Call for 2019 entries.

Good Design Australia is calling for Australian and international entries to the 2019 Good Design Awards. The program is one of the oldest international design awards, promoting excellence in design and innovation since 1958.

It carries 10 design disciplines across 28 sub-categories, assessed against design criteria that include: good design, design innovation and design impact. The awards has one of the most rigorous design evaluation processes in the industry and one of only a few that conducts these face-to-face.  The judging panel assesses each entry to select winners of the award and a design seal of approval that promotes the highest quality in design and innovation.

For Good Design Australia CEO, Dr Brandon Gien, design’s time has finally arrived. With so much attention on the environment the world is looking for alternative answers, although design is not going to solve all of them, he said. “A design-led approach will certainly provide a different way of addressing these problems,” he told Appliance Retailer.

Gien is also excited about how design thinking is now being applied to the complex problems facing society. “How do we re-design our energy market? How do we infuse design thinking into our healthcare system? How can government use design to create better policy?”

These are the big questions fuelling the need and appetite for design, he said.  “While design will always be there to serve a consumer-driven market and encourage the need for better products, services, architecture and experiences,  the application of design and design-led innovation towards these bigger issues is what will continue to grow the design industry and also attract the recognition it deserves.”

He said this year’s event is going to be more about consistency to help build on the 60-year heritage of the awards.  “Consistency around our message that good design leads to better, more efficient and more sustainable products, services, systems and spaces. We want to hammer this message over and over again so that business and government leaders get it.”

Changes made last year was to refine evaluation criteria that really tested the jury and forced them to ask tough questions when selecting projects for the Good Design Award. “I hope to see this debate roll into 2019 and help lift the standard of good design to even greater heights,” he said.

Entries close March 28, 2019. For more information go to: mail@good-design.org

A Good Design Forum is being held in South Australia on February 13 at Flinders University, Tonsley.

The forum will deliver insights and perspectives on design-led innovation and how it can transform products, services and businesses to be more efficient and competitive.  Speakers are Monash University adjunct professor, Murray Camens; Brabham Automotive director, Christian Reynolds and Good Design Australia CEO, Dr Brandon Gien.