JIDPO Unveils 2008 Good Design Award Best-15 Winners
2009/06/26 | By Quincy Liang
Likely one of the most anticipated design events globally, regardless of the chilly economic climate worldwide in the winter of 2008, the 52nd Good Design Award 2008 or more popularly known as the "G-Mark" and its organizer The Japan Industrial Design Promotion Organization (JIDPO) had announced the "Good Design Award Best 15" winners picked from 1,067 entries, with these 15 regarded as the cream of the crop. Almost gilding the lily, the jury members and qualified voters also had to choose among the Best-15 the ultimate honor: the winner of the "Good Design Grand Prize," with the other 14 to be Good Design Gold Prize winners.
As in most contests and to build a degree of anticipation, the voting for the Grand Award was during the finale, the award ceremony, held at the Tokyo Mid-Town Hall on November 6.
Deservedly one of the standard-bearers among its peers as iF, red dot and IDEA, the G-Mark traces its roots as far as 1957, when The Japan Industrial Design Promotion Organization was founded as the "Good Design Council" by the ex-Ministry of International Trade and Industry in Japan, and since 1998 has become the only organization in Japan devoted to promoting design activities. One can hardly detract from the contagiously positive effects of, whether directly or otherwise, the design-promotion efforts of the G-Mark over the years; after all Japanese makers and designers have created some of the most sought-after, successful products and brands in a variety of segments, including the Datsun 510 and 240Z, Nissan GT-R, Nikon, Mazda Miata and RX7, Acura NSX, Sony, Hitachi, Wii, Toyota and Lexus.
Two New Categories
According to the Good Design Award organizer, the 2008 version, though focusing more on entries from local designers, received 3,023 entries competing for the highest design prizes in Japan, which consists of four categories: Product Design, Architecture and Environment Design, Communication Design, and New Territory Design; while two new categories have been added to the 52nd event-Sustainable Design and Life-Scape Design.
The JIDPO pointed out the practical criteria underlying the judging of the 2008 Good Design Awards, where the jurors tried to evaluate the entries through the eyes of end users. In other words, how well do the products serve users? However, the winners also have been selected for addressing "imagining life in the near future and setting lifestyle trends for the next generation."
The Toyota iQ, a micro-urban car likely designed to rival the Smart, drew huge media at an European car show in 2007, had been voted by award winners, jurors and the Adjudication Board as the winner of the Grand Award this year. Besides featuring an under-chassis fuel tank to maximize cabin space, the iQ is especially relevant as an urban transport solution, carrying a premium Japanese car brand whose quality is a thorn in the sides of global leaders as Mercedes and BMW, in an age of volatile gas prices and increasingly crowded cities.
2008 Good Design Award Best-15 and Grand Prize Winners
Automobile [iQ] (Grand Prize Award Winner)
Company: Toyota Motor Corp.
Designer: Toyota Motor Corp.
The iQ is a "micro-premium" car, seriously developed for environmental and energy issues. A newly designed platform enables an ultra-efficient package that seats four in a vehicle 2,985mm long. The iQ's unique styling creates a sense of sophistication and presence that belies the car's size. A 1.0-liter engine delivers outstanding cruising and environmental performance, offers fuel efficiency at the highest levels for its displacement. It also boasts fuel efficiency of 23.0km/l in the 10-15 Japanese test cycle and 21.0km/l in the JC08 test cycle.
The iQ is highly responsive at low and medium speeds, provides stable cruising performance at high speeds, and has a minimum turning radius of 3.9 meters-one of the shortest in the industry. In addition, a S-VSC (Steering-assisted Vehicle Stability Control) system and a total of nine airbags are standard on all models to provide outstanding safety performance.
Humanoid robot [Omnibot17mu i-SOBOT]
Company: TOMY Co., Ltd.
Designer: Fumiaki Sonoda.
The world's smallest bipedal humanoid robot, as certified by Guinness World Records in 2007. At 16.5 cm tall and 350 g (1/10th as tall and 1/150th as heavy as a person), i-SOBOT comes fully assembled and is easy to control. The little robot is equipped with 17 customized micro servo-motors, as well as a gyro-sensor to keep it balanced when walking. Voice control is possible using particular commands, and users can easily program a series of actions with the controller. i-SOBOT can speak in a variety of voices and play sound effects and music in sync with motion, from a repertoire of nearly 200 action presets.
Cloth [Hana-hukin]
Company: Nakagawa-masashichi-syouten
Designer: Nakagawa Masashichi Shoten Co., Ltd.
Cloth for household use, made of a pure cotton fabric formerly used as mosquito netting (a specialty of Nara, Japan). Mosquito netting has declined in demand, due to changing lifestyles, but this manufacturer appreciated the fabric's absorbency and durability and reintroduced it in dishcloths. The cloths are large yet thin, easily folded for use and then spread out to dry. They can be used both to wipe away moisture and to keep one's home clean. Generously sized, the versatile cloths can dry tableware, cover or wrap things, and much more. Over time, the cloths become soft and supple, and eventually, they make good rags
Assembly type Japanese-style room [HAKO-IE]
Company: Sakamoto Urushi Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
Designer: Asao Sakamoto
People have long created private spaces by setting up folding screens. This designer capitalized on the age-old custom by applying skillfully adapted techniques of traditional carpentry (used to create box-like structures in Japanese furniture and Buddhist altars by enclosing the ceiling and floor between special beams) to develop a build-it-yourself Japanese-style room called Hako-Ie, or "box house." Crafted of fine materials and requiring not a single nail or screw, it is sturdy enough to be assembled and disassembled repeatedly
Dwelling House [Mado no ie]
Company: Ryohin Keikaku Co., Ltd.
Designer: MUJI. net Co., Ltd.
The mado no ie ("window house") prefabricated house was developed from the concept of building houses around people's lifestyles. A key element in this example of a house designed around-and designed to enrich-the owners' lives is the windows. Windows are initially links between the inside and outside of the home, apertures that bring light in. But ultimately, windows frame views of the world shared among family members, and they nurture growing minds that enjoy these shared perspectives.
Apartment [FLEG Bird Park]
Company: F.L.E.G. International Co., Ltd.
Designer: Hiroshi Nakamura & NAP Co., Ltd.
Housing complex, in a prime location in downtown Tokyo. Before construction, the developers faced a choice regarding the stately forest covering the site. Although the land is expensive, they would have hated to clear the lot, so they pondered just how to keep the trees while securing enough floor space. The first step was to call in tree specialists to examine the state of the forest and pinpoint the root systems. This information helped the developers built the foundation walls away from roots. Curved underground beams diverge from the root systems. All thick limbs were measured during surveying and are represented three-dimensionally in digital images.
Commercial high-volume offset printing presses for standard-sized sheets. Brochures, catalogs, packaging, art magazines, and other fine printing applications generally involve offset sheet-fed presses, and the DIAMOND 3000 series can print up to 16,200 single-sided sheets per hour. It was developed for high performance in a stylish, user-friendly format. More convenient than previous models, this series incorporates new mechanism for faster startup. Operators can check the status of each unit on a multifunction beam. In this way, the developers blend performance and ergonomic, "soft geometric" shapes.
LAN sheet [LAN sheet]
Company: Itoki Corporation
Designer: Tsuyoshi Shiratori.
New LAN system, in the form of a table runner that restricts airborne signals nearby. Unlike wired LAN equipment, this seamless solution eliminates the hassle of connecting cables. And unlike wireless LAN equipment, it keeps signals within a secure area to prevent unauthorized access that some wireless networks are susceptible to. No inconvenient wiring work is required. Installation is easy-simply replace your existing hub.
SIA Aoyama Building [SIA Aoyama Building]
Company: Simplex Investment Advisors Inc.
Designer: Jun Aoki/ Shinichi Tokuda
This building was developed to address two themes. In a trendsetting area with a greater mix of workplaces among homes, can we design office buildings that are at once landmarks yet not out of place? And can we design office buildings that redefine workspaces and invite people to see them in new ways? The architects expressed their answer to these questions externally in an unembellished white tower, with an arrangement of windows in various sizes, and internally in how tenants experience spacious rooms that are much airier than most office buildings because each floor is 6.4 m tall.
Automobiles [FCX Clarity]
Company: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
Designer: Yozo Takagi, Honda R&D Co., Ltd.
The FCX Clarity offers significantly better environmental performance as a zero-emissions vehicle. To interest more people and convey the new potential and appeal of fuel cell cars, the developers sought a fresh sedan layout clearly different from vehicles with traditional internal combustion engines. Their approach took advantage of the freedom in the power plant layout of this innovative V Flow platform. The developers also made this new layout comfortable enough for regular use as a four-passenger sedan, ensured ample storage space in the trunk and elsewhere, and in other aspects of exterior and interior design made the FCX Clarity more than just a vehicle that supports environment measures.
Digital Still Camera [RICOH GR DIGITAL II]
Company: Ricoh Co., Ltd.
Designer: Tatsuo Okuda etc.
Camera for professional and advanced amateur photographers. The GR lens for definition and low distortion, extending to image edges. Sturdy yet light die-cast magnesium body slim enough to slip into a pocket (25 mm). Electronic leveling keeps images level when viewed on the LCD monitor. Highly customizable and powerful function buttons and personal setting mode, refined from previous models. Built-in pop-up flash, manually operated to prevent errors from automatic activation.
Digital HD Video Camera Recorder [Handycam HDR-TG1]
Company: Sony Corp.
Designer: Noriaki Takagi
World's smallest, lightest, and slimmest HD Handycam (as of 2008). Records in AVCHD format at 1920x1080 HD resolution. In an unprecedented combination of materials, the light yet sturdy titanium body is treated with a tough premium coating to protect against scratches. Facial detection helps capture subjects looking their best.
50"/60" High-Definition PureVision Plasma Television [PIONEER KRP-500A/ KRP-600A]
Company: Pioneer Corp.
Designer: Tatsufumi Funayama
Full HD plasma TVs, with the media receiver separate from the display. (50 in. and 60 in. models) These sets produce the ultimate in visual beauty. Full HD images at an impressive resolution of 1920x1080p are displayed in deep blacks (at a stunning contrast ratio of 100000:1) and vivid colors. The display is now 64 mm thin, for easier wall mounting.
Folding@home for PS-3 [Contributing to Folding@home project with PLAYSTATION(R)3 application]
Company: Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.
Designer: Ryuji Nakayama etc.
Stanford University's Folding@home project, launched in October 2000, harnesses a distributed computing network with more than one million participating processors worldwide to study protein folding and provide data useful in developing treatment for related diseases. Sony Computer Entertainment supports the project through the global PlayStation(r)Network and the processing power of the Cell Broadband Engine in PlayStation3.
Thermal environment design tool working on 3D-CAD [ThermoRender3 Pro]
Company: A&A Co., Ltd.
Designer: Kazuaki Nakaohkubo etc.
ThermoRender, an outdoor thermal environment design tool introduced in 2006, succeeded in raising awareness about outdoor design accounting for the thermal environment. ThermoRender3 Pro enables simulation of outdoor thermal environments and provides functions for calculating building energy consumption, in a highly original design tool for thermal environments. At the design stage, the tool can be used for close investigation of building paint and surface temperature (possible factors for the heat-island effect) as well as building energy consumption and CO2 emissions.
