Design of the Decade: Honoring Design’s Evolving Impact on Business and Society

During the last 10 years, Design has been leveraged with increasing effectiveness to remedy poor user experiences, rescue tired brands and empower developing economies. It may be premature to say that design has come of age, but we can confidently say that our discipline has matured significantly in the earliest days of the 21st Century. With the Design of the Decade program, IDSA and program sponsor Teague honor the work that best reflects this maturation.

Jury chair Charles L. Jones, FIDSA said, “Design of the Decade is a remarkable competition, pitting the best designs as submitted by their designers against stringent design and business criteria…demonstrating a clear intersection between great design and great business outcomes.”

Jones is uniquely qualified to help evaluate the evolution of design practice as he previously chaired the 2000 Design of the Decade program. He noted, “The biggest difference I noticed between 2000 and 2010 was that the majority of this decade’s entries focused on environmental and ecological impact. The amount of thought leadership that has gone into sustainability—and trust me, we still have a long way to go—is both inspiring and encouraging.”

The 2010 Design of the Decade stories feature a combination of brave thinking and progressive action. Winners such as Target’s ClearRx, Nike Considered Footwear and Tata Swach® reflect the smarter contributions design is making to business and society.

IDSA and Teague congratulate the Design of the Decade winner Target'sClearRx as well as all the other winners on their exemplary efforts to demonstrate the wide-reaching power design can have in giving form to systems and experiences. You give all of us something to aspire to.