MacArthur Fellow and 2013 National Design Award Winner Jeanne Gang is the founder of Studio Gang Architects, a Chicago-based collective of architects, designers, and thinkers practicing internationally. Gang uses architecture as a medium of active response to contemporary issues and their impact on human experience. Each project resonates with its specific site and culture while...
Take a look behind the scenes at the National Design Award Jury process. Hear our 2013 Jurors describe how winners get selected, what it's like to be a part of the Jury, and all the surprises along the way. The 2013 Jury: Charles Adler (Kickstarter) Gail Anderson (Anderson Newton Design) Gisue Hariri (Hariri & Hariri...
The National Design Awards are bestowed at a gala benefit dinner and awards ceremony in New York City each fall. This year's festivities will be held at the spectacular Pier Sixty on the Hudson River on the evening of Wednesday, October 17. This year's vice-chairs are Susan Avarde, Beth Comstock, Aaron Dignan, Phil Duncan, Alice...
Can you explain a little bit about the type of work you do? I manage the National Design Awards program – organizing everything from the nomination, submission, and jury processes to the White House and Gala celebrations. What do you enjoy most about your work? Working with passionate people, both at the Museum and in...
Niels Diffrient (1928–2013) Niels Diffrient loved many things, from airplanes to ice dancing. He loved his three children and his wife Helena Hernmarck, the internationally known tapestry artist. Encircling those close attachments was his abiding love for people. Human beings were the ultimate subject of Niels Diffrient’s world-changing career. Calling himself an “ombudsman between the...
Cooper-Hewitt is pleased to announce the winners of the 2013 National Design Awards: LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT James Wines DESIGN MIND Michael Sorkin CORPORATE & INSTITUTIONAL ACHIEVEMENT TED ARCHITECTURE DESIGN Studio Gang Architects COMMUNICATION DESIGN Paula Scher FASHION DESIGN Behnaz Sarafpour INTERACTION DESIGN Local Projects INTERIOR DESIGN Aidlin Darling Design LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE Margie Ruddick PRODUCT DESIGN NewDealDesign...
What are the National Design Awards? What makes the Awards unique and important to the country and the world? Acclaimed designers and design thinkers Massimo Vignelli, Debbie Millman, Steven Heller, Walter Hood, Davin Stowell and Isabel & Ruben Toledo explain in this short piece about the Smithsonian Cooper-Hewitt's National Design Awards, its meaning and legacy.
Now in it’s second year, the Teen Design Fair is one of the best new parts of the National Design Awards. Held annually in Washington, D.C. and in New York City, The Fair invites hundreds of local teens to learn about careers from a diverse array of design professionals. Design colleges from around the country...
The Smithsonian’s Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum is pleased to announce an open call for nominations for the thirteenth annual National Design Awards [http://www.cooperhewitt.org/nda] program honoring lasting achievement in American design. Each year, the Awards recognize excellence, innovation, and enhancement of the quality of life across a range of disciplines. Award categories include Lifetime Achievement,...
The 2011 Lifetime Achievement Award honors Matthew Carter. Over the last fifty years, Matthew has designed some of the most recognizable typefaces used today, including Bell Centennial, which reduced paper use in telephone books, and the screen fonts Verdana, Tahoma, and Georgia, designed for Microsoft. As a Principal of Carter & Cone Type, he now...
Shelton, Mindel & Associates is this year’s recipient of the Interior Design Award. Established in 1978, the firm is a leader in architectural, interior, and product solutions. Peter Shelton and Lee Mindel have applied their passion for building unified environments to the firm’s portfolio of projects, which includes the design of the Polo/Ralph Lauren headquarters...
The 2011 People’s Design Award goes to Design Matters on Design Observer. Created by Debbie Millman, Design Matters is a free podcast about design and culture. Featuring interviews with designers, artists, and cultural leaders, the show offers incredible insight into the lives and careers of some of the greatest design minds. The show is now...
This year’s Architecture Design Award winner is Architecture Research Office. Founded in 1993, ARO is led by Stephen Cassell, Adam Yarinsky, and Kim Yao. Utilizing research and analysis to drive design, ARO works with a diverse array of clients to design architecture that unites the conceptual and the pragmatic with a strong, coherent vision. The...
The 2011 winner for Communication Design is Rick Valicenti. Rick’s graphics bristle with innovation, imagination, curiosity, and craft. He has been a leading presence in design as a practitioner, an educator, and a mentor. In 1988, he founded Thirst, a Chicago-based design collaborative devoted to art, function, and authentic human presence. The Communication Design Award...
Gustafson Guthrie Nichol is the winner of the 2011 Landscape Architecture Award. Founded by partners Kathryn Gustafson, Jennifer Guthrie, and Shannon Nichol, the firm designs high-use landscapes in complex, urban contexts throughout the Americas and Asia. One of their projects includes the Robert and Arlene Kogod Courtyard at the Smithsonian American Art Museum and the...
