With an exhibition set up at the ADI Design Museum, hundreds of the products entered into the Italian Association for Industrial Design’s 27th Compasso d’Oro Award will displayed to the public until September 11. Development, sustainability, and responsibility were the key themes of this year’s competition, the winners of which received their awards on June 20 at an event held in the Milanese piazza named after the award, overlooked by the museum itself. With Italy’s Minister of Economic Development, Giancarlo Giorgetti, in attendance, twenty Compasso d’Oro Awards went to the same number of products and services. Highlights among the entries included a die-cast aluminum chair, the first pedal-assisted electric cargo bike, a robotic hand, and a magnetic sliding door system (ØG™ Zero Gravity manufactured by Secco Sistemi). But there was also a cooperative home delivery platform, the Io public services app, and a 3D-printed valve that makes it possible to transform diving masks into intensive care respirators.
Besides the twenty Compasso d’Oro Awards that recognized designers and manufacturers, Compasso d’Oro Career Awards went to nine Italian professionals (Giovanni Anceschi, Francesco Binfaré, Giulio Cappellini, Antonio Citterio, Brunello Cucinelli, Michele De Lucchi, Rossana Orlandi , Rosy Vago, and Giancarlo Zanatta) and three more from around the world (Lidewij Edelkoort, Hans Muth, and Peter Opsvik). On top of that, three long-selling products that have been successful on the market for decades were awarded. Finally, 25 Honorable Mentions were assigned to products on the basis of their quality and sustainability. They included Wakeup, the eco-friendly finish by Molteni Vernici, and La Linea, a flexible light tube by Artemide. Finally, three prizes and nine certificates were awarded under the “Targa Giovani” category, dedicated to student projects.
>>> Watch the episode of The Architects Series on Michele De Lucchi
The 23rd Compasso d’Oro Award saw 292 entries judged by a jury comprising Mario Cucinella, Stefano Micelli, Cloe Piccoli, and Mirko Zardini, and chaired by Annachiara Sacchi. Two hundred twenty-one of these products are now on display at an exhibition, with exhibit design by Perla Gianni Falvo, Carlo Malerba, and Marco Predari. The exhibition catalog’s graphic design was the work of Wladimiro Bendandi / D+ studio.
“The profound transformations that design is called upon to interpret – from the environmental crisis to economic and social inequalities – push design culture in a variety of directions, from the conscious use of our planet’s resources to the creation of objects that contribute to the inclusion of different sections of civil society”.
“Design, Italian design in particular,” said ADI President Luciano Galimberti, “operates in the reality of the everyday, and this reality can’t be limited to mission statements. Italian design should be seen as a stockpile of proposals to solve the problems of living, with all the limitations a proposal can have as well as all the strength and courage of those who make a stand”.
“There’s been a shift in focus,” observed Umberto Cabini, president of the ADI Foundation, “so that sensitivity to environmental and social issues is now a feature of almost every entry. The 23rd Compasso d’Oro Award mirrors this attitude and the establishment of a new awareness shared by designers, companies, and consumers”.
>>> You have until July 14 to register for THE PLAN Award 2022, an annual international award for excellence in architecture, interior design, and urban planning with 20 categories, including INDUSTRIAL DESIGN, dedicated to design products and interior architecture systems
Please refer to the individual images in the gallery to look through the photo credits