Design Guild Mark launches 2020 call for entries

The Design Guild Mark is now accepting applications for next year’s awards and a new Lighting Design category has been launched for 2020.

The new category, which will reward excellence in the design of domestic and contract lighting, complements the returning categories, Furniture and Textiles, Wall coverings, Surfaces, Carpets and Floor coverings.

Designers and companies have until 28 November 2019 to submit an entry to meet the early bird deadline and until 23 January 2020 for the final deadline.

Designs awarded a Design Guild Mark benefit from increased industry and consumer awareness, press and social media coverage, with the designers and companies behind them also receiving enhanced brand recognition.

The piece from each category deemed to be the most outstanding by the judges will also win the Jonathan Hindle Prize for Excellence – a £1,000 cash prize.

As always, a jury of distinguished names from the design community will independently judge the applications for each category, overseen by Rodney McMahon, Design Guild Mark chairman.

The Design Guild Mark judging panels for 2020 will be:

Furniture                                                      

• Joanna Biggs – GA Design                                   
• Sarah Bryan – Sheppard Robson                         
• Elliott Koehler – Layer Design
• Jeremy Myerson – Royal College of Art                   
• Tom Pearce – Farrah & Pearce                            
• Campbell Thompson – The Conran Shop
• Terence Woodgate – Studio Woodgate

Textiles, Wall coverings, Surfaces, Carpets and Floor coverings                 

• Linzi Coppick – Forme UK
• Daniel Hopwood – Hopwood Design Studios
• Professor Clare Johnson – Royal College of Art
• Natasha Marshall – Natasha Marshall
• Corinne Pringle – tp bennett
• Peter Thwaites – Rapture & Wright

Lighting

• Simon Alderson – twentytwentyone
• Tim Rundle – Tim Rundle Studio
• Simon Terry – Anglepoise
• John Tree – Jasper Morrison
• Sebastian Wrong – Established & Sons

Rodney McMahon, chairman of the Design Guild Mark, said: “The variety and quality of designs, from both established and aspiring designers, applying for the Design Guild Mark is always stimulating.  With the launch of the Lighting Design categories this year, we now have three different design strands that we hope will attract an even broader range of applicants and ensure that the award of a Design Guild Mark continues to be something to which to aspire.”

Jeremy Myerson, professor of design at the Royal College of Art, added: “The Design Guild Mark remains the gold standard in design excellence for manufactured furniture. This year the accent was on simplicity, authenticity, finesse and fitness for purpose.”

New Lighting Design category judge John Tree, product designer at Jasper Morrison, commented: “I’m super excited that the Design Guild Mark has both added a lighting category and invited me to be one of the judges. Design Guild Mark has filled a noticeable gap in the UK by providing a platform for the recognition of excellence in furniture design.”