Japan's Good Design Award just got better. Or, at least, broader.
First awarded in 1957, those snappy little red "G" marks that are worn proudly on the packaging of recipients have become ubiquitous in this country. Now, with the opening in central Hong Kong of the first full-time spin-off store, the Japan Institute of Design Promotion (JDP), which organizes the award, are getting serious about going global.
"Japanese manufacturers are looking more to overseas Asia as a market, so it makes sense for us to direct our attention to Hong Kong — both as a market itself and as a gateway to the rest of the region," explained JDP's Masami Kawaguchi at a recent interview in Tokyo.