ID Research, Published by Fortune, Receives New York Press Club Award
In March 2020 Illinois Institute of Technology’s Institute of Design and Fortune released the “Greatest Designs of Modern Times.” The rankings revisited the original 1959 list created by Jay Doblin, then director of ID, which was also published with Fortune.
The new 2020 package, which includes a video by Fortune, has won a New York Press Club Award in the category of Critical Arts Review. The annual journalism awards honor excellence by writers, reporters, editors, producers, photographers, and multimedia journalists.
“The story’s genesis came from finding a 1959 copy of Fortune, which featured a list of 100 great designs compiled by Jay Doblin,” says Fortune Senior Editor Daniel Bentley. “I reached out to the school in 2018 to work on an updated list for the twenty-first century, and I was thrilled when they came on board to collaborate; to do all the heavy lifting of research, surveys, and analysis; and to school me on design.”
Earning a New York Press Club Award is no small feat, especially for work done in 2020. Fellow winners include the New York Times, NBC Digital, and the Wall Street Journal, who were recognized for hard-hitting coverage on COVID-19, George Floyd protests, and more.
The award recognition is evidence of the meaningful influence of design in our contemporary world. ID’s research clarified new criteria for “good design,” as well as an understanding of design’s evolution from over the past 60 years. The focus of design has moved from artifacts and products to experiences, from “how it looks” to “how it works,” and from “value-adding” to “value-driving.”
Long ago, Doblin suggested that such an evolution would take place: “In the future, pride of ownership and concern for the status support of products will give way to human values—education, intelligence, contributions to society, creativity—and the type or number of products owned will diminish in importance.”
Photo: Illustrations created by Martín Laksman
