General Impressions 2009

Good Design Awards have been an ongoing opportunity to ask ourselves "What's good?" in design for more than half a century, and this year was no exception. Design must enrich the world somehow, and design supported by consumers may shape our future. The award screenings are a significant way to chart a course in the right direction by identifying entries with this potential. I believe this perception is shared among members of the screening committee.
Last year, imagining consumer perspectives in the near future to judge good design became a primary guideline of ours. The stance is unchanged this year. And despite the economic turbulence in 2008, as usual we received many entries in 2009. This commitment to design is an underlying strength of ours in Japan; the screenings convince me of this.
Environmental consciousness was a prominent trend this year, as might be expected. Already, eco-friendly design is becoming less something to boast about than something taken for granted as a given. Times are changing, and we can see a shift from ideological environmentalism to a constant awareness of these issues in everyday matters. People are focusing on what is possible through design predicated on environmental soundness. The trend will probably continue for some time.
Consciousness of environmental issues is obviously good. To judge good design, then, we must now ask ourselves how this consciousness is expressed through design, and if these eco-friendly qualities are being presented to consumers in clear and compelling ways. In designers' approaches, I believe we can find indicators of what makes their design good design.