Compasso d'Oro

The Compasso d′Oro was set up in 1954, and now it is the highest honor in the industrial designing circle in Italy, as famous as the first grade international awards like the Red Dot Award. It was the first award of its kind in Europe and soon took on an international dimension and relevance, multiplying the occasions on which the exhibitions of award-winning objects were held in Europe, the United States, Canada and Japan. The Castiglioni brothers contributed to establish the ADI and the Compasso d’Oro awards. Enzo Mari was president of the ADI from 1976 to 1979. At present the management department of the Compasso d'Oro is Italy Industrial Designing Association, and it is also the members of the International Industrial Designing Committee and the European Designing Bureau.

Since its inception, approximately 300 designs have been honored the Award, covering a wide range of products such as racing bikes, portable sewing machines, desks, sofas, vases, clothes hangers, drawers, clocks, desk lamps, telephones, electric fans and coffee machines. Some of the awarded designs are exposed in Milan, in the Collection of the Premio Compasso d'Oro ADI. On 22 April 2004, the Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities and Tourism – through its Superintendency for Lombardy – declared the collection of "exceptional artistic and historical interest", thus making it part of the national cultural heritage.[1]

• Some of the winning products 1956-1960. Photo by Paolo Monti
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  Super-automatic sewing machine model 1102 designed by Marco Zanuso (Fratelli Borletti)
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  Valigia arcata in vitellone scamosciato della ditta Beretta.
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  In the shelf: electro-mechanic clock "Cifra 5" (R.E.C. Solari, Udine)
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  Sewing machine Mirella designed by Marcello Nizzoli for V. Necchi Spa.
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  Franco Albini photographed by Paolo Monti at Compasso d'Oro Award, Milan, circa 1960.

• Other winning products
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  Richard Sapper's 1979 9090 espresso maker for Alessi.
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  Nuovo Milano, a 1987 cutlery set designed by Ettore Sottsass with assistance of Alberto Gozzi.[3]
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  Fiat 500
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  Abarth-Fiat Monza Zagato by Ugo Zagato
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  Alfa Romeo Brera Concept by Giorgetto Giugiaro
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  Sacco chair by Piero Gatti, Cesare Paolini, Franco Teodoro

The award is given as a Compass, the one invented by Adalbert Goeringer in 1893 to measure the Golden Section.

• Industrial design
• List of industrial designers

• The official web page of the Associazione per il Disegno Industriale (in Italian)

• Charlotte Fiell; Peter Fiell (2006). Industrial Design A-Z. London: Taschen. ISBN 978-3-8228-5057-2.