This year, the Good Design Award program welcomed Chairman Kazufumi Nagai and Vice Chairman Fumie Shibata as we examined the potential of good design in society more closely. Knowing that expert design is now found in a broader range of fields, and that people interpret design more broadly, we introduced Focused Issues to guide this year’s screenings and explain the significance of award-winning design to the public.
Design inevitably reveals itself to us when, with some sense of purpose, we consider how to change a situation. It is no exaggeration to claim that the business of design carries society forward. Behind the design of each of the many diverse entries in the award program lies an intent to affect society in some way, and interpreting this stance correctly is paramount. With this in mind, despite the tendency to evaluate design within distinct categories such as consumer products, architecture, software, services, and so on, we view it as important to uncover and expand upon the substantial underlying thinking and future potential shared by design entries of all kinds.
Toward this end, Focused Issues that bring an array of entries into clearer focus not only provide useful perspectives in design evaluation, they also link design efforts to a variety of social conditions and concerns. Moreover, essays by the 12 authorities on each Focused Issue show how design is evolving to support future needs.
Through the Focused Issues, we will be taking the opportunity of the program’s 60th anniversary next year to elaborate on the insight of good design and expand the scope of our work.