Now in its 71st year, the Chicago product design award, GOOD DESIGN, is the world’s most prestigious, recognized, and oldest Design Awards program. It is organized annually by The Chicago Athenaeum Museum of Architecture and Design in cooperation with the European Centre for Architecture, Art, Design and Urban Studies and Metropolitan Arts Press, Ltd.
Top product design agency MAKO Design + Invent received a GOOD DESIGN Award for the CNCT cooler. Custom designed for Tesla vehicles, the CNCT fits in the trunk of the Model 3. In addition, it fits in the trunk and the frunk of the Model S, X, and Y. This durable rotomolded polyurethane cooler keeps up to 17 liters of your contents fresh for up to two days. Most notably, however, inspired by the Tesla vehicles, embedded in the sides of the cooler are two metallic handles. These handles eject and lock into place with a simple press. What’s even more exciting is that they’re gearing up for a re-launch!
About the GOOD DESIGN Chicago Product Design Award
GOOD DESIGN covers new consumer products, graphics, and packaging. All designed and manufactured in Europe, Asia, Africa, and North and South America.
The trademarked, historic Chicago product design awards program was founded in 1950. It was founded by architects: Eero Saarinen, Charles and Ray Eames and Edgar Kaufmann, Jr. and is continued now for 70 years.
In 1950, a jury convened for the first time to assess the best designs of the day.
And now, 71 years later, GOOD DESIGN has been officially synonymous with the leading and best contemporary design produced around the world.
In fact, for seven decades, hundreds of thousands of leading winning designers, manufacturers, and global companies print the Good Design logo for awarded products on their packaging, marketing information, advertising, websites, corporate information, posters, billboards, and branding to the widest international consumer audience.
GOOD DESIGN is the most sought-after international seal of outstanding design quality.
Indeed, for 2021, over 1,100 new products and graphic designs were selected and awarded from over 49 countries. Specifically, products and designs for new electronics, transportation, medical equipment, protective equipment, energy systems, robotics, and bionics, building products/materials, furniture, textiles, industrial, environments, hardware, bath and accessories, kitchen/appliances, floor and wallcovering, tabletop, household products, personal, office products, transportation, children’s products, sports and recreation, lighting, tools and graphics, branding and packaging from Europe, Asia, Australia, and the Americas.
The Prized GOOD DESIGN Awards for 2021
“Good Design is one of the most powerful forces in our lives,” states Christian Narkiewicz-Laine, architecture critic and the Museum’s chief curator of Good Design.
In fact, in 2021, several thousand designers and visionary companies from over 55 countries entered the competition.
The international jury comprised of experienced experts from different disciplines selected this year’s best designs. In addition, the adjudication process lasted several days and was based on the original GOOD DESIGN program essential criteria. Criteria written back in 1950. The jurors tested all of the entries in order to assess not just the aesthetic merit of each entry. Additionally, materials selected, the level of craftsmanship, the surface structure, ergonomics, innovation, sustainability, and functionality.
GOOD DESIGN Evaluation Process
After intensive evaluation, the jury selected the best-designed products and graphics. Moreover, they made their decisions based on the design quality of the products and graphics true to the historic motto “In search of GOOD DESIGN.”
However, only the best of the best designs received an award.
The 71st Good Design Jury included: Martin Ballendat, Design Ballendat; William de Boer, UN Studio; Dick van Gameren, Mecanoo Architecten; Massimo Iosa Ghini, Iosa Ghini Associates; Alexander Lamis, Architect and Designer; Claudio Silvestrin, Claudio Silvestrin Architects; Michael Sohn, Alstom; Robergt Woolston, DCA International; and Woody Yao, Zaha Hadid Architects.
“Good Design defines the way we approach designing objects and places across the globe – keeping consumers’ needs central to the mission and aspirations of designers and manufacturers to ‘Shape Living for a Better Future’,” states Narkiewicz-Laine. “This philosophy recognizes and values the impact design has in people’s lives, understanding that design is not just about the object created. But also about the experience and how it makes us feel, think, and learn. Good Design celebrates the game changers, the innovators, the visionaries, and the pioneers and rewards the brilliant minds who believe our world can be better a better place through design.”
Of course, you’ll find the awarded products, graphics, and environments for this year’s Good Design in the 2021-2022 Year Book. This yearbook is available from Metropolitan Arts Press Ltd. at metropolitanartspress.com.
GOOD DESIGN’s Chief Curator on the 2021 Laureates:
“From the thousands of designers and manufacturers who participated this year, the winners of GOOD DESIGN for 2021 have proved that they have created excellent products worthy of winning an award. The products won over the jury not only through their aesthetic, but also thanks to their incomparable functionality. With their designs, the award winners are setting the highest standards in their industry. I wish to congratulate them most sincerely on their continued success,” said Christian Narkiewicz-Laine, Architecture Critic and Chief Curator of Good Design
For more details on the awarded winners, visit the Museum’s website at gooddesign.org.
About: MAKO Design + Invent is the original firm providing world-class consumer product development services tailored to startups, small manufacturers, and inventors. Simply put, we are the leading one-stop-shop for developing your physical product from idea to store shelves, all in a high-quality, cost-effective, and timely manner. We operate as one powerhouse 30-person product design team spread across 4 offices to serve you (Austin, Miami, San Francisco, & Toronto). We have full-stack in-house industrial design, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, patent referral, prototyping, and manufacturing services. To assist our startup and inventor clients, in addition to above, we help with business strategy, product strategy, marketing, and sales/distribution for all consumer product categories. Also, our founder Kevin Mako hosts The Product Startup Podcast, the industry's leading hardware podcast. Check it out for tips, interviews, and best practices for hardware startups, inventors, and product developers. Click HERE to learn more about MAKO Design + Invent!
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