FOR COMPANIES WORLDWIDE, DESIGN has become strategic, the very core of their efforts to differentiate what they make and do. But is design itself becoming a commodity? Consider this. What was once thought of as great design is now seen merely as good, what was once exceptional is now standard. Managers everywhere are turning to rapid ethnography, usability, special materials, and aesthetics-the tools of design-to innovate. The differentiation of products and services increasingly requires a much higher level of execution. In design, the bar is raised. Nowhere is this so apparent as in the 2006 Industrial Design Excellence Awards (IDEAs). Winning the gold this year took more design excellence than in previous years. Jurors said that relevance and looks were just the basics for consideration. Products needed an element of delight to win the gold. Sponsored by BusinessWeek and judged independently by the Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA), the contest is one of the most important of its kind.
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