For the Good Design Award 2020, a total of about 90 judges, chaired by Takashi Ashitomi and vice-chair Seiichi Saito, reviewed the entries from a variety of perspectives.
Our Ideals
| HUMANITY | the creativity that guides the making of things |
|---|---|
| HONESTY | the ability to clearly see the nature of modern society |
| INNOVATION | the vision to open up the future |
| ESTHETICS | the imagination to evoke a rich life and culture |
| ETHICS | the thoughtfulness to shape society and the environment |
Screening perspectives
Human perspective
- Whether due considerations, including usability, understandability, and friendliness, etc., are given to users
- Whether various considerations, including safety, security, environment, physically weak persons, etc., are given to maintain the credibility
- Whether the design gains sympathy of users
- Whether the design has attractiveness and induces users' creativity
Industrial perspective
- Whether issues are skillfully solved by using new technology and materials or through creativity
- Whether the item is reasonably designed or planned with appropriate technology, method, and quality
- Whether the item contributes to the creation of new industry or business
Social perspective
- Whether the item contributes to the creation of new culture, such as a new method, lifestyle, communication, etc.
- Whether the item contributes to the realization of the sustainable society
- Whether the item suggests new value, such as a new method, concept, style, etc. to society
Time perspective
- Whether the item puts past contexts and accumulated achievements to propose new value.
- Whether the item proposes a highly sustainable solution from medium- and long-term perspectives.
- Whether the item represents continual improvements in accordance with the times.
Project Policies for This Year
GOOD DESIGN AWARD 2020 adheres to the process of "Discover, Share and Innovation", and once again emphasizes the most important attitude of "thinking from the perspective of others" when doing design, in view of social problems and goals that should be achieved, performs a function that shows design solutions to society. Below is a summary of the implementation.
Discovery of good design domestically & overseas and application promotion
During the application period when the outbreak of COVID-19 and state of emergency, Good Design Award took prompt measures such as online briefing sessions and individual consultation sessions to make sure that the applicants understand the thinking of the chairman, vice-chairmen and respond carefully to the applicants' questions. In addition, SNS is actively used both at home and abroad to call for the good designs with possibilities.
Centralized implementation of the 2nd Screening Panel
Since 2011, all entry works ware reviewed again in the Japanese screening venue. The distinction between country or region was cancelled, and all entry works were classified according to professional categories and reviewed. In particular, the fast-growing entry works from China Mainland have added a strong international touch to this 2nd Screening Panel.
Strengthening for information dissemination of business results
In addition to the award-winning work materials as the screening result, various content from the screening process, such as Best100 Presentation, Screening report meeting, Focused Issues will be launched. In order to make it easier for applicants, design stakeholders, design students, and the general public who are interested in design to obtain information more conveniently, we will use live distribution and video archive, SNS and other methods to strengthen the information dissemination.
Rules & Regulations
-> Principal Regulations for the Good Design Award 2020 (PDF/70KB)
-> Application Regulations for the Good Design Award 2020 (PDF/90KB)
-> Judgment Regulations for the Good Design Award 2020 (PDF/60KB)
-> Outline of G Mark Usage Rules (Good Design Award 2020) (PDF/50KB)
Good Design Award 2020 Schedule
Good Design Award Application period (April 2 - June 2)
1st Screening period (June 3 - July 1)
Entries were divided into screening units and judging was executed.
Results notification of the 1st screening (July 2)
2nd Screening period (July 10 - September 3)
2nd Screening Panel and Selection of the "Good Design Best100" ware held at Aichi Sky Expo.
2nd Screening Panel and Selection of the "Good Design Best100"(Venue: Aichi Sky Expo) (August 18 - 20)
For subjects who passed the 1st screening, we conducted a secondary screening using the actual products, panel board or other documents. The screening panel was closed door, and Day 2 was conducted the "Hearing Screening".
Based on the cooperation with Thailand, India, Singapore, Turkey and Indonesia, the responsible unit conducted the screening.
Recommended "Good Design Best 100" candidate from each unit which juries selected was inspected by juries: chairman, vice-chairmen, unit leaders of all units, and Focused Issues directors.
Good Design Award and Best 100 Board (August 28)
The chairman and vice-chairmen confirmed the results of the 2nd Screening.
Results notification of 2nd screening (September 4)
With regard to the Good Design Award and the Good Design Best 100, screening results were notified through the entry site.
Announcement of the award results (October 1)
Good Design Award 2020 winners and the Good Design Best 100 winners were announced.
→ GOOD DESIGN BEST 100
Good Design Special Award Panel (October 8)
→ Good Design BEST100 presentation screening panel
GOOD DESIGN SHOW 2020 (October 1 - November 30)
An event entitled "GOOD DESIGN SHOW 2020" will be held mainly on the online project on the special website, along with the real exhibition with unique theme.
→ GOOD DESIGN SHOW 2020
Good Design Best 100 Exhibition (October 1 – November 3)
The exhibition for Best 100 will be held at the Midtown Design HUB.
→ Good Design Best 100 Exhibition
Good Design Best 100 Presentation (October 8)
Good Design Best 100 Presentation will be delivered live on YouTube.
→ Good Design Best 100 Presentation
Good Design Special Award Panel (October 8)
Good Design Special Award Panel will be held privately by juries: chairman, vice-chairmen, unit leaders of all units, and Focused Issues directors.
LONG LIFE DESIGN EXHIBITION 2020 (October 30 – November 8)
The award-winning works of Good Design Long Life Design Award will be displayed at 21_21 DESIGN SIGHT Gallery 3.
My Favorite Design 2020 Exhibition (November 2 - 29)
An exhibition introducing personal favorite award-winning designs selected by the Good Design Award 2020 juries.
→ My Favorite Design 2020 Exhibition
Yearbook "GOOD DESIGN AWARD 2020" Publish (March 2021)
Message from Chair（April 2, 2020）
We are now facing a myriad of global issues that need to be addressed, as in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set forth by the United Nations. More and more products and services entering for the Good Design Award offer solutions to the issues at hand with their original design. What they have in common is that their development is driven by the strong motivation to respond to the needs and wants of the people. The design acts as a medium for people to communicate their sympathy for each other. The functions and features that manifest externally on products and services are an instrument that gives a concrete shape to the emotions. While the instrument can be developed with technology, the interpersonal exchange of feelings is based on the meta-level communication skills that humans are born with and transcend the use of words. Design is always seen as an instrument containing the expression of sympathy for each other.This sympathy is exactly what allows the implementation of the instrument for the society and people.
As I write this message, coronavirus is spreading worldwide, greatly affecting everyone in this time of uncertainty. While the fundamental solution to this problem is dependent on medical science, the lack of face masks and other necessities in this time of crisis cannot be solved by medicine. I believe that the solution to such problem lies in the power of design, which can create an instrument that takes into account the feelings arising out of sympathy. The instrument could be a system or a product. What is important for design is not differentiation in terms of the output method, but whether the instrument reflects the feelings of the people.
One of the significances of participating in the Good Design Award is that it allows the designers to see a variety of designs of the same era from a higher perspective and take a subjective view of their own design. As the domain covered by design continues to expand, it becomes challenging to compare different designs by their superficial layers. However, taking a closer look at the instrument and expression of sympathy for each other incorporated in the design allows designers to acknowledge their position and reexamine the appropriateness of their approach, regardless of the shape and appearance of the design. This undoubtedly offers a hint for a brighter future. I hope to see a rich variety of entries for this year's award.
Takashi Ashitomi
Chair of Good Design Award 2020
Message from Vice Chair（April 2, 2020）
The world is inundated with objects, both tangible and intangible. They are all designs that originate from someone's idea and are creations crafted by hand. How many of those objects attempt to improve people's lives and continue to do so in order to change the world for the better through design? It doesn't matter whether it manifests in the product directly or indirectly. What is important is that product development is driven by the desire to make things better. As one of the judges of the Good Design Award, I always do my best to look for as many entries as possible that stem from such sincerity.
We live in an era that could be referred to as the beginning of the formation of "Anthropocene" In other words, we are likely to continuously face unpredictable events that are outside of the normal order of things. This may be attributed to the fact that we have forgotten the philosophical question of who we are and have lost sight of the changes happening in the world by becoming so wrapped up in technological advances.
What can design do in this day and age? The judges this year will be holding discussions about this big question at great length to find the most suitable guidelines unique to the times.
Succeeding the context exhibited in the themes, "beauty" from two years ago and "power to resonance" from last year, this year's Good Design Award goes a step further to take on the theme "sympathy for each other." Under the current circumstances where big changes are happening, it becomes important to go beyond the power of individual efforts and set off a large tidal wave that transcends existing industries and scale and that blurs the boundaries between tangible and intangible objects. I strongly believe that senses, sensibilities and emotions together contribute to the creation of design that is needed by the society and people all over the world. I look forward to encountering many powerful entries that show "sympathy for each other" this year.
Seiichi Saito
Vice Chair of Good Design Award 2020