Collab

Collab, our modern and contemporary design group for members, offers exhibition previews, day trips, talks, special access to our design collection, and opportunities to mingle with design curators and visionaries.

Connect with influential designers, hear about the newest trends first, and learn about the latest products and processes in the modern and contemporary design space when you join Collab.

Since 1970, Collab has contributed outstanding examples of unique and mass-produced design objects to our collection; hosted design luminaries from five continents; and provided tours, lectures, and publications that make design accessible to the public.

Collab members engage with the world of design together through exclusive programming, both virtually and in person. This includes entry to the Collab Design Excellence Award and Collab Student Design Competition.

Kathryn B. Hiesinger, J. Mahlon Buck, Jr. Family Senior Curator of European Decorative Arts after 1700, provides curatorial oversight.

DesignPhiladelphia
The oldest festival of its kind in the United States, DesignPhiladelphia highlights the work of local designers, architects, and creative professionals. Collab members are invited to a special DesignPhiladlephia program hosted in collaboration with the museum.

Student Design Competition
What does the next generation imagine for the future of design? Every year, college-level industrial design students respond to a unique challenge that affects daily life. The best designs are showcased virtually or at the museum.

Design Excellence Award Party
Collab’s annual Design Excellence Award honors a designer of international renown with a celebration and exhibition at the museum. This signature event has brought design icons to Philadelphia since 1986.

Behind-the-Scenes Tours
Enjoy guided tours and demonstrations from the museum experts who care for objects in the design collection.

Studio and Makerspace Visits
Get an insider glimpse into the rise of Philadelphia’s growing maker community with studio visits to the places where great design is happening today.

View Collab events

Become a Collab member at the $125 level and support acquisitions, exhibitions, publications, and programs. Collab membership is available exclusively to museum members.

Collab’s annual Design Excellence Award honors a designer of international renown with a celebration and exhibition at the museum. This signature event has brought design icons to Philadelphia since 1986.

Full list of Design Excellence Award recipients:

2022 – Lonneke Gordijn and Ralph Nauta
2021 – Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec
2020 – Canceled due to COVID-19
2019 – Collab: 50 Years of Great Design Anniversary Gala
2018 – Dieter Rams
2017 – Patricia Urquiola
2016 – Design Excellence: New Generation Oki Sato, Faye Toogood, & Zanini de Zanine
2015 – Bruce Mau
2014 – Rolf Fehlbaum of Vitra
2013 – Marc Newson
2012 – Paula Scher and Seymour Chwast
2011 – Zaha Hadid
2010 – Alberto Alessi
2009 – Marcel Wanders
2008 – Frank O. Gehry
2006 – Georg Jensen
2005 – Gaetano Pesce
2004 – Florence Knoll Bassett
2003 – Richard Gluckman
2002 – Ingo Maurer
2001 – No award given
2000 – Milton Glaser
1999 – Jonathan Ive, Maya Lin, and Karim Rashid
1998 – Sir Terence Conran
1997 – Philippe Starck and Ian Schrager
1996 – Richard Meier
1995 – Michael Graves
1994 – Robert Venturi and Denise Scott Brown
1993 – Swid Powell
1991 – Jack Lenor Larsen
1989 – Niels Diffrient
1988 – Vignelli Associates
1986 – George Nakashima

What does the next generation imagine for the future of design? Every year, university-level design students respond to a unique challenge that affects daily life. The best designs are showcased by the museum.

2024 Collab Student Design Competition

Inspiration for Challenge
The 2024 Collab Design Excellence Award honoree and the inspiration for this year’s Collab Student Design Competition is Naoto Fukasawa, a Japanese industrial designer known for his minimalist and functional approach to design. Fukasawa imbues everyday objects with a sense of harmony, often drawing inspiration from the natural world. He also designs with humanistic sensibilities.

His work spans a wide range of products, including furniture, lighting, electronics, and household appliances. He has collaborated with numerous brands worldwide. Fukasawa's designs are celebrated for their restrained elegance, subtlety, simplicity, and intuitive usability, reflecting his philosophy that good design should go unnoticed, seamlessly integrating into the user's life. His work is reductive yet seductive.

Design Brief
Create a tabletop piece (used for food/dining service) for the physical world that addresses the design concepts in the work of Naoto Fukasawa.

• Characteristics and inspiration must consider:
• Minimalist form and materials
• User experience: functional, easy to use
• Sense of delight; enjoyable to use
• Elements of humanism

Prizes
First Prize: $800 | Second Prize: $500 | Third Prize: $300 |Two Honorable Mentions: $200.

All winners receive a one-year museum membership.

Eligibility

Students submitting projects to the Collab Student Design Competition must be currently enrolled in a college or university.

Deadline

All student work must be uploaded to Café by November 15.

Learn more about submission requirements and judging criteria