Originally launched at the White House in 2000 as an official project of the White House Millennium Council, the National Design Awards program celebrates design in various disciplines as a vital humanistic tool in shaping the world, and seeks to increase national awareness of design by educating the public and promoting excellence, innovation and lasting achievement. The National Design Awards recognize extraordinary contributions to design in eight categories: Lifetime Achievement, Corporate Achievement, Architecture Design, Communications Design, Environment Design, Fashion Design, Product Design and the Design Patron Award.
The winners of the six awards in Architecture Design, Communications Design, Environment Design, Fashion Design, Product Design and the Design Patron Award will be announced and the Lifetime and Corporate recipients will be officially honored at a gala dinner held at the Museum on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan on Oct. 19.
Lifetime Achievement Award Winner
Milton Glaser has been one of the most pivotal figures in contemporary graphic design and illustration. Glaser is a profoundly influential master of communication, as well as a charismatic mentor and humanistic force for social change. Glaser’s career spans more than 50 years and includes logos, ads, posters, portraits and identities for newspapers, magazines, books, exhibitions, grocery stores and restaurants.
Corporate Achievement Award Winner
Founded in 1978 and based in Minneapolis, the mission of Aveda Corporation is rooted deeply in two things: social responsibility and environmentally responsible design. Aveda strives to develop solutions to problems by insisting on strong design and aesthetic standards, expressed within shifting parameters of materials and design processes that leave a minimal "footprint" on the planet.
Design Award Finalists
16 finalists will compete for the five National Design Awards in the areas of Architecture, Communications, Environment, Fashion and Product Design.
Finalists for the category of Architecture Design are:
Rick Joy—The sublime nature of Rick Joy’s work derives from a visceral understanding of place. He shows how efficient and environmentally sensitive architecture can emerge as a by-product of the timeless qualities that are associated with great architecture. In approaching a new project, the sensual experience of the specific sights, sounds and smells of the site are primary considerations, and he prioritizes the basics of proper solar orientation and site protection.
Polshek Partnership—Located in New York City since the founding of the practice in 1963, Polshek Partnership is known for architectural excellence and a longstanding commitment to cultural, educational, governmental and scientific institutions. The seven partners believe that the most elegant architectural responses are both technically and socially relevant to their time and place.
Joseph E. Spear—Based in Kansas City, Joseph Spear is one of the world’s most influential ballpark designers. He is the founding senior principal of HOK Sport + Venue + Event. Spear’s body of work—including nine Major League baseball parks—has made an impressive impact on how people enjoy the national pastime.
Rafael Viñoly—Rafael Viñoly is the founder and principal of Rafael Viñoly Architects PC, a New York-based firm that has offices in lower Manhattan and London. He has been in practice for over 40 years with projects in the United States, Latin America, East Asia and Europe. Viñoly’s work has been driven by the belief that architecture’s essential responsibility is to elevate the public realm.
Finalists for the category of Communications Design are:
@radical.media—For over two decades, Jon Kamen has been at the forefront of the commercial production industry. As founder and chairman of @radical.media, a global media and entertainment company, Kamen has been an innovative leader in providing advertisers with communications vehicles that link their brand messages to consumers.
MTV Music Television—MTV's in-house department of Design and Promos is composed of producers, directors, writers, art directors and designers, and produces a diverse variety of communications pieces, including on-air promotions, show openings and advertisements for MTV Music Television. By maintaining an ever-evolving understanding of what is happening in the lives of its audience, MTV Music Television's Design and Promos has been able to provide creative integrity and experimentation that reach well beyond the creative elite and connect with America's youth.
Second Story—Second Story Interactive Studios creates informative and entertaining interactive experiences, including media-rich storytelling presentations, online collections, interpretive installations and database-driven applications. Based in Portland, Ore., the Second Story team of creative artists, producers, writers, animators and programmers has developed over 60 awardwinning projects since its founding in 1994 that continue to set new standards for interactive design.
Finalists for the category of Environment Design are:
Andropogon Associates, Ltd.—Based in Philadelphia, Andropogon Associates, Ltd. was formed in 1975 to pursue an ecological perspective to problem-solving in environmental planning and landscape architecture. The concept of sustainability is at the core of their practice as designers and planners. Their holistic approach considers equally the land and its stewards.
Ned Kahn—An environmental designer with a background in environmental science, Ned Kahn explores natural phenomena through his projects. Typically they incorporate fluid dynamics, optics, acoustics, and other features of physics. Kahn’s works strike an emotional chord, reminding the viewer of nature’s capacity to inspire apprehension, serenity, wonder and awe.
William McDonough + Partners— William McDonough’s work arises from the goal of creating buildings, spaces and places with completely positive intentions. McDonough is the founding principal of William McDonough + Partners, based in Charlottesville, Va., a design firm practicing architecture that is ecologically, socially, and economically sound in the U.S. and abroad.
Finalists for the category of Fashion Design are:
Marc Jacobs—Marc Jacobs believes that fashion is a part of living rather than an art in itself. Jacobs’s designs portray a subversive interpretation of the classics and illustrate his appreciation of art, music, movies and history. For 20 years, Jacobs’s goal has always been “to create the most perfect, imperfect thing.”
Narciso Rodriguez—Narciso Rodriguez launched his signature women’s clothing line in 1997, and in a short time captured widespread imagination and admiration for his sensual tailoring, fine design and exquisite craftsmanship. Rodriguez relates strongly to creation of form from structure and material and prefers a primarily black and white palette to emphasize his forms.
Yeohlee Teng—Yeohlee Teng’s strong and consistent approach to clothing design incorporates season-less efficiency, striking geometry and concise functionalism. Teng, based in New York City, designs for the “urban nomad,” a postmodern consumer who demands adaptable and lowmaintenance clothing that appears deceptively simple but makes a powerful impression.
Finalists for the category of Product Design are:
Yves Behar—Yves Behar founded his San Francisco firm, fuseproject, with the idea of designing objects based on conceptual narratives inspired by the user’s experience. Behar measures the success of his work by determining how well the object expresses the initial idea. Behar and his fuseproject design team have produced an impressive and diverse body of work, including consumer electronics, footwear, graphics, packaging and environments.
Interface, Inc.—When Ray Anderson founded Interface, Inc. in LaGrange, Ga. more than 30 years ago, he introduced modular office floor covering to the commercial market not only for its functionality, but also for its aesthetic and acoustical benefits, color, warmth and comfort. In 2003, Interface, Inc. helped change the marketplace again with the advent of InterfaceFLOR, a company that brings modular carpet to a mass-consumer audience.
Burt Rutan—Burt Rutan has been fascinated with constructing aircraft from his own designs since childhood. In 1982, he founded his California-based aircraft design, tooling, fabrication and statictesting company, Scaled Composites. Past projects include a single-place, twin-jet demonstrator for Fairchild Republic Company, a tandem-wing, three-surface technology demonstration aircraft for DARPA and three NASA X-38 Crew Return Vehicle structures.
About the 2004 National Design Awards
The above winners and finalists were solicited from nominations submitted by a committee of more than 800 leading designers, educators, journalists, cultural figures and corporate leaders from every state. Winners were selected by a panel of six distinguished jurors appointed by the Museum:
- Eliza Bolen, vice president of licensing, Oscar de la Renta, Ltd.
- Ralph Caplan, editor, writer and design consultant
- Deborah Nevins, landscape designer and historian
- Andy Proehl, Sony Design Center
- Christopher Pullman, WGBH Public Broadcasting in Boston
- Álvaro Siza, architect
The National Design Awards is one of the few programs of its kind structured to continue to benefit the nation long after the awards ceremony and gala. An educational series will be announced this summer in conjunction with the awards by Cooper-Hewitt’s education department, and includes educational materials as well as a series of public programs, lectures, roundtables and workshops based on the vision and work of the National Design Awards winners and finalists.
The chairman of the Oct. 19 gala is Richard Meier, and the vice chairmen are Beth Rudin DeWoody, Reed Krakoff, Murray Moss and Deedie Rose. Laura Bush will serve as the Honorary Patron of the 2004 National Design Awards. Museum director Paul Warwick Thompson will preside over the evening's events, which will benefit the Museum and its public education programs. Thompson will also recognize the Design Patron Award during the awards program on October 19.
The National Design Awards are made possible by the generous sponsorship of Coach. Additional support has been provided by TIME Style & Design, Electrolux and Saint-Gobain Advanced Ceramics. For more information about the dinner, awards program and selection process, please visit the National Design Awards Web site at www.nationaldesignawards.org.
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