Monash Design staff and students sweep Good Design Awards

Monash University’s Department of Design is celebrating a string of awards in the 2021 Good Design Awards, announced as part of Good Design Week.

From hand hygiene, aircraft cabins and mechanical ventilators, to codesign tools, urban safety and ‘i-conic’ exhibitions, the work of Monash Art, Design and Architecture staff and students has been recognised with six separate awards across Design Research, Communication Design and Next Generation categories.

Many of the winning projects were developed with multidisciplinary teams and external partners - highlighting the essential role of collaboration in designing for impact across a whole range of applications.

Head of the Design Department, Associate Professor Gene Bawden said, “Securing this number of awards is a real boost for our design researchers, practitioners, students and collaborators. They are the evidence that the Monash design community continues to confront significant challenges, not only the ones we faced together in lockdown, but those that need to be addressed beyond the pandemic, including urban safety, health and hygiene, and authentic community engagement.”

The Dean of Monash Art Design and Architecture, Professor Shane Murray offered congratulations to the team. “These are impactful projects in themselves and I’m pleased these awards have recognised the contribution the team is making, generating outcomes through design. With the appointment of Dr Leah Heiss, our new International Research Chair in Design and recipient of one of the awards, we are looking forward to more great work and collaborations in the future.”

The Good Design Awards are the highest honour for design and innovation in the country, celebrating the best new products and services on the Australian and international market. This year’s Awards attracted a record number of submissions.