Selecting Criteria of Design of the Year Award

Abstract

The definition of “Good Design” is a constant topic that has been discussed in generations. Design awards express the praise of “Good Design” by awarding them, and at the same time try to give the term a more distinct position. Design awards have become the certification standard for design works in the contemporary era, and they also serve as a market operation tool for commercial brands, attracting many design companies or manufacturers to participate.

However, how are design awards selected? Is there a way to predict? Relevant research is rare, which also casts a layer of mystery on this process. This research attempts to use literature analysis, questionnaires and other methods to understand the screening trend of Design of the Year (hereinafter referred to as BDOTY) curated by the Design Museum, UK.

This study found that “Zeitgeist”, “Access”, “Change” could be used as the evaluation criteria for explaining how BDOTY’s made their choices of works for shortlist. This research provide an academic basis for reference and evaluation for prediction of BDOTY or other design awards. It also provides more perspectives for understanding the spirits and operation concepts of BDOTY. The results also served as a reference for nominators or designers who are interested in participating in future BDOTY, for selecting or designing works more suitable for this award. In addition, it helps to found out where Taiwanese designs positioned in BDOTY, and possible reasons why they are in shortlist or got rejected.