05.08.08
The Editors | Miscellaneous

National Design Awards

National-Design-Award.jpg
National Design Award, Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum, trophy design by Winterhouse, 2000

It is a great honor here on Design Observer to recognize the achievement of our peer, Michael Bierut. We have been design friends and collaborators for close to twenty years. Nearly five years ago, Michael took a leap of faith and joined us in founding this blog. He inspired, amused and challenged us then, and he continues to do so today.

The National Design Awards were announced today, and Michael is the recipient of the Design Mind award. We can think of no more suitable award for this writer, critic and working designer.

The National Design Awards are a program of the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum. Read on for a complete list of winners and honorees.


Lifetime Achievement
Charles Harrison

Corporate Achievement
Google

Design MInd
Michael Bierut
Finalists: Bruce Nussbuam and Michael Sorkin

Architecture Design
Tom Kundig
Finalists: LOT-EK and Weiss/Manfredi

Communications Design
Scott Stowell
Finalists: Stephen Doyle and Prologue Films

Fashion Design
Ralph Rucci
Finalists: Thom Browne and Zac Posen

Interior Design
Rockwell Group
Finalists: Deborah Berke & Partners and Diane Lewis

Landscape Design
Olin Partnership
Finalists: Gustafson Guthrie Nichol and Stoss Landscape Urbanism

Product Design
Antenna Design
Finalists: Boym Partners and Karim Rashid

2008 Jury
Tim Brown, jury chair and chief executive officer and president, IDEO
James Carpenter, principal, James Carpenter Design Associates
Francisco Costa, creative director, Calvin Klein Collection for women, Calvin Klein
Camilo Pardo, design chief, Special Vehicles Team & Living Legends Studio, Ford Motor Co.
Mark Robbins, dean, Syracuse University School of Architecture
Georgianna Stout, founding partner and creative director, 2x4
Raquel Tudela, global creative director, Bloomberg L.P.
Lauren Zalaznick, president, Bravo and Oxygen Media





Comments [28]

i love De SNOB SERVER!
Richie
05.08.08
01:21

Congrats, Michael!
Joey Pfeifer
05.08.08
02:46

Congratulations Michael - a great designer and a great writer. I have Seventy-nine Short Essays On Design on my desk, littered with bookmarks and dog-ears, always an inspiration.
Daniel
05.08.08
05:40

SIncere congratulations to you Michael. This award only makes sense. Kindest regards from Buffalo and Fredonia. Thank you for
setting the bar high.

Greg Meadows
Greg Meadows
05.08.08
08:27

This year's pickings seem even slimmer than usual.

johnathan erardman
05.08.08
09:30

Is any of the recipients not from New York? or maybe it's a requirement for winning a National Design Awards?
Toto Schillaci
05.08.08
09:41

Congratulations Michael, on a well-deserved and earned award. Certainly the design world would be lacking without your insight, talent and influence.

And kudos to all the other winners as well.
Rob
05.08.08
10:26

In regard to the slim pickings comment, I would have to wholeheartedly agree but I think the fault of choosing these "winners" lies with the weak jury.
Francis Grenville
05.08.08
10:44

Michael,

If the Design Mind can be compared to a learned skill such as tennis, golf, skiing, a musical instrument, you know, the number of balls hit, the hours spent, I can think of no one that out-works MB . And if you have seen Helvetica the Movie you'll concur there is also a career in comedy...
Ron K
05.08.08
12:12

Michael, congrats!
Antonio
05.08.08
01:40

Toto's comment about New York centric winners:
Of the 9 winners, 4 are NOT from NYC, by my math: Harrison - Chicago; Rucci - Philadelphia; Google - California; Kundig - Washington State.
fred
05.08.08
02:14

Congratulations to you, Michael, and to the other winners and finalists as well.
Ricardo Cordoba
05.08.08
03:37

In my understanding, the National Design Awards are based on merit and not affirmative action. But most likely, it is based on friendships and networks.
new yor city boy
05.08.08
04:03

Of the 9 winners, 4 are NOT from NYC, by my math: Harrison - Chicago; Rucci - Philadelphia; Google - California; Kundig - Washington State.

Thanks for the statistics, although you might want to take a look at the finalists' list, too.
Toto Schillaci
05.08.08
04:29

Hey - maybe we could just be stoked for Michael here and leave the conjecture for another arena. He won. Let's move on. Issues with the Cooper Hewitt operation should be addressed to them.
I am probably a touch biased - so I'll put that out there. I have had several opportunities to hear and converse with Michael and have always been in awe of his grasp of popular culture, how people need to be communicated to, and his commitment to design education. Am i pissed I didn't win. No - I don't deserve to. He does.
Greg Meadows
05.08.08
04:51

Congratulations Michael!
Bill Grant
05.08.08
05:41

Congratulations from the other side of the Atlantic, Mr Bierut.
Cheers to the great Scott Stowell, too.
Stéphane Darricau
05.08.08
07:56

Thanks to one and all for the kind comments. I was very surprised by this honor, and even more so in light of the daunting competition from Michael Sorkin and Bruce Nussbaum.

If it helps, although I have been working in New York for 28 years, I still consider myself a Clevelander. (As many of my friends and colleagues here are tired of hearing.) So consider this a win for Ohio. Go Buckeyes!
Michael Bierut
05.08.08
09:37

Michael, thanks for the kind nod to home! Although I live in Pittsburgh and I'm on my way to New York in a few months, I still find myself stubbornly identifying as a Clevelander (no small feat in Steelers territory). I'm sure Ohio designers are delighted that such an influential voice in design still has obvious pride and fond ties to the often-overlooked hometown. Thanks for representing us so well, and congratulations!
Matt Lee
05.09.08
12:10

joining in to offer congratualions on your own terms and for all it represents. (but taking some pride in sharing daa(p) alumni status, i cannot lie.)
j
05.09.08
03:51

Well done!
Carl W. Smith
05.10.08
09:32

Congrats Michael. You are a continuous inspiration, not only as a designer, but as an admirable person.
Michelle French
05.12.08
01:35

Michael - thanks for staying humble. The brief time I got to spend at the AIGA conference showed me not only great intelligence and sense of humor, but just a down-to-earth guy. (hmmm...did Cooper-Hewitt just get a little hazy about you dropping the f-bomb in front of all of us design professionals....? no matter... ; )
Michelle Hobbs
05.12.08
03:25

Congratulations to all the winners and finalists, and thank-you to the jury! As a long-time curator at Cooper-Hewitt, I'm always excited to see who will get our awards each year. The jury seeks to recognize people who have contributed to the field over a period of time and who have made a substantial public impact. (I am not part of the jury, just an admiring bystander.)
Ellen Lupton
05.13.08
04:24

Congratulations to all this years winners, always enjoy reviewing the entries and looking forward to next years results.
claire
05.14.08
08:23

Congratulations Mr Beirut on your award! And well done to the finalists.
Maria
05.15.08
11:17

Tom Kundig is from Seattle.
Callie
05.18.08
02:01

Bravo, Michael!
MrIDEA84
05.21.08
01:13


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