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Monday, 3 April 2006 | Elif Sungur
The Design and Business Catalyst Award 2006
Now, more than ever, business managers are recognizing the impact of good design on the bottom line, and the Catalyst Award celebrates those designs and designers that make business success happen.
In order to give the Catalyst Award the attention and prominence it deserves, IDSA is shifting the program and creating ceremonies and an event specifically for the Catalyst program. They plan to hold it in New York City late this fall. Here they will focus on the case studies of success that are so compelling and needed in the discourse with business, information that has been published through the Catalyst, but somewhat lost in the shadows of the IDEA program. They believe this shift in timing will have a lasting, positive impact on the success and stature of the award, all to the ultimate benefit of the award winners and the design field as a whole.
By moving the announcement to late fall, they can now change the entries deadline to July 10.
The Design & Business Catalyst Award takes traditional design competitions a step further by recognizing excellence in market and financial performance as well as strategic and social impact. Created by IDSA and BusinessWeek magazine, the competition rewards management's foresight in using the power of design beyond the actual design process. Ravi Sawhney, IDSA, president and CEO, RKS Design, is the initiator of the Catalyst.
The purpose of the Catalyst Award is to recognize winning design's business success. Calculated to capture data on design impact, the Catalyst will show companies that design is fundamentally woven into business success.
Designers will now have a superior and ongoing vehicle to show executives the value of design. The resulting case studies provide designers with valuable tools when they present their designs to executives. Catalyst results are published with the annual IDEA report in BusinessWeek.
Ravi Sawhney, IDSA, founder and CEO of RKS Designs, is one of the initiators of the Catalyst. "The Catalyst is our way of showing how the industrial design community provides valuable contributions to business," he says, "through our ability to connect with consumers. While our designs make those highly sought-after connections with the consumer, we build company performance, jobs, social contributions and meaningful brands. This is our opportunity to celebrate the best stories that illustrate the 'Return on the Design Investment' and design ourselves into positions of strategic value."
2006 Jury
Steve Kaneko, FIDSA, (chair)
Design Director of Windows Hardware Innovation at Microsoft Corporation
He is the founder and chief designer of Microsoft's Windows Hardware Innovation Group where he has recently championed the design philosophy for the next generation Windows PC experiences. He has been a pioneer in design at Microsoft since 1991, where he ran the Hardware Peripherals Design Group and served as Design Director for Windows . He continues to be one of the most patented individuals at Microsoft and is highly-recognized for his contributions to the company's design and development community.
Prior to Microsoft, Mr. Kaneko held design positions at Fluke Corporation, Hewlett Packard and Technology Design.
Mr. Kaneko has garnered over 40 international industrial design awards in computer, electronics test and measurement and recreational industries. He is a frequent presenter universities and conferences related to the field of Design, Ergonomics and Interaction. In 1995, Mr. Kaneko was voted to ID Magazine's "ID Forty," recognizing 40 of the most influential technology designers. He was also a finalist in Economist Magazine's World Technology Award., The Microsoft Mouse 2.0, which he designed in 1993, is recognized as one of the category's best-selling designs, while also being included into New York's Museum of Modern Art's permanent design collection.
In 1995, Mr. Kaneko was inducted into the Academy of Fellows of the Industrial Designers Society of America for his contributions to the profession and membership.
He is a graduate of the University of Washington in Seattle with a BFA in Industrial Design.
Eligibility
The Catalyst Award competition is open to all designs from around the world with one notable exception: jurors, their employees and immediate family members may not enter the competition.
Criteria
Winning entries will show excellence in:
Market performance;
Financial performance;
Strategic impact; and
Industry and social impact.
Entry procedures & Deadline
Awards
All decisions of the jury and/or IDSA are final. All submissions become the property of Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA), and part of its archives. By submitting an entry, you agree that IDSA, or any other authorized party, may publish any material.
For further information, please visit http://new.idsa.org/webmodules/articles/an....asp?a=709&z=31
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