Measuring Design

As a leader in our industry, at CBi we believe we have a responsibility to help design in China evolve, and give our clients the tools to develop best practices and measures for success.

Being judged by end users and peers allows individuals, teams, organizations and companies to tell if their designs have been truly successful.

There are many awards and recognition programs in China and across Asia. However, these aim to capture the attention of only the participants, and typically only utilize subjective judging methods based on aesthetics alone.

In contrast, China’s Most Successful Design Awards judge success based on the entire design process, from research to realization, based on objective and measurable criteria.

CBi has a long history of organizing and participating in design award events. We helped to bring the iF Design Awards to China, and over five years of collaboration, CBi helped to raise the number of entries from 100 to 400.

Since 2006, we have run China’s Most Successful Design Awards with Fortune Magazine. Working with such a strong media partner has provided us with a great means of drawing attention to the importance of design management. Coverage included a cover story in the magazine – a four-page interview with Cathy Huang, founder of CBi, in which she explained the impact design management has on businesses.

Both iF and China’s Most Successful Design Awards have gone from strength to strength, providing fantastic showcases for excellence in design and design management.

This year, drawing on our experience and professional network, CBi launched China’s Most Successful Design Awards with Shanghai International Creative Industry Week Organizing Committee, Shanghai Industrial Design Association, Shanghai Creative Industry Association and Shanghai Creative Industry Center. They aim to honor best practice in design management and showcase the positive impact design management has on education, industry, society and even government.

To achieve excellence in design, winning participants need to demonstrate more than just styling. They need to show strategic thinking and best practice processes. For adjudication, CBi drew on it’s network of internationally respected design experts to form a jury with gravitas.

In the last four years, the number of entrants honored as winners in China’s Most Successful Design Awards has been raised from twenty-five to over seventy-five. The awards have also moved from a free model to a fee-based one, allowing for faster growth, better media coverage, and a web site to showcase the winners.

We have seen an increase in the range entrants, from Fortune 500 companies to small local firms, all competing to be listed as one of China’s most successful designs.

Awards that retain a high level of honor, integrity and professional experience remain one of the great avenues for measuring great design. China’s Most Successful Design Awards continue to confer benefits and reward practitioners of excellence.