Celebrating More Than a Decade of Innovation by Design, The 2023 Honorees Include Nearly 500 Projects, Products, And Services.
Cincinnati, Ohio, August 22, 2023 – AGAR and its partners were honored in Fast Company’s Innovation by Design Awards for 2023 in the Experience Design category. The Innovation by Design Awards, found in the September 2023 issue of Fast Company, honor the designers and businesses solving the most crucial problems of today and anticipating the pressing issues of tomorrow. Now in its 12th year, the competition features a range of blue-chip companies, emerging startups, and hungry young talents. It is one of the most sought-after design awards in the industry.
In October 2022, AGAR, alongside The Cincinnati Regional Chamber and partners, produced the United States’ largest light, art, and projection mapping festival: BLINK Cincinnati. BLINK® created an opportunity to actively build a Future City focused on equality and inclusion.
For four days and nights, BLINK® transformed over thirty city blocks into a global, immersive art and light exploration. Artists from across the world came together to produce murals, projections, and installations that created a holistic art footprint across many mediums throughout the city. Some of the renowned artists included Tristan Eaton, Insane 51, Add Fuel, Shantell Martin, PichiAvo, This is Loop, Wendy Yu, Antaless Visual Design, and Max Sansing.
“BLINK brought the community together in ways that no other event could have. We learned to look for the uniqueness in what may be commonplace and to celebrate the potential in what may be overlooked,” said Andrew Salzbrun, Executive Creative Director and Co-Founder, BLINK; Managing Director, AGAR. “We activated more than 100 art installations across our city; showing us that by embracing diverse perspectives, opening our hearts and minds to understand what is possible, and being active contributors, we have the power to inspire and deliver lasting change for generations to come.”
More than two-million locals and out-of-towners united to experience BLINK® Cincinnati with a direct economic impact for the Cincinnati region of 126 million dollars.
BLINK® organizers and partners announced that the experience will return to Cincinnati from October 17th to October 20th, 2024, bringing back the unforgettable and open-to-the-public opportunity for attendees to interact with each other as well as among the world’s most innovative and engaging art throughout the city. To learn more, please visit https://www.BLINKcincinnati.com/.
“So much innovation news these days is focused on AI,” said Brendan Vaughan, editor-in-chief of Fast Company. “This year’s Innovation by Design honorees are a reminder that it’s human ingenuity that drives invention.”
Honorees for the 2023 awards were selected in the following categories: Accessible Design; Apps and Games; Artificial Intelligence; Automotive; Best Design Asia-Pacific; Best Design Europe, Middle East, and Africa; Best Design Latin America; Best Design North America; Biodesign; Branding; Circular Design; Crypto, Blockchain, and Web3; Data Design; Design Company of the Year; Enduring Impact: 15+ Years in Business; Enterprise; Established Excellence: 5–14 Years in Business; Experience Design; Experimental; Fashion and Beauty; Finance; General Excellence; Graphic Design; Health; Home; Hospitality; Impact; Large Business: 1,000+ Employees; Learning; Marketing; Materials; Midsize Business: 100–999 Employees; On the Rise: 0–4 Years in Business; Packaging; Pandemic Action; Products; Rapid Response; Retail; Security; Small Business: Fewer Than 100 Employees; Social Justice; Spaces and Places; Sports and Recreation; Students; Sustainability; Transportation; Urban Design; User Experience; Wellness; and Workplace.
The judges include renowned designers from a variety of disciplines, business leaders from some of the most innovative companies in the world, and Fast Company’s own writers and editors. Entries are judged on the key ingredients of innovation: functionality, originality, beauty, sustainability, user insight, cultural impact, and business impact. Winners, finalists, and honorable mentions are featured online, and winners and finalists are featured in the issue of Fast Company magazine, on newsstands August 29, 2023. To see the complete list, go to https://www.fastcompany.com/innovation-by-design/list.
About Fast Company
Fast Company is the only media brand fully dedicated to the vital intersection of business, innovation, and design, engaging the most influential leaders, companies, and thinkers on the future of business. Headquartered in New York City, Fast Company is published by Mansueto Ventures LLC, along with our sister publication Inc., and can be found online at www.fastcompany.com.
About BLINK:
BLINK®, Illuminated by ArtsWave, is produced and curated by its Executive Partners – the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber, AGAR, and the Haile Foundation, and produced in conjunction with its Partners ArtWorks, Cincy Nice, and ish – to provide opportunities for regional artists and bring in global creators all in the pursuit of a stronger community.
About AGAR:
Founded on the premise that as the world grows more and more digital the value of a human connection and experience inherently increases. Since 2008, AGAR has been growing culture and creating experiences for industry-leading clients through placemaking, public art curation, programming, and creative services. For more information visit www.theagar.com.