Although we'll probably always have problems with design and branding Awards, we do appreciate the value and importance that many of them represent.
And so congratulations from us to Italian lighting designer and (smow)partner Artemide for first place in the category "Design Brand Home and Living" at the 2009 German "best brand" awards.
The "best brand" awards assess not only the market position of a brand but much more the attractiveness of that brand for consumers; characteristics such as aesthetics, cult and quality are assessed together with in how far the brand is up-to-date and represents an international brand. So along the lines of "What good is a brand if it has a large market share, but never innovates, never excites and never challenges the consumers?"
Sometimes safe and familiar, sometimes revolutionary and sometimes outrageous, the award can definitely be seen as an ackowledgment of Artemides approach to lighting design. Never a company prone to resting on their laurels, Artemide have long worked with a wide range of international designers and architects to produce a wide pallet of products for home, industrial and commercial lighting.
In addition to Artemide, Alessi achieved 3rd place, Vitra 4th and Rosenthal 5th... all of course available from smow.
Artemide products available from smow include:
