Tomoko Ishiguro

Kiyoto Wakabayashi

SONAENO cushion type multifunctional sleeping bag

Dream, Inc.

This time, we visited Dream, Inc., which is headquartered in Nagoya City, Aichi. Their product “SONAENO cushion type multifunctional sleeping bag” was selected for the GOOD DESIGN BEST 100 in 2021. The grab-and-go cushion-type sleeping bag was a big hit for its unparalleled viewpoint. The developer of this product, Momo Ishikawa, has always been extremely fond of emergency supplies. How did she channel her passion to engage in her favorite field into a successful process?

Giving shape to “what you love” (Part 2)

Masaki Koike

Shunsuke Imai

“Brave Attitude, Organic Design”—This year, GOOD DESIGN AWARD FOCUSED ISSUES has started afresh, with a renewed purpose and process. With a vision of being a “think tank of design,” Focused Issues will capture the “wave” of design behind award-winning works and determine a theme every year. The 2023 theme “Brave Attitude, Organic Design” was determined through a series of screening processes. This article will explore the intention of these words in detail.

Why design is expected to be “brave” and “organic” now—Background of the theme of 2023 FOCUSED ISSUES

Maki Ohashi

The “GOOD DESIGN GRAND AWARD” was awarded to the most excellent design among this year’s award-winning objects at the Grand Award Selection on October 25! The winner is “Day Service Center for Aged Persons “Verandah with length of 52 ken (94 m)” by ALL FOR ONE Co.,Ltd. / YAMAZAKI KENTARO DESIGN WORKSHOP Co.,Ltd. This report will also introduce “GOOD DESIGN EXHIBITION 2023,” which started today!

The 2023 GOOD DESIGN GRAND AWARD goes to “Day Service Center for Aged Persons “Verandah with length of 52 ken ”

This time, we visited Dream, Inc., which is headquartered in Nagoya City, Aichi. Their product “SONAENO cushion type multifunctional sleeping bag” was selected for the GOOD DESIGN BEST 100 in 2021.  This cushion-type sleeping bag can be used in a lounge all the time, and is ready for emergency use. A disaster prevention item that can be used in everyday life is something that seems unlikely. How did you come up with this idea? We talked to Momo Ishikawa, the developer of this product.

Giving shape to “what you love” (Part 1)

Kazuyuki Koyama

This year, GOOD DESIGN AWARD FOCUSED ISSUES has started afresh, with a renewed purpose and process. With a vision of being a “think tank of design,” FOCUSED ISSUES will capture the “wave” of design behind award-winning works and determine a theme every year. The 2023 theme “Brave Attitude, Organic Design” was determined through a series of screening processes. What is the intention of this theme?

Brave Attitude, Organic Design: FOCUSED ISSUES theme decided

The results of the 2023 GOOD DESIGN AWARD were announced on October 5. This year, 1,548 awards were received. Among them, the GOOD DESIGN BEST 100, which received high praise, as well as individual special awards such as the GOOD DESIGN GOLD AWARD were announced. In this article, we will take a closer look at the five finalists that were selected from the GOOD DESIGN GOLD AWARD and nominated for the GOOD DESIGN GRAND AWARD.

2023 Award Winners announced!

After completing the first and second screenings, the GOOD DESIGN AWARD 2023 was presented in August. On September 15, the screening panel was held to choose winners of the special awards such as the GOOD DESIGN GOLD AWARD as well as the finalists for the GOOD DESIGN GRAND AWARD. What was discussed and evaluated in order to determine designs that represent the year 2023 and will lead to the future 10 or 20 years from now? We will look into the trends that have emerged this year through the screening process.

Finalists decided! Special Awards Panel for the Present and Future of Design

journal editorial department

The 2023 GOOD DESIGN AWARD started in April. After the First Screening Panel on June 19 and the Second Screening Panel on August 2 to 4, this year’s screening has reached the interesting part. Now that the award announcement is due next month, we will take a look back on the screening process up to now in a video, along with an interview with the Chair and Vice Chairs.

Watch the video! 2023 GOOD DESIGN AWARD Screening Panel

Naohiro Kurashina

tumi-isi

Activity to support the growth of children in the community：Magical Dagashiya Tyrol-Do

Atelier e.f.t / OFFICE CAMP LLC / General Incorporated Association Mugen

This time we visited A4/A-Yon (OFFICE CAMP LLC), which makes “tumi-isi,” hand-processed and hand-painted building blocks, in Higashiyoshino Village, Nara Prefecture. The unique building blocks each have a different shape and can be enjoyed by children and adults alike. The product was selected as one of the GOOD DESIGN BEST 100 in 2021. Mr. Daimon Kanno, product designer, started production of the blocks in earnest in 2016, eight years after the first release. Why did it take so long? How has he faced and overcome the challenges? He spoke on these questions from a creator’s perspective.

Aiming at a toy that inspires everyone (Part 2)

The Second Screening Panel was held at Makuhari Messe from August 2 to 4. At the second screening of the GOOD DESIGN AWARD, a variety of designs were displayed, including large entries such as cars and playground equipment, everyday items such as furniture, home appliances, stationery, and equipment for business use in the vast venue to evaluate actual products.

Second Screening Panel was held at Makuhari Messe! GOOD DESIGN BEST 100 were chosen

Aiming at a toy that inspires everyone (Part 1)

FOCUSED ISSUES are activities to consider and recommend new possibilities for design through the GOOD DESIGN AWARD screening process. In the FOCUSED ISSUES, we set “issues” as themes that we believe should be explored through the judging process. While observing the subject entries, the directors, selected by the jury,  will reflect on the possibilities for the future of society and the role and significance of design, and present their findings as final recommendations after judging.

2022 - Re-examining the ever-changing “present day”

Teppei Sasaki

NEURAL GP network

Shimane General Medicine Center

This time, we visited Shimane General Medicine Center, a winner of the 2022 GOOD DESIGN GOLD AWARD. “NEURAL GP network,” a project to train GPs (general practitioners) conducted by this center, is a virtual office that connects doctors working in rural areas such as mountainous regions or remote islands and universities in order to provide mutual support and research in comprehensive medical care. The center is working hard to change the future from Shimane by providing local residents with reliable medical care. Yoshihiko Shiraishi, the director of the center, told its story.

Changing society through networks (Part 2)

The first screening of the GOOD DESIGN AWARD is document review. At the “first screening session” that was held on June 19, the judges gathered to discuss the results of the first screening. As soon as the screening session began, the judges stood up in every unit and an enthusiastic atmosphere filled the room.

1st screening results of GOOD DESIGN AWARD 2023 have been determined!

Changing society through networks (Part 1)

The Judge Plenary Meeting was held on June 1 to confirm the overall objectives for this year and the specific screening method. About 90 judges, who are at the forefront of their fields, came together and kicked off discussions that would last for the next five months.

Screening for GOOD DESIGN AWARD 2023 has finally started!

Seiichi Saito

Creative Director | Panoramatiks Principal

FOCUSED ISSUES is an activity that considers and recommends new possibilities for design through the GOOD DESIGN AWARD screening process. The GOOD DESIGN AWARD 2023 will see a major change in its structure. Seiichi Saito, this year’s newly appointed chairperson, talks about the updates to FOCUSED ISSUES and the thoughts that went into it.

New Chairperson Talks about Outlook for 2023  Be a “think tank” of design: Why the GOOD DESIGN AWARD FOCUSED ISSUES was renewed—Seiichi Saito, New Chairperson

Yasuo Saji

The finest grater box of Tsuboe

Tsuboe Co., Ltd.

In “GOOD DESIGN TANBOU(=exploring),” we take a look at the first small steps of good design through on-site interviews. Our first destination is Tsuboe Co., Ltd. in Tsubame City, Niigata, which won the GOOD DESIGN AWARD for two consecutive years for their graters. They revealed the history of the creation of their unique graters, and how design came to be integrated with everyday items.

Birth of a brand from a small local factory! (Part 2)

The GOOD DESIGN AWARD has a screening unit that covers a wide range of “Initiatives and Activities” such as regional projects, and educational and medical programs. Entries in this category have won the GOOD DESIGN GRAND AWARD two years in a row, including last year’s “Magical Dagashiya Tyrol-Do” and “AVATAR ROBOT CAFE DAWN ver.b and avatar robot OriHime” in 2021. It is a category in which many companies and organizations apply for GOOD DESIGN AWARD for the first time, yet it is a field that is attracting a lot of attention. This article will outline the application guide and the important points in screening.

“Steps taken for the task at hand” as the subject of application. What is the “Initiatives and Activities” field of the GOOD DESIGN AWARD?

The 2023 the GOOD DESIGN AWARD began on April 4. At the kickoff event, Seiichi Saito, the new chairperson, who presides over Panoramatiks (formerly Rhizomatiks Architecture), spoke about this year’s theme, “Design with Outcomes.” We will explore the true value of the GOOD DESIGN AWARD as expressed in the words “Just because it looks good does not make it a winner of the GOOD DESIGN AWARD.

The GOOD DESIGN AWARD 2023 has commenced!
New possibilities starting from the application

To foresee the next steps, branding is crucial (Part 1)

Ai Iishi

Urban Designer | Coordinator, Real Public Estate / Director, nest.inc

The world is now experiencing a series of unintended events, such as economic upheaval, pandemics, and wars. In a world where the future is uncertain and social values are rapidly changing, what kind of design will be flexible enough to suit changing situations? How can we nurture something important for several decades ahead?

Restore the democratic sense of changing something by oneself. Design in which the initiative is passed on and connected

Gen Suzuki

Product Designer｜Director, GEN SUZUKI STUDIO

The role of design is to find a “just right” relationship between people, the environment, and technology

Leave space, and leave it to someone else in the end. Trust in users results in the creation of products that people can live with for a long time

Dominique Chen

Information Studies Researcher｜Professor, Faculty of Letters, Arts and Sciences, Waseda University

How will the cooperative entity of “we” arise given the assumption of a unique “I”?

Respect for “me” and collaboration between “us”:designing for compatibility between these two

Erika Nakagawa

Architect｜CEO, Erika Nakagawa Office

Complicated problems cannot be solved in a top down manner

Everyone becomes a maker and keeps updating “the provisional first place.” Design to solve complicated problems

Laila Cassim

Art Director/Designer｜General Incorporated Association SHIBUYA FONT

A friendly society starts within 10 feet of you.
Design that creates a stir through questioning common practices

Masahiro Ino

Masayuki Koike

This time Nakagawa visited the developers of UNI-ONE. One is Satoshi Kanamori, The other is Shinichiro Kobashi.Nakagawa's interview with them seeks a clue to the design that cannot be described in a nutshell.

Interpretable design includes diverse people — Erika Nakagawa x Honda UNI-ONE

Tetsuhiro Ishida

Misa Shinshi

Iishi visited the site to find hints of “Continuous design.” She talked with Tatsuro Baba, Representative Director of Kamiyama TSUNAGU Corporation, who was in charge of direction.

"Bothersomeness" fosters continuous design across generations — Tatsuro Baba x Ai Iishi

What kind of clue does this initiative of Yamakoshi, which was selected as one of the 100 best designs in the GOOD DESIGN AWARD 2022, give him to realize “Designing Our Well-being”?

How is a sense of "we" expanded?—Yamakoshi Public Meeting Haruka Takeuchi × Dominique Chen

Sachiyo Oya

Yukiya Sonoda

Masashi Sasaki

What emerges from their dialogue is the importance of moving beyond the concept of “people who support and people who are supported” and building relationships between people. We will look back on the past of Magical Dagashiya Tyrol-Do to find out what design can do.

Design starts with immediate relationships beyond just support -- Takashi Yoshidada x Laila Cassim

Yuta Hagiwara

Suzuki has hypothesized that altruism may provide a new perspective in the search for “just the right design.” Their talk began with Suzuki’s hypothesis, and evolved into the possibility of “a margin” outside rationality and economy.

Just the right design in terms of altruism -- Asa Ito × Gen Suzuki

Ryotaro Washio

Highlighted by the GOOD DESIGN AWARD 2022 and the FOCUSED ISSUES, what is the “interaction” required of design today? We interviewed the Chair and Vice Chair.

What design should achieve today is interaction and creating a compass – Thinking from the GOOD DESIGN AWARD 2022 [Takashi Ashitomi and Seiichi Saito]

Amid the changing times, we introduce the history and current position of FOCUSED ISSUES, which reflects the transformation of the public mission borne by design.