2023

2024

2025

  • Recipient of the 2025 Collab Design Excellence Award.

    Sebastian Errazuriz is a Chilean-American artist and designer known for blending sculpture, design, and activism to challenge social, political, and cultural norms.

  • Recipient of the 2024 Collab Design Excellence Award.

    Naoto Fukasawa is a Japanese industrial designer known for his quietly poetic minimalism. He designs intuitive objects that are integrated into daily life with pure form, tactile clarity, and honest functionality.

  • Recipient of the 2023 Collab Design Excellence Award.

    Stephen Burks is an American designer known for his collaborative, craft-driven approach that connects global artisan traditions with contemporary design. His work champions diversity and handmaking, resulting in culturally resonant objects.

2018

2021

2022

  • Recipient of the 2022 Collab Design Excellence Award.

    Drift, founded by Lonneke Gordijn and Ralph Nauta, is an Amsterdam-based studio exploring the intersection of nature, technology, and human experience through poetic, kinetic installations. Their work blends cutting-edge engineering with organic forms to evoke wonder and reconnection in an increasingly digital world.

  • Recipient of the 2021 Collab Design Excellence Award.

    Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec are French designers known for their refined, poetic approach that balances simplicity with expressive materiality. Their work spans furniture, interiors, and objects, characterized by modularity, softness, and an effortless sense of harmony.

  • Recipient of the 2018 Collab Design Excellence Award.

    Dieter Rams is a German industrial designer whose rigorous “less but better” philosophy helped define modern minimalism. His work for Braun and Vitsœ set enduring standards for clarity, functionality, and timeless design.

2015

2016

2017

  • Recipient of the 2022 Collab Design Excellence Award.

    Patricia Urquiola is a Spanish designer and architect celebrated for her playful, tactile approach that blends craft, color, and advanced materials. Her work for brands like Moroso, Cassina, and Kettal is known for its warmth, innovation, and human-centered elegance.

  • Recipients of the 2016 Collab Next Generation Award.

    Oki Sato is a Japanese designer and founder of Nendo, celebrated for minimalist, whimsical designs that combine simplicity with clever, unexpected details.

    Faye Toogood is a British designer known for her sculptural, material-driven furniture and interiors that blur the line between art and design.

    Zanini de Zanine is a Brazilian designer recognized for his experimental, sustainable approach to furniture and product design, often highlighting Brazilian craft and materials.

  • Recipient of the 2015 Collab Design Excellence Award.

    Bruce Mau is a Canadian designer and thinker known for his expansive, systems-level approach to tackling global challenges through design. His work blends creativity, sustainability, and strategic vision, most notably captured in his influential Massive Change philosophy.

2012

2013

2014

  • Recipient of the 2014 Collab Design Excellence Award.

    Rolf Fehlbaum is a Swiss design champion who transformed Vitra into a global cultural force by fostering bold collaborations with leading designers and architects, and by advancing design discourse through initiatives like the Vitra Campus.

  • Recipient of the 2013 Collab Design Excellence Award.

    Marc Newson is an Australian designer celebrated for his fluid, futuristic forms that merge advanced technology with meticulous craftsmanship. His work spans furniture, products, aviation, and watches, all marked by a signature sense of innovation and refined simplicity.

  • Recipients of the 2012 Collab Design Excellence Award.

    Paula Scher is an American graphic designer known for her bold, typographic design work that has helped define contemporary visual identity. As a partner at Pentagram, she’s created iconic branding and environmental graphics that blend energy and cultural impact.

    Seymour Chwast is an American graphic designer and illustrator known for his witty, eclectic style and influential role in shaping modern graphic communication. As a co-founder of Push Pin Studios, he helped redefine visual culture with bold illustration, expressive typography, and socially engaged design.

2009

2010

2011

  • Recipient of the 2011 Collab Design Excellence Award.

    Zaha Hadid was an Iraqi-British architect and designer known for her revolutionary, fluid forms that reshaped contemporary architecture. Her visionary approach extended into products and furniture, bringing the same expressive geometry and sculptural dynamism to everyday objects.

  • Recipient of the 2010 Collab Design Excellence Award.

    Alberto Alessi is an Italian design leader who transformed Alessi into a global powerhouse of playful, poetic, and experimental product design. He is known for championing collaborations with visionary architects and designers to push the boundaries of everyday objects.

  • Recipient of the 2009 Collab Design Excellence Award.

    Marcel Wanders is a Dutch designer and co-founder of Moooi, known for his bold, theatrical approach that blends craftsmanship, humor, and innovation. His work spans furniture, interiors, and products, often combining historical references with contemporary design flair.

2005

2006

2008

  • Recipient of the 2008 Collab Design Excellence Award.

    Frank Gehry is a Canadian-American architect celebrated for his sculptural, deconstructivist buildings that challenge conventional forms. His innovative approach extends to furniture and product design, bringing the same dynamic, expressive quality to smaller-scale works.

  • Recipient of the 2006 Collab Design Excellence Award.

    Georg Jensen was a Danish silversmith and designer whose eponymous brand is renowned for elegant silverware and home objects that combine craftsmanship with timeless, functional design. His work reflects a commitment to artistry, quality, and the seamless integration of form and utility.

  • Recipient of the 2005 Collab Design Excellence Award.

    Gaetano Pesce was an Italian designer and architect known for his experimental, colorful, and playful approach to furniture and architecture. He often worked with unconventional materials, pushing boundaries in form and function.

2002

2003

2004

  • Recipient of the 2004 Collab Design Excellence Award.

    Florence Knoll was an American designer and architect who helped define modern office and furniture design with her minimalist, functional approach. She combined clean lines, quality materials, and thoughtful planning to create timeless, highly influential interiors and furnishings under the Knoll brand.

  • Recipient of the 2003 Collab Design Excellence Award.

    Richard Gluckman is an American architect renowned for his minimalist, museum-focused designs that emphasize light, space, and material clarity. His work spans galleries, cultural institutions, and private projects, blending understated elegance with precise, functional detailing.

  • Recipient of the 2002 Collab Design Excellence Award.

    Ingo Maurer was a German designer celebrated for his innovative, whimsical lighting designs that blend art, humor, and technology. His work reimagined lighting as a sculptural and experiential medium, often using unconventional materials to create playful, poetic effects.

1998

1999

2000

  • Recipient of the 2000 Collab Design Excellence Award.

    Milton Glaser was an American graphic designer celebrated for his iconic, bold, and humanistic visual style. His work, including the famous “I ♥ NY” logo, combined simplicity, wit, and cultural resonance, leaving a lasting impact on design worldwide.

  • Recipients of the 1999 Collab Design Excellence Award.

    Jonathan Ive is a British designer known for his sleek, minimalist industrial designs - most famously for Apple -shaping iconic products like the iPhone and MacBook.

    Maya Lin is an American designer and artist celebrated for her site-specific works that blend architecture, landscape, and sculpture, most famously the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.

    Karim Rashid is a Canadian designer recognized for his vibrant, futuristic style across furniture, interiors, and products, emphasizing fluid forms and bold colors.

  • Recipient of the 1998 Collab Design Excellence Award.

    Sir Terence Conran was a British designer, retailer, and entrepreneur who popularized modern, accessible design through Habitat and his influential home furnishings. His work combined functional elegance with democratic design principles, shaping contemporary interiors and lifestyle.

1995

1996

1997

  • Recipients of the 1997 Collab Design Excellence Award.

    Philippe Starck is a French designer known for his imaginative, democratic approach that blends humor, elegance, and high-tech simplicity across products, interiors, and architecture.

    Ian Schrager is an American hotelier and designer celebrated for reinventing hospitality through experiential, design-driven spaces, from boutique hotels to cultural landmarks.

  • Recipient of the 1996 Collab Design Excellence Award.

    Richard Meier is an American architect known for his pristine, geometric buildings characterized by white surfaces, natural light, and rigorous spatial clarity. His work blends modernist principles with a refined, sculptural sense of form.

  • Recipient of the 1995 Collab Design Excellence Award.

    Michael Graves was an American architect and designer known for his colorful, postmodern buildings and accessible product designs. His work blended classical references with playful forms, bringing design into everyday life through both architecture and consumer goods.

1991

1993

1994

  • Recipients of the 1994 Collab Design Excellence Award.

    Robert Venturi and Denise Scott Brown were American architects and theorists who challenged modernist purity with a more inclusive, context-driven approach to design. Their work and writing, especially Learning from Las Vegas, reshaped architecture through wit, symbolism, and an embrace of everyday culture.

  • Recipient of the 1993 Collab Design Excellence Award.

    Swid Powell was an American design company founded by Nan Swid and Addie Powell, known for its architect-designed tableware and home goods that brought postmodern design into everyday living. Collaborating with figures like Michael Graves and Richard Meier, it became a key tastemaker in 1980s and ’90s design culture.

  • Recipient of the 1991 Collab Design Excellence Award.

    Jack Lenor Larsen was an American textile designer renowned for his innovative weaves, global material inspirations, and pioneering approach to handcrafted textiles. His studio and legacy shaped modern textile design, blending tradition, technology, and artistic experimentation.

1986

1988

1989

  • Recipient of the 1989 Collab Design Excellence Award.

    Niels Diffrient was an American industrial designer known for his human-centered approach that redefined ergonomic seating and workplace products. His work blended engineering, usability, and elegant simplicity, most notably in his influential task chair designs.

  • Recipient of the 1988 Collab Design Excellence Award.

    Vignelli Associates was a New York–based design firm led by Massimo and Lella Vignelli, known for their modernist, system-driven approach across graphics, products, interiors, and furniture. Their work emphasized clarity, timelessness, and disciplined simplicity, shaping some of the most iconic visual identities of the 20th century.

  • Recipient of the 1986 Collab Design Excellence Award.

    George Nakashima was an American woodworker and furniture maker celebrated for his organic, handcrafted approach that honored the natural beauty of wood. His work combined Japanese and American craft traditions, creating timeless pieces that emphasize soul, material integrity, and simplicity.