Prof. Hiroshi Ishii received the IDSA Special Achievement Award 2026 on August 19, 2026, in Pasadena
Thanks a million to the Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA)!
Special thanks to Hyejun Youn for her encouragement and for an image of me with the IDSA trophy, created with the assistance of AI.
Original portrait photography: Junichi Otsuki.
IDSA symposium graphic (left): adapted from the IDSA website. https://www.idsa.org/
🟦 Award Accepting Remarks by Hiroshi Ishii
"Thank you, IDSA, and the Awards Jury, for this profound honor.
Technologies last a year. Human needs evolve across decades. Vision outlives us all.
For more than three decades, I have pursued Vision-Driven Design — from Tangible Bits, to Radical Atoms, to TeleAbsence — alongside my extraordinary students and colleagues in the Tangible Media Group, MIT Media Lab, ACM SIGCHI, and Design World.
I remain grateful to my mentor and guru, the late Bill Moggridge, who shaped my path.
To every designer here: let us keep being
🔵 artistic and analytic,
🔵 poetic and pragmatic, and
🔵 romantic and realistic
— designing timeless visions that shed light on descendants we may never meet. Thank you!"
🟥 IDSA Special Achievement Award
https://www.idsa.org/awards-recognitions/idsaawards/idsa-special-achievement-award/
"The IDSA Special Achievement Award may recognize individuals, organizations, or specific projects notable for their creativity, innovation, passion, or achievement in advancing the industrial design profession. Recipients of this distinction, through their recent work, have garnered special attention that spans industry lines and made significant contributions to their area of expertise."
"Individuals may be nominated by a peer or may be identified by IDSA’s Board of Directors or IDSA’s Awards Committee as a candidate for this distinction. All candidates who qualify are rigorously evaluated by IDSA’s Awards Committee and subsequently approved by IDSA’s Board of Directors before being bestowed with this great honor."
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