Compasso d'Oro

The Compasso d'Oro (Golden Compass) is an industrial design award originated in Italy in 1954. Initially sponsored by the La Rinascente, a Milanese department store, the award has been organised and managed by the Associazione per il Disegno Industriale (ADI) since 1964. The Compasso d'Oro is the first, and among the most recognized and respected design awards. It aims to acknowledge and promote quality in its field in Italy and internationally, and has been called both the "Nobel" and the "Oscar" of design.

History
The Compasso d′Oro was established in 1954, and now it is the highest honour in the field of industrial design in Italy, comparable to other prestigious international awards such as the Good Design award, iF Design Award, Red Dot Award, the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Awards, and the Good Design Award (Japan). 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 original idea for the award is credited to Gio Ponti and Alberto Rosselli. Many other leading architects and designers of the era including the Castiglioni brothers (Livio, Pier Giacomo, and Achille), Albe Steiner, Enzo Mari and Marco Zanuso were involved in aspects of its inception and early development. The Compasso d'Oro logo (designed by Steiner) and award trophy itself invoke a drafting compass invented by Adalbert Göringer in 1893 to measure the Golden Section.

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 350 designers have been honoured with the Award, for designs covering a wide range – from automobiles and bicycles to furniture and household objects, portable sewing machines, typewriters, calculators, clocks, lighting as well as concepts and systems, technical equipment, and yachts.

For the first time, the 2020 Compasso d'Oro included a "Products Career Award" which was given to three historical designs that have proven to be highly successful over time but were not awarded at the time of their inception: a 1962 floor lamp called Arco by Pier Giacomo and Achille Castiglioni; a bed design by Vico Magistretti from 1978 called "Nahalie"; and the now famous "Sacco" bean-bag chair designed by Piero Gatti, Cesare Paolini, and Franco Teodoro in 1968.

The ADI Design Museum in Milan houses the historical collection of the ADI Compasso d’Oro Foundation, as well as temporary exhibitions, public talks and initiatives. 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. In 2020, the Milan square where the ADI Design Museum is situated was renamed "Piazza Compasso d'Oro" to honour the cultural and historical significance of the award.