as keys, locks, hinges, latches, handles, wire, chains, plumbing supplies, tools, utensils, cutlery and machine parts. Household hardware is typically sold in hardware stores....
  
  
• Tools and accessories
• Advertising
  Advertising
  Advertising is a form of communication used to persuade an audience to take some action with respect to products, ideas, or services. Most commonly, the desired result is to drive consumer behavior with respect to a commercial offering, although political and ideological advertising is also common...
  
  
• Packaging
• Graphics
  Graphics
  Graphics are visual presentations on some surface, such as a wall, canvas, computer screen, paper, or stone to brand, inform, illustrate, or entertain. Examples are photographs, drawings, Line Art, graphs, diagrams, typography, numbers, symbols, geometric designs, maps, engineering drawings,or...
  
  
• Branding
  Brand
  The American Marketing Association defines a brand as a "Name, term, design, symbol, or any other feature that identifies one seller's good or service as distinct from those of other sellers."...
  
  

Some Good Design Awards past recipients

3M Company, Alessi, Apple Computer, Inc., Tata Motors - for Tata Nano, Aston Martin

Aston Martin

Aston Martin Lagonda Limited is a British manufacturer of luxury sports cars, based in Gaydon, Warwickshire. The company name is derived from the name of one of the company's founders, Lionel Martin, and from the Aston Hill speed hillclimb near Aston Clinton in Buckinghamshire...

, Armstrong World Industries

Armstrong World Industries

Armstrong World Industries, Inc. is an international designer and manufacturer of floors, ceilings and cabinets. Based in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, Armstrong operates 40 plants in 10 countries and has approximately 12,300 employees worldwide. In 2006, Armstrong’s net sales were $3.42 billion, with...

, AT&T

AT&T

AT&T Inc. is an American multinational telecommunications corporation headquartered in Whitacre Tower, Dallas, Texas, United States. It is the largest provider of mobile telephony and fixed telephony in the United States, and is also a provider of broadband and subscription television services...

, Bang & Olufsen

Bang & Olufsen

Bang & Olufsen is a Danish company that designs and manufactures audio products, television sets and telephones. It was founded in 1925 by Peter Bang and Svend Olufsen, whose first significant product was a radio that worked with alternating current, when most radios were run from batteries...

, BMW

BMW

Bayerische Motoren Werke AG is a German automobile, motorcycle and engine manufacturing company founded in 1916. It also owns and produces the Mini marque, and is the parent company of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. BMW produces motorcycles under BMW Motorrad and Husqvarna brands...

, Bodum

Bodum

Bodum, Inc., is a tableware and kitchenware company founded in Copenhagen, Denmark, in 1944 by Peter Bodum. In 1978, the founder's son and new chief executive officer, Jørgen Bodum, moved the company to Switzerland to locate Bodum strategically in central Europe.Besides being known for the...

, Canal+

Canal+

Canal+ is a French premium pay television channel launched in 1984. It is 80% owned by the Canal+ Group, which in turn is owned by Vivendi SA. The channel broadcasts several kinds of programming, mostly encrypted...

, Continental Airlines

Continental Airlines

Continental Airlines was a major American airline now merged with United Airlines. On May 3, 2010, Continental Airlines, Inc. and UAL, Inc. announced a merger via a stock swap, and on October 1, 2010, the merger closed and UAL changed its name to United Continental Holdings, Inc...

, Bombardier Inc., Dassault Aviation

Dassault Aviation

Dassault Aviation is a French aircraft manufacturer of military, regional and business jets, a subsidiary of Dassault Group.It was founded in 1930 by Marcel Bloch as Société des Avions Marcel Bloch or "MB". After World War II, Marcel Bloch changed his name to Marcel Dassault, and the name of the...

, Dell Inc., Electrolux

Electrolux

The Electrolux Group is a Swedish appliance maker.As of 2010 the 2nd largest home appliance manufacturer in the world after Whirlpool, its products sell under a variety of brand names including its own and are primarily major appliances and vacuum cleaners...

, Dyson, Fiat

Fiat

FIAT, an acronym for Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino , is an Italian automobile manufacturer, engine manufacturer, financial, and industrial group based in Turin in the Italian region of Piedmont. Fiat was founded in 1899 by a group of investors including Giovanni Agnelli...

, Fisher & Paykel

Fisher & Paykel

Fisher & Paykel is a major appliance manufacturing company based in East Tamaki, New Zealand.Originally an importer of domestic refrigerators, Fisher & Paykel now holds over 420 patents and bases its identity on innovative design, particularly in the areas of usability and environmental...

, General Electric Company, Grundig

Grundig

Grundig AG is a German manufacturer of consumer electronics for home entertainment which transferred to Turkish control in 2004-2007. Established in 1945 in Nuremberg by Max Grundig, the company changed hands several times before becoming part of the Turkish Koç Holding group...

, Handpresso

Handpresso

Handpresso SARL is a French manufacturer of portable espresso machines. Founded in Fontainebleau in 2006 by Henrik Nielsen as a spin-off from Nielsen Innovation SARL. Handpresso has created and patented the World's first handheld espresso maker, Handpresso WILD ESE, which is sold in 25 countries....

, Herman Miller

Herman Miller (office equipment)

Herman Miller, Inc., based in Zeeland, Michigan, is a major American manufacturer of office furniture and equipment, as well as furniture for the home. It is notable as one of the first companies to produce modern furniture and, under the guidance of Design Director George Nelson, is likely the...

, Hewlett Packard Company, Hitachi

Hitachi

Hitachi is a multinational corporation specializing in high-technology.Hitachi may also refer to:*Hitachi, Ibaraki, Japan*Hitachi province, former province of Japan*Prince Hitachi and Princess Hitachi, members of the Japanese imperial family...

, Intel Corp., Japan Airlines

Japan Airlines

is an airline headquartered in Shinagawa, Tokyo, Japan. It is the flag carrier of Japan and its main hubs are Tokyo's Narita International Airport and Tokyo International Airport , as well as Nagoya's Chūbu Centrair International Airport and Osaka's Kansai International Airport...

, JCDecaux

JCDecaux

JCDecaux Group is a multinational corporation based in Neuilly-sur-Seine, France, that is active primarily in advertising....

, Knoll

Knoll (company)

Knoll is a design firm that produces office systems, seating, files and storage, tables and desks, textiles , and accessories for office and for the home. The company also manufactures furniture for the home by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Harry Bertoia, Florence Knoll , Frank Gehry, Maya Lin and...

, Logitech

Logitech

Logitech International S.A. is a global provider of personal peripherals for computers and other digital platforms headquartered in Romanel-sur-Morges, Switzerland. The company develops and markets products like peripheral devices for PCs, including keyboards, mice, microphones, game controllers...

, Melitta

Melitta

Melitta is a Germany-based company selling coffee, paper coffee filters, and coffee makers, part of the Melitta Group, which also has Melitta branches in other countries world-wide...

, Mercedes-Benz

Mercedes-Benz

Mercedes-Benz is a German manufacturer of automobiles, buses, coaches, and trucks. Mercedes-Benz is a division of its parent company, Daimler AG...

, Microsoft Corporation, Miele

Miele

Miele is a manufacturer of high-end domestic appliances, commercial equipment and fitted kitchens, based in Gütersloh, Germany. Miele has always been a family-owned and -run company, founded in 1899 by Carl Miele and Reinhard Zinkann.-History:...

, Moen

Moen (company)

Moen is a product line of faucets and other fixtures started by inventor Alfred M. Moen that is now part of the Fortune Brands Home & Security company. The Moen division is headquartered in North Olmsted, Ohio. Moen was originally part of Ravenna Metal Products of Seattle, Washington...

, Motorola Inc., NASA

NASA

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...

, Nestlé

Nestlé

Nestlé S.A. is the world's largest food and nutrition company. Founded and headquartered in Vevey, Switzerland, Nestlé originated in a 1905 merger of the Anglo-Swiss Milk Company, established in 1867 by brothers George Page and Charles Page, and Farine Lactée Henri Nestlé, founded in 1866 by Henri...

, New Holland Ag

New Holland Ag

New Holland is a full range manufacturer of agricultural machinery. New Holland agricultural products include tractors, combine harvesters, balers, haying tools, equipment used in lawn, grounds and turf care, grape harvesters....

, Qantas Airways, Porsche

Porsche

Porsche Automobil Holding SE, usually shortened to Porsche SE a Societas Europaea or European Public Company, is a German based holding company with investments in the automotive industry....

, Robert Bosch

Robert Bosch

Robert Bosch was a German industrialist, engineer and inventor, founder of Robert Bosch GmbH.-Biography:...

, Rockwell Collins, Inc., Royal Philips Electronics, Samsung Electronics

Samsung Electronics

Samsung Electronics is a South Korean multinational electronics and information technology company headquartered in Samsung Town, Seoul...

, Siemens

Siemens

Siemens may refer toSiemens, a German family name carried by generations of telecommunications industrialists, including:* Werner von Siemens , inventor, founder of Siemens AG...

, Steelcase

Steelcase

Steelcase is an international office furniture company founded in 1912 in Grand Rapids, Michigan — as The Metal Office Furniture Company. The company at the time specialized in file cabinets and safes. Today, the company sells products related to interior architecture, furniture and technology...

, Sub-Zero Refrigerator

Sub-Zero Refrigerator

Sub-Zero Refrigerator is a brand of residential refrigeration and wine preservation products built in the USA. The company also manufactures kitchen appliances under the Wolf brand name.- History :...

, United Technologies, Vodafone

Vodafone

Vodafone Group Plc is a global telecommunications company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the world's largest mobile telecommunications company measured by revenues and the world's second-largest measured by subscribers , with around 341 million proportionate subscribers as of...

, Volkswagen

Volkswagen

Volkswagen is a German automobile manufacturer and is the original and biggest-selling marque of the Volkswagen Group, which now also owns the Audi, Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini, SEAT, and Škoda marques and the truck manufacturer Scania.Volkswagen means "people's car" in German, where it is...

, Whirlpool Corporation