The Washington Post
Print Edition | Subscribe | PostPoints
SEARCH:
washingtonpost.com
Web
| Search Archives
Design

An Iconic Guitar vs. the iPhone: It's Your Call

Thursday, September 20, 2007; Page H02

Who decides what's good design anyway? For the next few weeks, you do.

New York's Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum is giving the public a chance to nominate and vote on items both humble and high-concept at http://www.cooperhewitt.org in the second annual People's Design Award contest. Last year brought in 500 submissions and more than 5,000 votes. After voting began on Friday, Apple's iPhone took an early lead, but there is a long list of contenders, including Fender's Telecaster guitar and the automobile seat belt. Last year's winner was Marianne Cusato's Katrina cottage, a tiny version of a Mississippi-style coastal cottage designed as affordable emergency housing in the wake of Hurricane Katrina and as an alternative to a FEMA trailer.

TOOLBOX

Resize Text

Save/Share +
Print This
E-mail This

COMMENT

Discussion Policy
CLOSE
Comments that include profanity or personal attacks or other inappropriate comments or material will be removed from the site. Additionally, entries that are unsigned or contain "signatures" by someone other than the actual author will be removed. Finally, we will take steps to block users who violate any of our posting standards, terms of use or privacy policies or any other policies governing this site. Please review the full rules governing commentaries and discussions. You are fully responsible for the content that you post.

"This has been great for national awareness of design," says Caroline Payson, Cooper-Hewitt's director of education. "We want to get the American public to nominate things that matter to them."

The contest is part of the annual National Design Week, Oct. 14 to 20, when admission to the museum at 2 E. 91st St. is free. Voting ends Oct. 16, and the winner will be announced Oct. 18.

Payson says someone has nominated Clearview, a new typeface for road signs. "People might not think of that as design, but everyone in the country will interact with these signs, and Clearview will make them easier to read."

Jura Koncius


© 2007 The Washington Post Company