Makership, research and collaboration are rewarded in the Dutch Design Awards 2023

The boundaries between disciplines have become increasingly blurred in recent years. The expert juries assessed more projects this year than ever before that would not have looked out of place in a different category. So the question is: can design still be categorised in the same way? The majority of the design projects that were submitted are crossovers. Apart from makership, research and collaboration, other themes this year are: taking the personal as a starting point, offering a wide range of perspectives and the need for meaning and connection. 

These are the winners of Dutch Design Awards 2023:

Product

From The Himalayas | Super Local

“From the flow of materials to local processing, and from object design to circular financing, FROM THE HIMALAYAS is super Super Local: groundbreaking in its processes, complete and holistic design.”

Habitat

Bosk | Arcadia X Municipality Of Leeuwarden

“Bosk is a clever, nature-inclusive protest with protesters who you will start to love. The entire project is exemplary, with trees as star players.”

Communication

Modem Research Papers | Modem 

“The Modem Research Papers are hyper relevant, and they are presented in a way that we don’t often see from research agencies: attractively and accessibly.”

Fashion

Tailors And Wearers | Tailors And Wearers – Platform For Afro-Surinamese Fashion And Heritage

“Tailors And Wearers puts Afro-Surinamese fashion and cultural heritage powerfully into the spotlights with a multitude of shapes and forms, and modern interpretations for and by different generations.”

Design Research

Het Waterwerk Van Ons Geld (The Waterworks Of Our Money) | Studio Carlijn Kingma

“Very strong illustrative and journalistic work by Carlijn Kingma. The visual storytelling power and the clever animations spark The Waterworks Of Our Money to life for a broad audience.”

Data & Interaction

Voices From The Frontline - Africa Climate Mobility Initiative Website | CLEVER°FRANKE

“CLEVER°FRANKE clearly shows the impact of climate change with Voices From The Frontline. Once again they prove to be a master in making data understandable.”

Best Commissioning

De Zachte Stad (The Soft City) | Rotterdam Circulair x Christien Meindertsma

“With The Soft City, the city of Rotterdam is effectively using the power of excellent design to explain the circular economy with a practical example to its citizens.”

Young Designer

Marcos Kueh

“Marcos Kueh manages to incorporate a digital beauty in his expressive visual style with the ancient crafts he uses to tell a story that is screaming for attention.”

BNO Piet Zwart Award 2023

Karel Martens

“With his timeless craftsmanship he seamlessly matches form and function. Karel Martens has made an exceptional contribution to the field of graphic design – both in terms of meaning and prestige.”

Dutch Design Awards

The Dutch Design Awards (DDA) has been leading in celebrating excellent Dutch Design for many years now. The purpose of the organization is much wider than simply rewarding the best design: DDA is keen to encourage an ongoing dialogue about Dutch design. With plenty of openness and curiosity, DDA facilitates the exchange of knowledge and expertise between designers and curators, the general public and professionals. DDA continues to emphasize the impact of design on society, to contribute to continuously developing the field of design and to build a strong design community.   

DDA23

Under the supervision of the main jury’s chair Dymphie Braun, the 8 winners were selected by the chairs of the expert juries: Chris Kabel, Femke Bijlsma, Mieke Gerritzen, Iris Ruisch, Daniëlle Arets (on an ad interim basis for Angelique Spaninks), Merel van Helsdingen (on an ad interim basis for Daniël Sytsma), Tijn van Elderen and Evelien Reich. This year, the BNO Piet Zwart Prize by the Association of Dutch Designers was awarded by a dedicated jury, chaired by Timo de Rijk, to the winner Karel Martens.