There are 226 products, services and design projects featured in the ADI Design Index 2019. This is the selection that the ADI Permanent Design Observatory makes every year with the help of over one hundred experts throughout the whole of Italy. It is a point of reference for design quality from furniture to vehicles, from machine tools to communication and without forgetting social design.
The 2019 selection is important not only for the rigour applied (970 nominations were presented this year as against 746 in 2018) but because, together with last year’s selection (172 products and projects), it completes the choices that will be submitted in 2020 to the international jury of the XXVI Compasso d’Oro: only these 378 products selected in the ADI Design Index will be able to participate in the next edition of the award.
Two important aspects stand out. The first is the variety of material proposed: there are products from the whole wide range of skills and competences of every Italian region, each of which, with the common theme of Made in Italy has its own economy, its own attitude towards design and its own way of satisfying users’ demands. In the selection catalogue, one section entitled 1,300 kilometres of Made in Italy design reflects the geographical expressions of this culture through the words of the presidents of the ADI territorial delegations, those groups through which the association closely follows design developments in every part of the country.
The second characteristic is the growing attention given to sustainability. This value is now a regular feature of Italian design culture and is reflected in many of the selected products.
The book that brings together the 2019 choices (Design Management: Alessandro Barison and Alessandro Fasolo; graphic design by Massimiliano Piazza and Manuel Babolin; layout by Armando Cosentino) can be purchased online on the ADI website.
An exhibition, open to the public in Milan and Rome, presents a significant number of the selected products, accompanied by videos and information that illustrate their qualities. The exhibition has been designed by Cortesi Design (Angelo Cortesi, Mauro Borella, Alessio Puleo and Carlo Ronchi) with Francesco Schianchi.
As part of the Milan presentation, the winners of the ADI Design Index 2019 Award for Innovation and the winner of the ADI Special Award chosen from among those selected for the Design Competition Dubai Expo 2020 will receive their prizes.
The 2019 plaques for Excellence of Design in Lazio will be presented at the Rome award ceremony and presentation.
