DRIVING CHANGE WITH ART

Since its founding 35 years ago, Lexus has continually challenged the status quo within the luxury automotive space. LEXUS DESIGN AWARD was born out of this challenger spirit, along with the firm belief that design can change the world.

A HISTORY OF DRIVING CHANGE

LEXUS DESIGN AWARD was born out of the belief that design can change the world. And, for the past 10 years, that change has emerged from the imaginations of young designers around the globe.

Since 2013, this international design competition has allowed up-and-coming designers to show off their visions for a better future and build their fully funded design prototypes alongside world-class designers. These designers serve as mentors to the winners, helping them undertake a transformative journey to push their world-changing designs to the next level. Past mentors have included MoMA senior curator Paola Antonelli, industrial designer Karim Rashid, AI visionary John Maeda, and Lexus head of design Simon Humphries.

Throughout the years, this collective of winners and mentors has become a powerful force within the global design community and Lexus is proud to consider them allies in driving change.

2013 GRAND PRIX WINNER - Inaho

“Inaho” is a distinctive lighting installation inspired by golden rice paddy fields moving in the wind.

HIDEKI YOSHIMOTO

Yoshimoto was the winner of the very first LEXUS DESIGN AWARD in 2013 while still a student at the Royal College of Art in London. He has since gone on to establish Tangent, a London-based design and engineering studio.

2015 GRAND PRIX WINNER - Sense-Wear

“Sense-Wear” is a collection of clothing and accessories emphasizing the use of human senses to improve everyday life, especially for neurodivergent individuals.

EMANUELA CORTI AND IVAN PARATI

Dubai-based designers Emanuela Corti and Ivan Parati are co-founders of Caravan, a design collective active in several creative fields. Blending digital-fabrication and artisanal competence, Caravan's projects aim to create awareness of heritage to address contemporary challenges.

2019 GRAND PRIX WINNER – Algorithmic Lace

“Algorithmic Lace” uses advanced 3D modeling to handcraft bespoke bras for breast cancer survivors undergoing mastectomy surgery.

LISA MARKS

Lisa Marks is an industrial designer specializing in combining craft research with algorithmic design to promote sustainable methods to help design communities. She has an MFA from Parsons School of Design and is currently faculty at Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta.

2020 GRAND PRIX WINNER – Open Source Communities

"Open Source Communities" addresses challenges found in developing countries by using smart, open-source planning to design affordable communities with sustainable resources.

Kenyan design studio, BellTower, expands its definition of design, reimagining financial systems for community projects, and examining the critical role clean drinking water plays in society’s ability to thrive.

Explore the history of LEXUS DESIGN AWARD and meet the magical minds that have brought their ideas to life for the past electrifying 10 years.  

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AN IMPACT THAT TRANSCENDS TIME

Over the last decade, LEXUS DESIGN AWARD has played a key role in spotlighting emerging design talent, significantly contributing to the impact that the global design community has had on the world. To show its commitment to the ever-evolving design landscape, Lexus returned to Milan Design Week in spring 2024 with a pair of interactive original works called "Time.” 

These two new installations illuminated the future of human-centered design, showing how the synergy of hardware and software can increase the potential for truly tailored personal experiences. This notion also opens the door to design that seamlessly anticipates and evolves with the needs of every driver.  

The exhibition was divided between two installations within the same site. The indoor exhibit "BEYOND THE HORIZON" by Hideki Yoshimoto / Tangent expressed a world of next-generation mobility, evolving in limitless ways through software. The piece was complemented by the music of composer, Keiichiro Shibuya, providing a truly immersive experience for guests. 

"8 Minutes 20 Seconds" by Marjan van Aubel was exhibited outside of the space, and expressed a new approach to design and technology that imagined a carbon-neutral future, a sentiment also shared by Lexus.  

Both exhibitions incorporated the next-generation Lexus electric vehicle LF-ZC, a concept that represents how the synergy of hardware and software can redefine the automotive experience. 

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