design for asia award 2011 judging panel

design for asia award 2011 judging panel top row: victor lo; freeman lau; amy chow; murata chiaki middle row: julia chiu; philip dodd; chelsia lau; apex lin; bo linnemann bottom row: la kai-yin; birgit lohmann; henry steiner; roan yue; zhu pei

due to an overwhelming response to the global call for entries for the design for asia award 2011 (DFA award) in mid-april, hong kong design centre has extended the deadline for entries to july 31st, 2011. funded by the hong kong sar government,

the award is to acknowledge innovative projects with potential to enhance the quality and vibrancy of the lives of people in asia. 

the award is important to designers and corporations aiming to maximize their presence in asia and tap into the constantly growing asian markets.

the award winners are selected by a team of international judges consisting of world-renowned design professionals and representatives

from leading asian design agencies specializing in apparel and accessory design, communication design, product and industrial design,

and environmental design. editors from reputable design media are also invited. to enhance international recognition,

hong kong design centre has invited design professionals from around the world to select the winning products / projects which have

high quality designs based on overall excellence, asian styling, commercial success and significance to society. 

the distinguished 2011 international judging panel is led by victor lo, chairman of hong kong design centre and freeman lau, vice chairman of hong kong design centre, while project and design director amy chow will join them as a judging member. regional and international design gurus include murata chiaki, president of hers experimental design laboratory in japan, who has been involved in a wide range of design works including graphics, corporate image, interface and product design; julia chiu, president-elect of the international council of graphic design associations (icograda), who specializes in international policies on creative cities and has worked with governments and academic institutions across the globe to implement design policies and strategic visions for the development of creative industries; philip dodd, an international recognized guru in cultural and creative industries, who co-founded made in china, an agency develops cultural, educational and commercial projects in china and uk; chelsia lau, chief designer of ford motor china and asean programmes, who is named by autoweek magazine as one of the ‘top 10 secret people who will change your world’, she is also the recipient of ‘world’s outstanding chinese designer, 2006’; apex pang-soong lin, vice president of national taiwan normal university, who has won numerous design awards including the 2007 national award for arts, the design for asia award in 2005 and the first outstanding award of commercial creativity by moea in 2004; bo linnemann, an influential graphic designer and architect from denmark, as well as an expert in corporate identity design with more than 20 years of experience; kai-yin lo, a famous jewellery designer named as one of the ‘top 25 influential chinese in international fashion scene’ by forbes china, she is also the recipient of ‘world’s outstanding chinese designer, 2007’; birgit lohmann, chief editor and founder of designboom, the world’s leading online design and architecture magazine, with over 4 million readers / 2.7 million unique readers monthly from 190 countries; henry steiner, an international acclaimed graphic designer, who is celebrating the 50th anniversary of his career as a design professional; roan yue, an architect, author and curator, who is also the chairman of the department of art and design in yuan-ze university of taiwan; and pei zhu, a renowned award-winning architect in mainland china, whose practical solution is based on solid and innovative conceptual thinking, and combined with a critical perspective.

2010 judging process

the judging process is divided into two parts. firstly, high quality designs will be selected based on the overall excellence of the entry and its influence on asian society. a series of DFA gold, silver, bronze awards and merit recognition will be presented to acknowledge the overall excellence from 18 categories under four design disciplines, including apparel and accessory design, communication design, product and industrial design, and environmental design.

members of the hong kong design centre during last year’s judging process

the judging panel will then select 10 design for asia grand award winners, which have impact on asian style and commercial & societal success.  in addition, three design for asia special award winners, recognizing designs that contribute to the world’s sustainability, culture and technology will be awarded. these will be chosen from the global nominations by regional experts and the winners of the design for asia category award, to reflect hong kong design centre’s visions.  

amy chow, project and design director of the hong kong design centre and 2011 DFA award jury member