With the 2021 Design Guild Mark winners announced and the awardees eagerly awaiting the award ceremony taking place on Instagram Live next month (Wednesday 2 June, 2:00pm), we asked a selection of the judges that made up this year’s three panels for their thoughts on 2021’s entries.
“The first year for the lighting Mark was both stimulating and significant. It was important to set the tone for a new design medium at DGM, and inspiring to meet a diverse group of designers. The breadth of materials, process and approach was super, and the challenge for the judges was to filter and define the criteria to distinguish merit. The designer’s virtual presentations worked well, many with creative flair, and the one-to-one sessions were extremely constructive. The Lighting Mark is off to a good start and shows great potential to shine brightly.”
— Simon Alderson
Co-founder of twentytwentyone
``In this, the first year of the DGM Lighting Category, the judging panel was allowed to maintain such a high standard, that future editions will surely be a mark of the most innovative and highest quality new products on the market.”
— Tim Rundle
Tim Rundle Design Studio Ltd
“An impressive start to the Design Guild Mark Lighting Design category with a diverse selection of applicants demonstrating the breadth lighting has as a category. With the technological shift that is taking place lighting has never asked so much from design, so it was great to see the challenge being accepted.”
— John Tree
Jasper Morrison
“The judging day was a huge success, so many engaging pieces displaying both innovation and design excellence – shows that the past year has not dampened the creative world’s ambition to solve problems and make our homes enjoyable places we love to curate. The increase in durable exterior materials and pieces really aligned with the current trend of enjoying our domestic and commercial outdoor spaces to a greater degree.``
— Elliott Koehler
Designer at Layer Design
“Excellence in furniture design is what the Design Guild Mark scheme is all about. This year, the judges set about examining the entrants with exacting technical criteria and commitment to rewarding creativity. We saw some great work, which was a tonic after a pandemic-ravaged year in which just sitting on a sofa with others has been out of bounds.”
— Jeremy Myerson
Professor of design at the Royal College of Art
“It was great to see such a high standard of applications this year given the difficulties arising from the global pandemic of the last 12 months. I was particularly impressed by the design thinking and level of detailed explored in reaching more sustainable outcomes from both a material usage and manufacturing perspective. The Design Guild Mark is a fantastic way of recognising and promoting the design talent coming through from UK based designers and companies.”
— Campbell Thompson
Head of furniture and lighting at The Conran Shop
