In 2011, the German Design Council will host the 41st-annual awards for Good Design to show that good design enhances image. Categories include: Product and Communication Design, Personality and Young Design.

“The potential for design-orientated companies to stand out in their competitive environment is considerable, irrespective of the sector in which they operate,” said Andrej Kupetz, General Manager of the German Design Council. “In addition, our experience shows that just being nominated for the Design Award of the Federal Republic of Germany further enhances the positive impact of good design. This is because the best of the best compete with each other for the Award, which is judged by an independent panel of experts," he said.

Hartmut Roehrig of last year’s winner bulthaup, which took home the Gold Design Award for their b2 kitchen, said, “The award means a lot to us, especially because our roots are grounded in the traditions of the Ulm School. For our company, the award also represents a decisive success factor because the German Design Award is perceived, above all by our international customers, as a special appreciation of German design."

The jury, which consists of an independent panel of experts, will select up to 25 winners each from the product and industrial design sector and the communication design sector respectively. It will also present a young designer with the Design Award, which carries a cash prize.

The Design Award Personality will once again honour the lifetime design achievements of an outstanding designer. Previous winners include Ingo Maurer (2010), Prof. Richard Sapper (2009) and Dr. Manfred Lamy (2008).

The German Design Council was founded in 1953 to meet the growing need of the business world for design. Earlier this year, it published the study “The Beauty of Added Value," which shows that design has a significant impact on image and company identity.