Best design

Businessweek just announced the best of global design for 2008. Industrial design that is, and some great products there. The article mentions some stats about the winners, that shed a clear light on the current state in the industrial design market:

IDEO, based in Palo Alto, Calif., led the innovation/design consultancies by taking seven awards. Fuseproject came in second, with five; and Ziba and Whipsaw tied for third, with four apiece. France’s Decathlon came in first among corporations, with six IDEAs to Apple’s four. Denmark’s Eva Solo and Motorola won four awards each. Sony and Samsung earned three. Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, Calif., dominated among design schools, with three silvers and three bronzes. All other top winners were Asian and European: Hongik University, Seoul National University, Hanyang University, and Samsung Design Membership from Korea, Britain’s Royal College of Art, and Germany’s University of Wuppertal. The U.S. won just over half of the awards, with Europe taking 23%, Asia 18%, and South America 6%.

My favorites:

mobile device charger

Gotta love the simplicity and cuteness.

About the Author

Rik is one of the founders of Klatergoud. He's the marketing director of Intivation, a technology company that develops solar powered consumer devices, and a graduate of Delft University of Technology with degrees in Applied Physics and Strategic Product Design. He writes about entrepreneurship, design, business concepts, innovation and marketing. Rik loves his iPhone, the Eagles of Death Metal, things Tom Ford makes, bespoke suits, and Jack Daniels and he hates a rainy day. Find more here.