Message from Organizer
On behalf of the Japan Institute of Design Promotion, organizer of the Good Design Award program, it is my pleasure to announce the selection of this year's winners. I extend my sincere thanks and congratulations to all winners.
This year proved to be the busiest in recent memory, with 4,085 GDA entries screened. The 1,229 winning entries announced today were selected over a rigorous five-month screening process involving 76 international jury members. Screenings were held not only in Japan but also in South Korea, Taiwan, and Hong Kong.
Once again, commendable design of all kinds was recognized. The prevalence of entries for educational programs and services and disaster prevention and preparedness suggests that good design is helping people respond to current social needs. Indeed, it is striking how many socially relevant projects and ideas there are among the Good Design Best 100.
Also announced today were the six Good Design Grand Award candidates, which are somehow representative of this year's entries. Each is a compelling response to key topics or issues in Japan – education, IoT, emergency preparedness, agriculture, or community revitalization. Each can be seen as symbolic, demonstrating what design can do for society.
Award winners announced today will be widely introduced at the various Good Design Exhibition events, held from today through November. The series of events kicks off with an exhibition at Good Design Marunouchi, where visitors are invited to vote for one of the six candidates for this year's Grand Award winner. After voting by Good Design Marunouchi visitors, jury members, and award winners, a single Grand Award winner will be determined and announced on October 28. I trust that the design of the candidates on display will resonate with many at the event.
This date also marks the start of the next exhibition, highlighting jury favorites, which is held at Tokyo Midtown Design Hub. Here, individual award winners are introduced with commentary from our 76 jury members on the value of the distinctive design work.
This year's program culminates in a finale starting at the end of October in Tokyo Midtown – Good Design Exhibition 2016. By showcasing all winning entries, holding designer presentations for the Good Design Best 100, and organizing other special events that provide opportunities for many to enjoy and experience award-winning design, we are promoting good design and encouraging more work of this quality.
At the exhibition and afterward, we invite you to see what the Good Design Award program has in store.
Sep. 29 2016
Japan Institute of Design Promotion
President : Atsushi Oi
Message from Chairman
As good design becomes more pervasive, we can perceive social issues and people's needs with greater clarity. Expectations of sound design are changing, from an era where the role of design was mainly refining or creating things to one where everyday life is improved by finding what people need through careful reflection.
Surveying Good Design Award winners this year, we sense that nothing specific dominates this collection of design work. Instead, each entry is an honest attempt to fill some niche, and when viewed together, they afford a panorama of everyday life. We see design that questions things once taken for granted and extends their role a little. Design that builds on existing practices, such as renovation, while drawing out new possibilities. Design consisting of multiple, mutually complementary elements that form a larger arrangement. Or design that carefully incorporates advanced technology into our lives or society in general.
Besides evaluating entries, the award program looks for the larger context of design and relevant viewpoints, uncovers the latent potential of entries, and broadly shares this knowledge. Once again this year, we found many exemplary entries of this kind. Looking ahead, we will be taking many opportunities to promote this award-winning design and convey its value to the public in a variety of ways. We hope that, in a complex and uncertain age, the results of this year's program show the potential of good design in building a better world.
Sep. 29 2016
Good Design Award 2016
Chairman : Kazufumi Nagai
Good Design Award 2016
Vice Chairman : Fumie Shibata