In August 27, 1997 The Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design unveiled the latest industrial and graphic designs by prominent international designers.

The GOOD DESIGNŽ Competition is the oldest in the world, founded in Chicago in 1950 by Charles and Ray Eames, Eero Saarinen, and Edgar Kaufmann Jr. of MoMA. Four decades later, the Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design continues to organize the original GOOD DESIGNŽ program. The goals are to create a revived awareness about contemporary design excellence and to honor both products and industry leaders in design excellence and to honor both products and industry leaders in design and manufacturing that have charted new directions for competitive products in the world marketplace. The emphasis of the GOOD DESIGNŽ program forwards the ideals of a design process that embodies product excellence and endurance.

This year's GOOD DESIGN program drew hundreds of entries from around the world. A jury of design professionals met in July and selected 85 products and graphics deserving of the Museum's GOOD DESIGN Award for 1997. Another 100 objects were selected from the entries to form a comprehensive exhibition that shows the international trends and directions in industrial design today.

"The product range is fantastic," states Christian K. Narkiewicz-Laine, Director and President of The Chicago Athenaeum, "from Airtecture, an air-inflated mobile building by Festo KG in Germany, to the sleek Firefox scooter by the Italian company Malaguti Moto, to garden tools, furniture, fabrics, computers and housewares."

The 1997 Jury included: Bart Brejcha, Principal of Deep Productions, a Chicago-based design consulantcy; Dean Miller, President of Bang & Olufsen of America, Inc.; and Roger Schneeman, Principal Designer of Thomson Consumer Electronics. The Jury based their decisions on aesthetic criteria stated in the original GOOD DESIGN program written in 1950. Both the 1950s and 1990s competitions encourage manufacturers and designers to improve their design standards and quality. Product innovation, function, and appearance are stressed. The Museum allows and encourages winning designers and manufacturers to use the GOOD DESIGN logo, designed by the late Chicago industrial designer Mort Goldsholl in 1950, on product packaging, marketing, and promotions-just as it was used in the 1950s.

"What is most significant about GOOD DESIGN," continues Mr. Narkiewicz-Laine, "is that it gives visitors to the Museum an opportunity to see the latest, most important designs for consumer products that are currently in the market or about to be launched and introduced. All products selected as GOOD DESIGN are the quintessence of today's innovation."

A complete list of Award winning GOOD DESIGN products is included on this Web site. For more information or photographs not listed on this site, contact Julie Reichert-Marton at 847/895-3950, or Fax 847/895-3951.

Christian K. Narkiewicz-Laine