Asia’s Brightest Stars Shine: DFA Awards 2024 Winners Revealed

Hong Kong – Media OutReach Newswire – November 1, 2024 – Hong Kong Design Center (HKDC) has announced the winners of the ‘DFA Awards 2024’, which celebrates innovative design spirit and enormous influence across Asia. announced.

This year’s ‘DFA Awards’ has established a new ‘DFA Designer of the Year’ award, which will be an important milestone in honoring creative leaders based in Asia. The original trophy design for this prestigious award embodies famous designer Alan Chan’s ‘East meets West’ and reflects his aesthetic. The eye-catching ‘d’ logo and number ‘1’ as key design elements elegantly express the prestigious identity of the award.

Create Hong Kong has been participating as the main sponsor of the ‘DFA Awards’ established in 2003 since 2009, when it was the predecessor of the Cultural and Creative Industries Development Agency (CCIDA). The DFA Awards recognize outstanding individuals and projects that have had a lasting impact on the design field, particularly in Asia, through a series of awards programs. The 2024 winners include △ DFA Lifetime Achievement Award (DFA LAA) Kengo KUMA △ DFA Design Leadership Award (DFA DLA) Kikuo IBE △ DFA World Outstanding Chinese Designer (DFA WOCD) Tino KWAN ) △ Eisuke TACHIKAWA was selected as DFA Designer of the Year (DFA DOY). They were selected as figures who represent the pinnacle of excellent design and innovation.

Professor Eric YIM, Chairman of HKDC, said, “This year’s DFA Award winners have shown that design can be a powerful tool to bring about social change beyond aesthetics.” “Their work not only inspires us, but also makes us seriously reflect on the role design can play in solving global issues,” he said. “We are grateful to the award winners who are paving the way for a more sustainable and connected world. “I offer my sincere congratulations,” he said.

He continued, “We are very pleased to announce the establishment of the ‘DFA Designer of the Year Award’ at the 2024 awards ceremony, which will honor those who have taken the lead in solving complex social problems using design.” He added, “This award will recognize not only individual achievements, but also the “It highlights the innovative and rich cultural perspectives they bring to the field of design,” he explained.

2024 DFA Lifetime Achievement Award (DFA LAA)

Kengo Kuma. Founder of Kengo Kuma & Associates

World-renowned architect Kengo Kuma left an indelible mark on the field of architecture by redefining the relationship between nature, technology, and humans. Since establishing Kengo Kuma & Associates in 1990, he has been realizing his vision of perfectly harmonizing architecture and the environment. Kuma’s design philosophy, which prioritizes natural materials and ‘human scale’ space that considers human-centered size and proportion, can be seen in some of the world’s most iconic buildings.

As a professor emeritus at the University of Tokyo, he taught students at prestigious universities such as Keio University. Kuma continues to share his knowledge with the next generation of architects. His philosophy combines traditional Japanese aesthetics with cutting-edge technology to create traditional yet future-oriented architecture. Kuma’s influential works include ‘Onomatopoeia Architecture Grounding’;

It includes famous books such as ‘Natural Architecture’ and ‘Small Architecture’.

The ‘2024 DFA Lifetime Achievement Award’ honors Kengo Kuma’s pioneering vision and contributions to the field of space design. His talent for combining natural materials and modern design principles offers new perspectives on how humans interact with their surroundings, fostering a deeper connection between humans and their environment.

2024 DFA Design Leadership Award (DFA DLA)

Kikuo Ibe: Senior Researcher, Watch Division, CASIO COMPUTER CO. LTD.

Kikuo Ibe, known as the ‘Father of G-Shock’, revolutionized the watch industry by successfully developing and commercializing the groundbreaking watch ‘G-Shock’ in 1981. ‘G-Shock’ is a shock-resistant watch that survives being dropped and works perfectly, making it an icon of durability and style.

Eve’s ceaseless pursuit of durability did not stop there. In 1994, he began developing the MR-G model, a full-metal version of G-Shock, which was actually released some time later. His creativity repeatedly pushed the boundaries, which led to the ‘Dream Project’ in 2016 and the ’18K Gold G-Shock’ in 2018 to commemorate the 35th anniversary of the G-Shock line. This product, which was produced in a limited edition of 35 pieces, was sold out through pre-order. Currently, ‘G-Shock’ products are sold in more than 1,000 Casio stores around the world. A total of 100 million units of ‘G-Shock’ have been sold worldwide and has been registered as an important historical resource of science and technology. As a result, he is recognized for his contribution to the development of world culture.

The ‘2024 DFA Design Leadership Award’ celebrates his extraordinary contributions to the design world and honors his relentless pursuit of innovation, resilience, and lasting impact on global fashion and product design.

2024 DFA World’s Best Chinese Designer (DFA WOCD)

Tino Kwan : Senior Consultant, Tino Kwan Lighting Consultants

One of the world’s most renowned lighting designers, Tino Kwan has been a pioneer in the field for more than 45 years. His brilliant career, which began in 1979 when he founded Tino Quan Writing Consulting in London, has expanded to work on commercial buildings, yachts, luxury hotels, casinos, Michelin restaurants, and mansions in various countries.

Tino Kwan’s influence extends beyond design. He actively shares his experiences through lectures at design institutions such as Tsinghua University. ‘Top 10 Designers Award’ awarded by China National Interior Decoration Association (CIDA), China Illuminating Engineering Society (CIES), Illuminating Institute of Japan (IEIJ) Honors such as winning the ‘Top 10 Designer Award’ given by the Illuminating Society of North America (IESNA) and being inducted into the ‘Interior Design China’s Hall of Fame’ are his achievements in the design industry. It shows the lasting impact it has had.

The ‘2024 DFA World Outstanding Chinese Designer Award’ celebrates Quan’s pioneering approach to lighting design and his efforts to cultivate future talent. His talent for transforming space with light has established him as an industry icon and continues to expand the horizons of how humans experience the built environment.

2024 DFA Designer of the Year (DFA DOY)

Eisuke Tachikawa : NOSIGNER Founder and CEO

Eisuke Tachikawa, founder of Nojainer, is a pioneer who strives to solve global social problems such as climate change and disaster prevention through design work. Tachikawa has won more than 100 design awards, including two DFA Grand Awards for his unique concept of ‘Evolutional Creativity’, which finds similarities between biological evolution and creative processes.

Tachikawa has been serving as the youngest president of the Japan Industrial Design Association (abbreviated JIDA) since 2021, and was elected as a director of the World Design Organization (abbreviated WDO) in 2023. He has played a key role in redefining the role of design in solving real-world problems. Notable projects include the Japan Pavilion at the 2025 Osaka World Expo and ‘DESIGNS FOR THE NEXT 100YEARS’. These works clearly reveal his will to create positive social influence. Books such as ‘Evolutionary Creativity’ and ‘Design and Innovation’ summarize Tachikawa’s thoughts on leadership in sustainable design.

The ‘2024 DFA Designer of the Year Award’ is awarded in recognition of Tachikawa’s attempt at an innovative approach that uses design as a tool for social change. His work challenges conventional thinking and offers hope and solutions for a better, more sustainable future.

2024 DFA Design for Asia Awards (DFA DFAA)

The ‘2024 DFA Design for Asia Awards’ celebrates outstanding design achievements that have had a significant impact throughout Asia. This award, comprised of six diverse categories, encompasses the global design environment while reflecting the excellence, breadth, and depth of design from an Asian perspective. You can comprehensively look at innovative works that are shaping the future of design in six categories: △communication design, △digital and motion design, △fashion and accessory design, △product and industrial design, △service and experience design, and △space design.

The ‘2024 DFA Awards’ celebrates outstanding design through a total of 215 awards, including 10 grand prizes, 20 gold awards, 43 silver awards, 57 bronze awards, and 85 achievement awards. These awards recognize a wide range of achievements and comprehensively celebrate creativity and innovation in design. About 40 international judges, comprised of experts from various regions and design fields, selected the winning works through a rigorous and comprehensive evaluation process based on their expertise.

“The incredible quality of projects submitted to this year’s DFA Awards is truly inspiring,” said HKDC Deputy Chairman Steve LEUNG, who chairs the DFA Awards Steering Committee. “Impressive designs that reflect the will to solve urgent global challenges stood out,” he said. “It is heartening to see designers embracing social responsibility, applying sustainable practices and preserving heritage while shaping Asia’s design future,” he said. “I would like to thank all the awardees who will lead a brighter future with their visionary work. “Congratulations,” he said.

DFA Hong Kong Young Design Talent Award, DFA HKYDTA)

The ‘DFA Hong Kong Young Design Talent Award’, which serves as a ‘beacon of hope’ for emerging designers in Hong Kong, will soon announce the winners. We hope you will continue to pay attention to news of HKDC’s future events.

Hashtag: #DFAAwards #HKDC

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