Cooper-Hewitt National Design Awards

Gallery One, Collection Wall, Cleveland Museum of Art, 2013. Media design and concept: Local Projects. Exhibit design: Gallagher and Associates. Photo/copyright: 99films. 

The Smithsonian's Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum celebrates achievement in design with its 14th annual National Design Awards program. The awards recognize excellence and innovation across a range of disciplines. A selection of 2013 National Design Award recipients:

Interaction Design: Local Projects

Founded by Jake Barton, Local Projects is a media design firm that specializes in work for museums and public spaces (above image). The firm is recognized as a leader in the field of interaction design for physical spaces and in the creation of collaborative storytelling projects where participants generate content. 

All Over the Map: Writings on Buildings and Cities, 2011. Published by Verso. Photo/copyright: Michael Sorkin Studio. 

Design Mind: Michael Sorkin

Michael Sorkin is an architect and urbanist whose practice spans design, criticism and teaching. He is the principal of Michael Sorkin Studio in New York, a global design practice focused on urbanism and green architecture. 

Chris Anderson opens TED2012: Full Spectrum, Long Beach, CA. Photo/copyright: James Duncan Davidson. 

Corporate & Institutional Achievement: TED

TED is a nonprofit organization devoted to "Ideas Worth Spreading." It began in 1984 as a conference that bridged three worlds--technology, entertainment, design--and has since grown tremendously in scope and reach. In 2006, TED first released six free talks online. Now, with more than 1,400 published talks, TED marked a major milestone in 2012--surpassing 1 billion views of its TED Talks. They have been translated into more than 95 languages and cover a range of disciplines, from architecture to astrophysics. 

View to scullery at main house, Sonoma Vineyard Estate, Sonoma, 2005. Photo/copyright: John Sutton. 

Interior Design: Aidlin Darling Design

Exploring  design across a wide range of scales and programs, partners Joshua Aidlin and David Darling started Aidlin Darling Design around a woodshop in 1998. With an emphasis on designing for all the senses, they have cultivated a diverse and collaborative studio that acts as the creative hub for an extended network of builders, fabricators, artists, engineers, chefs, and other collaborators. 

National Fitness Campaign's Fitness Court, San Francisco, 2012. Photo/copyright: Mark Serr. 

Product Design: NewDealDesign

Led by Gadi Amit, NewDealDesign is a San Francisco-based multidisciplinary design firm that teams industrial, graphic and interaction designers with strategists and engineers to create objects dedicated to improving everyday life and experiences. 

Shake Shack, Madison Square Park, New York, 2004. Architecture: SITE (Denise MC Lee, Sara Stracey, James Wines). Photo/copyright: Peter Mauss/Esto. 

Lifetime Achievement: James Wines

James Wines is founder and president of SITE, a New York-based architectural studio chartered in 1970. Wines develops site-specific structures with an emphasis on context, integrating information about the environment including buildings, public spaces, environmental art, landscapes, interiors, and graphics. 

1995-1996 season poster for the Public Theater, New York. Photo/copyright: Paula Scher/Pentagram. 

Communication Design: Paula Scher

For four decades, Paula Scher has been at the forefront of graphic design. Known for her reimagining of typography as a communicative medium, Scher has been a principal in the New York office of the international design consultancy Pentagram since 1991. She has developed identity and branding systems, environmental graphics, packaging, and publication designs for a broad range of clients. 

Casa Cabo, Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, 2002. Landscape design: Margie Ruddick. Architecture: Steven Harris Architects. Interior design: Lucien Rees Roberts. Photo/copyright: Scott Frances. 

Landscape Architecture: Margie Ruddick

Margie Ruddick is recognized for her environmental approach to urban landscape design, forging a design language that integrates ecology, urban planning and culture. Ruddick fosters the idea of nature in the city through various projects. 

Congratulations to all of the award winners.