Organizers of the International Design Excellence Awards competition added categories, balanced jury representation across design disciplines, rebranded the logo and upgraded trophies for this year's contest.
The Industrial Designers Society of America of Herndon, Va., is accepting 2018 IDEA entries through March 19. Presentation of the newly designed trophies will occur during the annual IDSA conference Sept. 20-22 in New Orleans.
New categories for the contest's 38th iteration focus on home now including kitchen; furniture and lighting; and lifestyle and accessories.
Jury Chair Michael Kahwaji said the broadened panel of 21 men and 12 women includes experts in branding, service design and graphic design. Kahwaji is senior design manager at Whirlpool Corp. in Benton Harbor, Mich.
San Francisco-based integrated design and branding firm fuseproject and a Tier 1 manufacturer created the new IDEA trophies of aluminum. The firm has other offices in New York and Shanghai.
Category winners will receive a gold trophy for first, silver for second or bronze for third. Versions for the people's choice, chair's and curator's awards will come in a solid color. A multi-color design is reserved for the best in show, the IDEA contest's highest honor.