The Australian International Design Awards (AIDA) have origins dating back to 1958 and they are proud of their 50-year legacy promoting new, innovative and well-designed products in Australia and throughout the world. FFO sat down with Managing Director Brandon Gien to discuss its crucial role in the future growth and recognition internationally of the design industry in Australia, what the judges are looking for this year, and how you can be a key sponsor in support of this year’s event during the State of Design festival.

 

 

Brandon Gien is the Managing Director of Good Design Australia and the Chair of the Australian International Design Awards. He represents Australia as an Executive Board Member and Treasurer of the International Council of Societies of Industrial Design [ICSID], a Member of the International Design Alliance, a strategic venture between the peak international organisations representing design.

 

How important is it to have an award scheme such as the AIDA for new and established designers?

Receiving an Australian International Design Award gives designers a definitive edge when competing for new business and a significant profile in the industry. Apart from the peer recognition they receive, designers are continually competing for domestic and international business and having a Design Award tells prospective clients that their work is internationally recognised and respected. The Australian International Design Awards has one of the most rigorous assessment processes in the world and we assess not only the design, but the final manufactured product. Every aspect of the design and the end product must be exceed our criteria to receive a Design Award™.
The Awards also provide exclusive networking opportunities and exposure to a wide range of Australian and international designers and business leaders, product manufacturers and distributors, government officials, media and emerging young designers.

How has this award scheme benefited the Australian design industry?

I believe the Design Awards provide a unique opportunity to promote the Australian design profession in Australia and more importantly, internationally. They also provide a strong point of differentiation and credibility for new designers and are a very cost effective means of attaining independent, third party endorsement for products entering the Australian marketplace. The Awards also provide international exposure through the program’s endorsement by the International Council of Societies of Industrial Design (ICSID) which lead to sales enquiries and referrals through online entry profiles listed on highly ranked website www.designawards.com.au
Above all, the program offers widespread exposure via mainstream media channels (TV, radio and print), websites, exhibitions and international trade fairs.
Above all, the Design Awards help put Australian design on the world map - this is vitally important for the future growth and recognition of the design industry here in Australia.

The Good Design™ and Design Award™ trademarks are known to be highly respected and internationally recognised symbols - what do these recommendations mean for the designer and the consumer? What does the symbol on their products show to consumers?

Form, Function, Quality, Safety and Sustainability. These are inseparable aspects of any well designed product and products meeting these criteria are granted a Good Design™ “Tick”. Above this, it is innovation. Is the design new and original?, does it break new ground?, is it a world first?
These aspects relate to great design and that’s what we are looking for in granting a Design Award™. To the consumer, this means the product they are buying has been well designed from every aspect and they should expect it to perform above and beyond their expectations. Anyone who is a fan of Apple products would have experienced this. Too often, consumers don't realise that it is the design of the product that makes the difference between a good experience and a terrible one.
Through the Design Awards, we are trying to build consumer awareness of good design and how important it is to buy and use better products and services.

How do you judge the entrants? For those thinking of entering, what should they be covering in their designs to be noticed by the judges?

We invite leaders in the design profession from Australia and internationally. They spend an intensive week pulling each product apart, using it, interacting with it and trying as much as possible to put themselves in the shoes of the consumer. Our judges then apply our assessment criteria and rank each entry based on a scoring system.
The highest scoring products float to the top and are recognised with either a Good Design Tick (for Good Design) or a Design Award (for Design Excellence).

The Design Awards Presentation Ceremony and the Exhibition will be held as part of the State of Design Festival 20-31 - what can we expect from this year's presentation? How are this year's entrants shaping up?

2011 attracted a record number of entries and the quality of design this year has been lifted to a whole new standard. People can expect to see the best in Australian and international design represented in a very broad range of products from cars, washing machines, irons, medical products, sporting products, furniture and lighting, packaging - we even have a caravan entered this year. The finalists in the Student Design Category are also exceptional and represent some of the most exciting young designers in Australia.

Who have been some of the previous winners of the award and what are they doing now?

The Design Award of the Year has gone to some great companies including Qantas, for their Economy Class Seat designed by Marc Newson; Cochlear, for their Nucleus Hearing Implant; Ford, for their Territory AWD. Last year, the top Award went to a New Zealand company called Howard Wright for their hospital bed. These comapnies are very proud of this recognition and have promoted this Award widely.

There is a unique opportunity for people to come on board as sponsors for this year's event, tell us more about this?

For the first time in the 50 year history of the Design Awards, it is now possible to come on board as a sponsor. Standards Australia, who has been running the Design Awards program since 1991, transferred custodianship of the Design Awards to Good Design Australia, a new design promotion organisation established to run the Awards independently from Standards Australia. This new arrangement has opened the opportunity to invite commercial sponsors to be part of the program.
To date, Gold Sponsors coming on-board include the Victorian Government, UNSW, Autodesk and IP Australia. Dyson, well known for their commitment to design and innovation, continue to support the Student Design Award category. We see this as a unique opportunity for businesses to participate in this high profile design event and gain valuable brand exposure targeted at some of the world's leading brands.

For more information or to become a sponsor visit, www.designawards.com.au

 

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