Design first

At CeBit you can see the latest do-it-all gadgets but if it´s good design you want, seek out the iF awards pavilion. E&T gives a run-down of the sleekest offerings. ´Good design isn´t born of marketing, it´s created by designers.´ That was the conclusion of the jury for this year´s iF product design awards from the International Forum Design as it announced this year´s 50 gold award winners on the opening day of CeBit, the annual trade show for IT and consumer electronics in Hannover earlier this month. CeBit may be hit by the recession but it´s still vast. Nestling among its many halls is iF´s permanent exhibition space dedicated to showcasing the world´s best in industrial design. This year´s jury said companies seem to have somehow lost the ability to pause and reflect among the relentless speed of development. If visitors want to see the difference between hurried, marketing-led design and more creative, human design they can just take a stroll around a few CeBit halls (PC accessories is a good example) and then compare this with what´s on show in the iF pavillion. Apple usually cleans up, but this year got ´only´ three of the 50 gold awards. Dirk Bartelsmeier helped us dig out some more unexpected winners.