Hasta La Gadget!

Renowned for bringing together not only the best in design but also those that are functionally outstanding, the 2011 Good Design Awards Exhibition is currently displaying the finalists for this years coveted prize. From children’s play things to industrial tools, vending machines to fireworks the exhibition represents the best of what the Good Design Awards have come to stand for in its 30 year history.

This year judges have been given the (rather ambiguous) phrase “To be reasonable” to help them in deciding the winning products that are striking in design but enhance peoples lifestyles at the same time.
Amongst the designs on display that the public can vote for are the playful “15.0% Ice Cream Spoons” from Lemnos and Terada Design Architects. The simple and clean design is made from aluminum which has a “high thermal conductivity” meaning the body temperature of the users hand, “slowly melts the ice cream making it easier to scoop”.

Also on display was STAMP iT from D-Bros. whose shop in Tokyo is set up around a large central table where customers can create personalized stationary, cards, bags, iphone covers and a whole range of other things. Almost antique in their look it is a nice twist on the modern day mass produced market that we are used to.

Another playful item that is nominated comes from Jakuetsu and is titled “Omochi”, meaning a Japanese rice cake. The children’s play thing is shaped according to its namesake and is designed for young toddlers to clamber all over it from all angles.

Regular visitors to Japan Trends will also remember the “Designer Fireworks” we uncovered some time ago. Part of the designs that were selected from “Kyushu-Chikugo genki-project” included very similar amazingly intricate fireworks, that are almost too good to set on fire.

The “Kyushu-Chikugo genki-project” aims at using design to revitalize regions through creating jobs around different products, where the whole process from design to production is taken into consideration.

Showing that striking design can be applied to even the most mundane items, the whole set of tools product from Nishimura is a beautiful example of Japanese design strength in the product and the packaging vessel it is contained in. Paying as much attention to detail and craftsmanship in the boxing as well as the product, the whole thing would look as at home in a display case as it would in a tool shed.

The awards even encompass architectural design including the above construct of outdoor brand Snowpeak’s headquarters by Taisei that blends the shape of the land into the building itself, keeping in with the brands environmental image. Along similar environmental theme also was the slope stability tool, basically a huge screw into the earth, that anchors the earth alongside trees. The cedar wood dining table and chairs drew on the natural theme, creating a beautiful smooth finish and elaborate patterning on the surface.

The exhibition is on display at Tokyo Midtown Design Hub until 13th November.

Related Posts:
Japan Package Design Awards 2011
Designer Fireworks for Adults
3.11 Picture Book Project Brings Smiles to Kids