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The Compasso d'Oro prize was an idea created by Gio Ponti, who in 1954 introduced it to the general public as an acknowledgement given by La Rinascente department store in Milan. Its scope was to enhance the then emerging Italian design. In 1958 it passed under the directions of ADI - Associazione per il Disegno Industriale (Association for Industrial Design), which since then has taken care of its organisation and has looked after the award's integrity.
During over fifty years of life, almost three hundred projects have been awarded with the Compasso d'Oro. Together with the almost two thousand selected for an Honourable Mention, they form the Historical Collection of the ADI Compasso d'Oro Award managed by ADI's Foundation. Since 2004, this collection has been declared by the Italian Ministry of Cultural Heritage part of Italy's national heritage as it consists of objects of exceptional artistic and historical interest. But what are exactly these objects?
In 2018, sixteen Compasso d'Oro were awarded out of the 1200 objects selected. These ranged from Alfa Romeo car "Giulia" to "Origami", a radiator designed by Alberto Meda; and from the published edition "Food design in Italy" to "Discovery", the suspension lamp designed by Ernesto Sigismondi for Artemide. To give you an example of what this award means to the history of Italian design, we will here mention some of the winning designers whose complete profiles you can find on intOndo's website.
The leader of the award is certainly Gio Ponti, who can be considered the "inventor" of design made in Italy and whose contribution was also decisive for the birth of the ADI (Association for Industrial Design) and for the establishment of the Compasso d'Oro award. He was never awarded the prize, as he was its living embodiment. Vico Magistretti was also one of ADI's founders and jurors. His awards include a number of Compasso d'Oro: the 1967's one for the "Eclisse" lamp produced by Artemide; in 1979 the ones for the "Atollo" lamp and the "Maralunga" sofa armchair; also in 1987 he was awarded for his "Spiros" coat rack, and finally in 1995 he receveid a Compasso d'Oro for his entire career as a designer.
Among the most award-winning designers is Joe Colombo who, in 1967, won the Compasso d'Oro Award for the "Spider" lamp, produced by Oluce. He was also awarded another compasso for an air conditioner produced by Candy in 1970. Giotto Stoppino also received two Compasso: the first for the "Jot" chair in 1976, and the second for the "Sheraton" sideboard designed with Lodovico Acerbis in 1977 and awarded in 1979. Also the Castiglioni brothers, Oscar Torlasco, Ettore Sottsass, Richard Sapper and many other Italian designers are among the awarded names, it would be impossible to mention them all. We conclude with Tobia Scarpa who won the prize in 1970 with the "Soriana" sofa produced by Cassina and in 2008 received the Compasso d'Oro for his career. The commission explains his award with these words: "His attention to production processes, technological and formal innovation and, above all, his continuous and passionate research aimed at reinventing the use of materials, have become a significant part of the recognition of Italian design ...".
These few words attributed to Scarpa's work, but recognizable in each of the objects awarded with the Compasso d'Oro, make us understand the value of this award, which has become synonymous with Italian design's excellence. At intOndo we are committed to enhance and value this unique heritage: after all these objects are still available and not too far from our hands, actually they are just a click away from us.
