Excellence

Design
Guild Mark

The Design Guild Mark has been distinguishing the excellent from the ordinary in the design of furnishings for more than 10 years.

Apply for a Design Guild Mark

Home > Excellence > Design Guild Mark

The prestigious
Design Guild Mark

The prestigious Design Guild Mark is awarded by The Furniture Makers’ Company in order to drive excellence and raise the profile of British design and innovation.

The Design Guild Mark is unique in that the programme is not a competition with a ranking of entries and a winner; instead, the award is given to all designs that demonstrate

to the jury that they represent the highest standards of originality and innovation in industrial design.

Each category is judged by a panel of judges who are leaders in their field and who bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to the evaluation process.

watch the DGM Judging Day

Entry Criteria

A Design Guild Mark can be awarded for a product or collection of products that are currently in production, that were designed for, and are manufactured by, an industrial design process.

Furthermore, it must be designed:

By any British designer.
By any United Kingdom based design practice.

Judging process

Submissions that meet the entry criteria will progress to a judging day where the designer will present the design to the judging panels and demonstrate how the piece shows excellence in design, materials, manufacture and function. Consideration will be given, for example to:

Does it solve a problem?

Are the materials appropriate?

Is it fit for purpose?

Are they from sustainable sources?

Does the design have longevity?

Does the piece show new thinking?

Has the design been refined for and is it capable of being produced in volume?

Does it represent value?

The Benefits

There are numerous reasons to apply for a Design Guild Mark.

It is money well spent

Participating in the Design Guild Mark provides a cost effective marketing tool (it costs less than an online banner and a 1/4 page print ad) and can bring you and your brand a greater level of recognition within the industry.

It is an accreditation of quality

The Mark recognises the highest standards in the design of furnishings for volume production, by the finest designers working in Britain, or British designers working abroad. Designs are judged by an independent body of renowned judges who are experts in their respective fields.

It provides great press and social media coverage

Awardees will get exposure to their work in the design world and beyond across a range of platforms and publications.

You’re in good company

Your design will be showcased with that of all our current holders which can be seen on in our awardees gallery www.designguildmark.org.uk/awardees and on the Design Guild Mark Instagram, Pinterest and Twitter accounts.

Jonathan Hindle Prize

Created in 2015 by Design Guild Mark founder Jonathan Hindle, this is comprised of a trophy and cash prize for the value of £1,000. All successful Design Guild Mark awardees are eligible to win, however only one is selected per category that the judges consider to be the most outstanding.