Winner 2009: Atlases, Joost Grootens

From the jury report: “Grootens’s designs help us to understand and assess certain aspects of social change at various levels of scale.”

Winner 2007: Dutch Socialist Party election campaign, Thonik

From the jury report: “[Chosen for] the astonishing simplicity with which maximum effect is achieved; the way in which the tomato logo, as clear as it is simple, is made the subject of a playful kind of branding, effective and ironic at once.”

Winner 2003: Repeat, Hella Jongerius

From the jury report: “Repeat is a highly contemporary product that does not spring solely from theory or concept but also from an empirical analysis of the industrial production process.”

Winner 2001: Forum Magazine, Jop van Bennekom, Erik Wong and Forum editors

From the jury report: "An attempt to let go of the critical distance that typifies the familiar architecture magazines, and instead to establish a position of its own. A design that gives hope of a design methodology which can do without irony."

Winner 1999: Warmte Overdracht Station 8 (Heat Transfer Station 8), NL Architects

From the jury report: “Praised for its mysterious character, its quality of form, and the many extra functions the building has been given."

Winner 1997: Reading Table for Old and New Media, Caroline Nevejan en Marleen Stikker van de Maatschappij voor Oude en Nieuwe Media, Rolf Pixley, Mieke Gerritzen, Janine Huizinga

From the jury report: “The Reading Table focuses on a truly contemporary problem, one that did not exist before and that urgently needs to be solved.”

Winner 1996: Holland Dance Festival poster series, Bob van Dijk / Studio Dumbar

From the jury report: “These posters realise the old ideal of integrating photography and typography, but in a new and uncommon way.”

Winner 1995: L’Arc X-ray machine , Jan Erik Baars, Caroline Brouwer en Jan Paul van der Voet / Philips Corporate Design

From the jury report: “A patient-friendly medical apparatus that also has a beautiful sculptural appearance.”

Winner 1994: 2805, Diek Zweegman / BRS Premsela Vonk

From the jury report: "Beautiful, clear, reticent and functional; features that are typical Dutch, but that could be confirmed to be universal design qualities as well. Moreover it is soft and sustainable at the same time."

Winner 1993: Oceaan Coalities, Roelof Mulder

From the jury report: "An excellent product does more than merely function well and be attractive to look at. An excellent product also focusses our attention on the unseen, gives space to the imagination and in this way, reflects the complexity which is so characteristic of the end of this century."

Programme

The Rotterdam Design Prize believes its duty is to stimulate thought and debate on design’s role in the cultural and social field. Since its founding in 1993, this biennial prize has served as a barometer of what is currently considered important. The nomination committees and jurors set the parameters, and the design field and the public respond. The Rotterdam Design Prize is the award that brings views and opinions on design into focus – a fascinating snapshot with a museum exhibition attached.

In this 11th edition, as ever, the various angles from which design statements are judged were of central importance. Once again, the contest had no categories – there was just one €15,000 prize, as well as a Public Prize. But who was eligible for these prizes? Which designers, clients and entrepreneurs have made exceptional contributions to the development of Dutch design in the past two years? Which design statements have stirred things up, highlighted the design context, and shown its relevance in the present? And what is that context? Which design statement is in every respect so authentic, characteristic, telling and inspiring that it possesses international significance? How? And which long-running research project has achieved results in the past two years that justify its nomination right now?

These are open questions with many answers. For the first time, the board of Stichting Designprijs Rotterdam has agreed to alter the nomination procedure. Five scouts, all working in the design field, have put forward three nominees each. They replaced the committee that previously reviewed and nominated submitted works. The scouts are free, within the parameters of the prize, to survey the design field and choose work according to their own reasoning. Professionals of influential vision, they will serve as ambassadors for the Rotterdam Design Prize 2011 nominations.

Nominees’ work was on view at the Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen from 26 November 2011 through 12 February 2012. From then on, members of the public could respond and vote, and Premsela Dutch Platform for Design and Fashion was holding several debates.

An international jury named the winner in the second week of February 2012. The public has chosen the recipient of the Public Prize provided this year by Premsela. The jury of the 11th edition included Susan Szenasy, editor-in-chief of Metropolis magazine (New York); Lars Müller, graphic designer and director of Lars Müller Publishers (Zurich); and Sebastian Wrong, creative director of Established & Sons (London). Fredric Baas, art and design curator at Stedelijk Museum 's-Hertogenbosch, was the chairman of this international jury.

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The Rotterdam Design Prize 2011 was a joint project of Stichting Designprijs Rotterdam, Premsela Dutch Platform for Design and Fashion, and Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen.

The Rotterdam Design Prize 2011 has been made possible in part by the city of Rotterdam’s art and culture department.

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