The 2022 edition of the Compasso d’Oro ADI in its natural location: the ADI Design Museum
Objective achieved: on 20th June the ADI Compasso d’Oro, Italy’s most important design award opens its XXVII edition in its natural location, the ADI Design Museum in Milan. Almost seventy years after the first edition, the best of contemporary Made in Italy design is officially recognised by the world of professionals along with wide visibility among the general public in its own dedicated location.
Just one year after opening to the public, a series of exhibitions, book presentations, meetings, debates, lessons, activities for children and young people and the restoration of historical pieces have given substance to the work of the most recent institution in Italian design. The museum, which celebrated its first birthday on May 25th totalling about 80,000 visitors, is today an established feature in the world of design and, together with the exhibition of the XXVII Compasso d’Oro, is enhanced by the new permanent design documentation centre which will be open a few steps from the museum in the premises that for over twenty years housed ADI’s Milan offices.
As always, the Compasso d’Oro will be awarded both to the designers and producers of the products and services chosen by the jury, in addition to the winners of the Targa Giovani (Youth Award), reserved for projects created by design students as part of their academic studies. The Compasso d’Oro Career Award will be given by ADI to leading figures in Italian and international design who have dedicated their entire professional life to design, and the shortlist of winners will be completed by three objects that have demonstrated their quality through lasting success: three long sellers that mark both the past and the present of Italian design.
Yet the XXVII edition of the ADI Compasso d’Oro has a significant new element: it is the first to be held according to a specific theme, which has informed and guided both the preselection of the ADI Design Indexes 2020 and 2021 and the choice of winners by the jury. Three keywords: Development – Sustainable – Responsible.
Combining economy with ethics is a difficult task, yet one which is making headway in the world of industry and Italian design. According to the Design Economy 2022 report recently published by the Symbola Foundation, POLI.design and Deloitte Private with the collaboration of ADI, over a third of Italian design companies claim to put sustainability at the forefront and more than half are committed to improving specific aspects of their products with this in mind.
The Compasso d’Oro intends to reward this attention by highlighting it in its selection with Awards and Honourable Mentions. The use of matter and energy, the physical and cultural longevity of products and the ease of recycling of components and materials are today all essential objectives.
“The Compasso d’Oro is a privileged player in the complex design system and has a duty to adopt a clear position regarding the future” states ADI president Luciano Galimberti. “This position must be a propositional and planning choice, not a simple communication stance.”
“Today’s new generations of designers are learning sustainability in their University classrooms, together with the basics of the profession” adds Umberto Cabini, president of the ADI Compasso d’Oro Collection Foundation. “At the same time, the economy must find new reasons and stimuli that do not contradict these ethical concerns.”
With a focus on quality and responsibility, the XXVII Compasso d’Oro exhibition will be open in Milan until 11th September.
Press Office ADI
