More than 40 years of design awards

09.30.08, Pia Dandanell Parrot

It has always been popular to establish awards to celebrate the best in a business or an industry. To be awarded the prize as "the best" not only secures recognition for the recipient - in the best case, awards can help highlight new trends and promote innovation in the industry overall. The best products and solutions are the ones that keep up with technological developments and with cultural, social, and societal changes. And sometimes the ones that are ahead of their own time and blaze new trails.

An indicator of innovation
With a history of more than 40 years, the Danish Design Prize has proved its ability to keep up with the times. As an industry, a product and a concept Danish Design has remained strong and viable, and today it is one of the most distinct indicators of the innovative abilities of Danish companies.

Here, we present a brief summary of the history of the Danish Design Prize:

1965 - The ID Prize is founded
Celebrating the best in Danish design with an annual award began in 1965. At that time the award was called the ID Prize, and it went to the best Danish industrial design (ID stands for Industrial Design). Danish design had become an important concept, not just in Scandinavia but worldwide. "Danish Design" represented - and continues to represent - simple, pure and aesthetic design with a clear user focus.

1980 – Enter the IG Prize
In 1980 the ID Prize had a sister award, the IG Prize, which celebrated the best industrial graphic design (IG stands for Industrial Graphic design). Logos, typefaces, signage, symbols, icons, etc were now asked to step up on the design podium.

2000 – The Danish Design Prize
In 2000, the ID Prize and the IG Prize merged to become the Danish Design Prize that we know today. With the brief pause in 2005 and 2006, the Danish Design Prize 2007 marks an anniversary for Danish design: That year, the design prizes were being handed out for the fortieth time.

2007 – The Designmatters Award
The latest addition to the design prize family and a new introduction in 2007 was the Designmatters Award. This award goes to a small or medium-sized company that has made a serious effort to incorporate design and achieved a positive effect on the bottom line. The first recipient of the Designmatters Award was the lighting company Lightyears.