Designs That Stood Out At The 2024–2025 A’ Design Awards And Deservedly Won

By Mikelle Leow, 12 May 2025

The A’ Design Award & Competition, one of the world’s most prestigious and inclusive design accolades, celebrates excellence across a vast spectrum of creative disciplines. Established to bring global awareness for good design practices, the competition invites designers, innovators, and brands from over 100 categories—including architecture, product design, fashion, art, and more—to showcase their work on an international stage.

Recipients get the coveted A’ Design Prize, which includes a suite of services designed to amplify their success: a bespoke trophy, certificate of design excellence, inclusion in the annual yearbook, and opportunities to exhibit their work at the Museum of Outstanding Design (MOOD) in Italy. Beyond these tangible rewards, laureates benefit from extensive publicity through media coverage, as well as inclusion in global design rankings.

Early registrations for the upcoming edition of the A’ Design Award are now open. By entering your work, you not only stand a chance to gain international recognition but also join a global network of creative professionals dedicated to shaping the future of design.

The results for the 2024–2025 edition are in, and as promised previously, DesignTAXI is revealing some of these compelling projects. Whether you’re here to gather inspiration, or discover new names to follow, enjoy the roundup of thoughtful and forward-looking works that caught the international jury’s attention.

Genipabu Buffet

Honoring the rippling sands of the Genipabu Dunes in Brazil’s Rio Grande do Norte, the Genipabu Sideboard/Buffer by Estudio Galho mimics the natural patterns carved by wind across the landscape. Its most distinctive feature is a triangular wine rack that subtly references the undulating dunes, turning storage into sculpture.

Genipabu Buffet by Estudio Galho

Crafted from certified solid wood and MDF wrapped in natural veneers, the sideboard balances environmental care with visual elegance. A semi-gloss finish made from carnauba wax—extracted from Brazilian palm leaves—adds both sheen and sustainability. Smooth door handles echo the wind’s shaping force, reinforcing the idea that design can move like nature: quietly intentional and anything but static. This is design grounded in place, not just inspired by it. Each detail, from silhouette to storage, nods to Genipabu’s contours while still keeping its feet firmly in the realm of practical living. The furniture remembers where it came from, even if it ends up somewhere entirely different.

Genipabu Buffet by Estudio Galho

Hug Me Sitting

The Hug Me Sitting chair by Zipeng Zhou is an open-armed invitation. Its extended arms, inspired by the gesture of a hug, wrap around the sitter with symbolic warmth. The piece is the brand Steel-Land’s quiet way of saying thank you for 30 years of support as it marks its anniversary.

Hug Me Sitting by Zipeng Zhou

There’s weight to the design. The chair has a chunky base, while the ergonomic backrest leans at just the right angle to cradle the body. Material-wise, a 3D-knit polyester version offers a dense-yet-soft finish that resists sagging and clings gently to the skin. For something cozier, a lambswool variation mimics real wool with its soft texture and curl, bringing warmth. The quiet embrace holds its meaning in the details.

Hug Me Sitting by Zipeng Zhou

Blur Coffee Table

Designed by Dhruv Agarwal, this Blur coffee table plays with perception the same way memories do: fading in, out, and overlapping. Made in collaboration with Meena artisans in Moradabad, the piece balances digital precision and handmade irregularity. A thick coat of enamel overlays a steel mesh base, creating shifting visuals that seem to blur in and out of focus, depending on your vantage point. Months of experimentation led to a denser enamel that clings imperfectly to the structured mesh, highlighting the contrast between control and chaos.

Blur Coffee Table by Dhruv Agarwwal

As light and angle change, the colors flicker, echoing the way feelings and moments come and go. This standing optical illusion is a reminder that perspective is everything.

Blur Coffee Table by Dhruv Agarwwal

Hoverpen Interstellar Ballpoint Pen

The Hoverpen Interstellar floats, instead of just sits, on your desk. Created by Novium and inspired by spacecraft aesthetics and sci-fi dreams, this levitating ballpoint pen is a conversation piece with a side of existential pondering. Its hovering display spins hypnotically with a flick, making it just as useful for fidgeting through meetings as it is for jotting notes. And yes, it’s refillable, using international-standard ink cartridges made by Schmidt.

Hoverpen Interstellar Ballpoint Pen by Novium

Built through 103 manufacturing steps and assembled with Taiwanese-sourced parts, the pen is engineered to hover thanks to a finely tuned magnetic configuration. The design’s ridged body amplifies its spin, visually tracing its movement as it slows, then gains speed again. While it draws from space exploration, the Hoverpen’s real orbit is where you work.

Hoverpen Interstellar Ballpoint Pen by Novium

Solid Order Jewelry Packaging

Solid Order’s jewelry box, designed by Yawen Jiang of A Design Studio, riffs on an obsession with geometry, fusing squares and circles into a sculptural object that lands somewhere between minimalist art and functional storage. The packaging is clean but not cold, structured but with a softness that hints at care.

Solid Order Jewelry Packaging by Yawen Jiang - A Design Studio

Unwrapping it is part of the ritual. A textured paper sleeve gives way to a frosted acrylic form that opens along a precise seam, aided by magnets that click into place with surprising satisfaction. Inside, velvet inserts can be swapped depending on the jewelry type, making the box adaptable and modular. Once emptied, the hollow semicircle left behind becomes a storage nook in its own right. The box then earns its place on a shelf instead of a landfill.

Solid Order Jewelry Packaging by Yawen Jiang - A Design Studio

Moutai Dream Red Wine Packaging

The Moutai Dream Red wine packaging, created by Heng Luo and Yi Huang, was designed with collectors in mind, complete with Cinnabar lacquer tones. It uses a bold shade of red inspired by Han dynasty lacquerware, paired with black for contrast, and finished with eco-friendly paper, hot stamping, and UV printing.

Moutai Dream Red Wine Packaging by Heng Luo and Yi Huang

Moutai’s mascot, Xiao Mao, makes a playful appearance raising a glass, while the hollowed details on the box reference traditional Chinese art techniques. The packaging is 95% biodegradable, balancing a premium look with environmental awareness. Designed for banquets, souvenirs, or business gifting, it’s a piece that shows care went into more than just what’s inside the bottle.

Moutai Dream Red Wine Packaging by Heng Luo and Yi Huang

Pepsi Electric 2024 Influencer Kit

For the launch of Pepsi Electric, a limited-time zero-sugar cola, PepsiCo pulled out all the stops with a striking black-and-blue box that lit up. Centered around the Pepsi Globe and the new Pulse element, the kit played up the brand’s updated look with a label that glowed electric blue, matching the soda’s bold new vibe.

Pepsi Electric 2024 Influencer Kit by PepsiCo Design and Innovation

This release ties into a larger brand refresh, as Pepsi rolled out its first logo redesign in 14 years to coincide with its 125th anniversary. The visual update leans into a sharper, more energized aesthetic, and Pepsi Electric acts as a fizzy embodiment of that shift. Not so much about reinventing the wheel, it’s more about nostalgia with a jolt of neon confidence.

Pepsi Electric 2024 Influencer Kit by PepsiCo Design and Innovation

Breath Of The Glacier Sustainable Clothing

Drawing from the rhythms of melting and reforming ice, Yibo Ji’s Breath of the Glacier collection features fabrics that mimic the cracked, shifting textures of ancient glaciers. Using biodegradable faux leather and synthetic fur made from polyester fiber, the garments are carefully constructed to resemble glacial terrain—crisscrossed, layered, and quietly powerful. Even the dyeing process avoids waste, staying true to its low-impact mission.

Breath Of The Glacier Sustainable Fashion Cloth by Yibo Ji

The silhouettes are intentionally oversized, echoing the vast, looming presence of the glaciers they honor. There’s an Eastern design sensibility running through the collection too, favoring quiet balance over spectacle, with flowing forms that feel more like meditations than statements. The pieces lean into varying shades of blue to reflect both the beauty and vulnerability of ice, encouraging wearers to consider not just what they’re wearing, but what’s melting away.

Breath Of The Glacier Sustainable Fashion Cloth by Yibo Ji

Foodres Food Waste AI Printer

Most kitchen scraps end up in the trash, or maybe a compost bin if you're feeling responsible. But with the FoodRes AI Printer, leftovers get a second life as something you can actually use. Created by Yiqing Wang and Biru Cao, this desktop 3D printer turns organic waste—think vegetable peels, fruit rinds, and coffee grounds—into objects like coasters, cup holders, and quirky home decor. You just drop your scraps in, scan them with a phone camera, and the artificial intelligence-powered app helps sort and prep them into a printable form.

Foodres AI Printer Food Waste 3D Printing by Yiqing Wang and Biru Cao

Unlike typical 3D printers that rely on plastic filaments or pre-processed materials, this one is designed to work with raw food waste. It uses computer vision to analyze what you’ve got and guides you through creating a mixture that’s printable. A clear shell lets you watch the transformation happen in real time, and the entire setup has just two access points—one to drop in waste, the other to collect your freshly printed creation. Originally developed with support from the MIT IDEAS program, the FoodRes AI Printer is a working example of how recycling and design can come together in your own kitchen.

Foodres AI Printer Food Waste 3D Printing by Yiqing Wang and Biru Cao

Embrasse Moi Sculpture Lamp

Giuseppe Tortato’s Embrasse Moi is an illuminating bronze ribbon caught mid-twirl. Sculptural in scale and spirit, this handcrafted suspension light stretches vertically across multiple floors like a strand of DNA threading through space. ’s designed using parametric software but brought to life through traditional metalwork, balancing technology with tactility.

Embrasse Moi Lamp Sculpture Lamp by Giuseppe Tortato

Installed in a historic building, the lamp had to be engineered with care. Brass is heavy, so the structure was built in sections, with slim steel cables and discreet tensioners holding it in place without disrupting the flow. The spirals get tighter in places, requiring specially reinforced joints to hold the shape without adding bulk. The name itself is a playful pun—Embrasse Moi nods to both the French for “hug me” and the English word “brass,” the metal used to shape its curved form.

Embrasse Moi Lamp Sculpture Lamp by Giuseppe Tortato

Hotaru Record Player

Hotaru hovers, glows, and plays vinyl while looking like it belongs in a gallery or spacecraft. Not quite your typical record player, is it? Designed by Audio-Technica Corporation, it turns listening into something closer to performance art. The platter floats mid-air thanks to magnetic repulsion, giving your vinyl a slow, dreamlike spin. Soft lighting radiates from below, with customizable brightness and hues controlled by a simple knob. The result is a moody, sensory setup that turns your living room into something a little more atmospheric.

Hotaru Record Player by Audio-Technica Corporation

An understated VM cartridge and carbon tonearm handle the music, while an internal belt drive keeps things quietly in motion. Acrylic, aluminum, and brass come together to form a sleek body that feels as weighty as it looks. With integrated speakers and just three knobs—one for lights, one for volume, and one for speed—it’s a fully functional piece of audio equipment wrapped in a glow-up of analog nostalgia.

Hotaru Record Player by Audio-Technica Corporation

Vision Auction Online Jewelry Bidding

Vision Auction by Leying Bi reimagines the jewelry auction not as a gallery event, but as something you can step into from your living room. Using Mixed Reality and Apple Vision Pro, this online platform lets bidders inspect digital twin pieces in augmented reality, try them on virtually, and raise a hand (or an eyebrow) to place a bid in real time. The aim is to bring the tension, transparency, and tactile thrill of in-person auctions into a more immersive, accessible format.

Vision Auction Online Jewelry Bidding by Leying Bi

From Figma mockups to eye-tracking calibration, every part of the experience has been designed with usability in mind. Gesture controls allow for detailed viewing, while digital certification ensures items retain value even after resale.

Vision Auction Online Jewelry Bidding by Leying Bi

Aisling Sans Typeface

Designed by Paul Robb, Aisling Sans walks the line between classic and current, borrowing from the clean geometry of mid-century sans serifs while softening things with some carefully considered quirks. The letterforms are broad and open, which makes them easy on the eyes, but there’s enough personality in the curves to give headlines or logos a quiet presence without needing to shout.

Aisling Sans Typeface by Paul Robb

What sets this typeface apart is how subtly it shifts between tones. It’s polished enough for branding, but relaxed enough for longer reads, whether in print or on screen. With 10 weights, variable font support, and coverage for over 200 Latin-based languages, it’s ready for pretty much anything you throw at it.

Aisling Sans Typeface by Paul Robb

La Plage Brand Identity

Retro sun crosses seaside fun, with La Plage bringing 1950s beach charm to modern branding. Designers Ebru Sile Goksel and Ipek Eris Ugurlu took cues from old archival photos, reimagining seaside glamour through a mix of boho charm and playful nostalgia. The resulting brand identity feels both airy and polished, with cheeky slogans like “Sea la vie” and sun-drenched illustrations that stretch across menus, napkins, uniforms, and walls. Notably, the typography sways, echoing waves and vintage signage with a modern wink.

La Plage Brand Identity by Ebru Sile Goksel and Ipek Eris Ugurlu

Color plays a starring role, with earthy terracotta, lush green, and gold accents giving everything a warm, tactile presence. From foil-stamped graphics to carefully chosen paper textures, each design decision ties back to a larger story that is rooted in leisure, style, and subtle theatrics. The logotype also strikes a balance between laid-back and refined, effortlessly carrying the weight of the brand without upstaging its illustrations. The identity makes every touchpoint feel like a scene from a golden-era postcard brought to life.

La Plage Brand Identity by Ebru Sile Goksel and Ipek Eris Ugurlu

Chalk Pebbles Stationery

Chalk Pebbles by Rui Huang don’t just look like something you might skip across a river—they’re meant to be handled, broken, smeared, and even, technically, licked. Resembling the shapes and textures of actual riverbed stones, these child-friendly chalk pieces are made from fruit and vegetable powders, starch, and natural pigments. Their soft gradients and uneven surfaces make each one feel like a find, not just a tool. The idea is to bring a bit of the outdoors into the classroom, or kitchen table, and make art-making a sensory experience from the start.

Chalk Pebbles Stationery by Rui Huang

Besides being made from edible and compostable materials, the Chalk Pebbles reimagine the ways chalk can be used by kids. These makeshift stones can be utilized whole or snapped into smaller chunks, drawn with or painted over with a wet brush to create watercolor-like effects. The hardness varies—there are seven levels—giving kids a tangible way to explore texture and pressure while keeping little hands grounded and away from screens.

Chalk Pebbles Stationery by Rui Huang

Conqueror Inflatable Camping Furniture

Camping gear usually falls into two categories: either it’s light and flimsy or sturdy and a pain to carry. Shengjie He and Lan Wang’s Conqueror furniture skips that trade-off by going inflatable. Made for campers who don’t want to lug around a mini living room on their backs, the Conqueror system can be blown up on-site and reconfigured into a table, chair, or airbed, all from the same modular setup. One moment it’s a packable cube, the next, a full piece of furniture ready for the night.

Conqueror Inflatable Camping Furniture by Shengjie He and Lan Wang

The surface is coated with a glow-in-the-dark material that absorbs sunlight during the day and lights up in the dark, guiding users during setup and, potentially, helping locate gear in emergencies. The recycled PVC structure is both practical and eco-conscious, while the intuitive design means there’s no wrestling with awkward instructions in the middle of the woods.

Conqueror Inflatable Camping Furniture by Shengjie He and Lan Wang

Coral Scratcher Pet Toy

Informed by coral formations and rolling ocean waves, the Coral Scratcher by Hangzhou Owls Technology Co, Ltd offers footholds for climbing and a silhouette that cats actually want to explore. The modular setup means you can adjust the height based on your cat’s size—or the layout of your space. Even less agile cats can reach the top, which doubles as a perch or lounge spot.

Coral Scratcher Pet Toy by Hangzhou Owls Technology Co., Ltd.

And for the humans, it’s a convenient place to stash a book or remote without clashing with the living room. With its minimalist black and white palette, this pet accessory slots neatly into interiors and doubles as home furniture, such as a nightstand, end table, or quiet statement piece. Everything snaps together with a single threaded rod, and a magnetic top panel makes for easy access without visible screws or clunky fasteners.

Coral Scratcher Pet Toy by Hangzhou Owls Technology Co., Ltd.

Mystical Serpent Light Art Installation

Coiled across the facade of a historic Shanghai building, Mystical Serpent brings ancient mythology into the present with an inflatable twist. Dreamed up by PHAIdesign to mark the Year of the Snake in 2025, this light installation weaves together legends from both Eastern and Western cultures: Zhulong, the Chinese serpent deity who controls light and time, and the Roman household guardian snake, a symbol of domestic protection. The result is a visual story about life cycles, resilience, and the shared symbols that cross continents.

Mystical Serpent Light Art Installation by PHAIdesign

The installation slithers from ground to wall, wrapping through windows and around a pseudo-3D mural rendered in fabric and glass decals. By day, it draws curious onlookers; by night, it glows with layered meaning. The serpent’s body is made from lightweight, recyclable inflatable materials, built to withstand Shanghai’s ever-shifting weather while remaining photogenic from every angle. Its patterns combine Chinese peonies with Roman scales, turning a quiet nod to myth into something people can actually walk up to, snap selfies with, and experience in motion.

Mystical Serpent Light Art Installation by PHAIdesign

Life Science Code Monument

Looking to the human genome, a monument at Chugai Pharmaceutical’s Life Science Park—crafted by Takumi Takahashi—translates genetic sequences into patterns that ripple across its surface, capturing the tension between chaos and code. The sculpture serves as a meditation presented in metal and recycled wood, mapping the raw material of life into something solid and still.

Life Science Code Monument by Takumi Takahashi

Envisioned to sit at the intersection of science and memory, the work blends natural and human-made materials to echo how biology and technology co-evolve. Scraps of wood and metal—some previously used in furniture or labs—have been repurposed, reinforcing the theme of circularity. The shape itself encourages pause; researchers and visitors alike can find their own reflection caught in its surfaces, making it a shared moment rather than a fixed symbol. It’s not just about what we know from genomes, but what we still don’t, and how those unknowns quietly shape the future.

Life Science Code Monument by Takumi Takahashi

Huai’an Zhongshuge Bookstore

Designed by Li Xiang, the Huai’an Zhongshuge bookstore takes its cues from the cosmos—specifically, the sweeping paths of planetary motion and the symbolic weight of books as vessels of exploration. Circular forms spiral across the ceiling and floors, simulating celestial orbits, while traditional wood materials ground the futuristic vision in something warm and tactile.

Huai’an Zhongshuge Bookstore by Li Xiang

This two-level space is an immersive installation where reading, architecture, and astronomy collide. Every curve and loop was fine-tuned through computational modeling, allowing the space to balance structure and spectacle in a relatively tight footprint. Reading zones are tucked within the curves of orbital arcs, and the shelving itself echoes the language of celestial forms. It’s a place where you can get lost in a book… or just get lost staring at the ceiling.

Huai’an Zhongshuge Bookstore by Li Xiang

Clay Moulded Musical Theater

In Klaipeda, a Lithuanian port city shaped by sand and sea, architect Marius Mateika decided to let the earth speak. For the design of a musical theater, he turned to the region’s natural clay and coastal forms, building a space that feels sculpted by wind and waves. The result is a dramatic, almost primal interior formed entirely from clay, a material more often found in kilns and pottery studios than modern performance venues.

Clay Moulded Musical Theater by Marius Mateika

The theater’s walls and ceilings—crafted over nine months using more than 30 tonnes of clay—aren’t a static shell. Thanks to movable panels, the space is transformable, adjusting acoustically depending on the performance, whether it’s a concert or a quiet play. Artist Mantas PetraviÄius hand-shaped the surface patterns using custom tools, applying and treating each layer of clay through a seven-step process directly on-site. The texture feels alive, catching light and sound in ways that standard finishes can’t replicate.

Clay Moulded Musical Theater by Marius Mateika

Embraced in Recycled Steel Office

Recycled steel forms the backbone of Nobuaki Miyashita’s office design for Kyoei Steel, repurposing industrial leftovers into a sleek visual language. Rebars, angle steel, and flat bars, usually buried behind drywall, are front and center, transformed into walls, railings, and ceiling details. The space is a tribute to the lifecycle of the metal, where raw material becomes structure, and structure becomes story.

Embraced in Recycled Steel Office by Nobuaki Miyashita

What ties it all together is a digital thread: barcode and QR code motifs pulled directly from the company’s website. These graphic patterns stretch across surfaces and stairwells, acting both as a nod to branding and as wayfinding tools. Overhead, steel louvers shaped like billets soften light and echo the linear language of barcodes.

Embraced in Recycled Steel Office by Nobuaki Miyashita

M1 and M2 Multi Residential House

The M1 and M2 multi-residential towers by Babak Eslahjou add to Mississauga’s skyline with a literal twist. As part of the larger M City development, these towers bring an undulating geometric form that stands out in a city still finding its vertical rhythm. Each floor plate subtly rotates, creating a visual ripple effect from base to crown. The high-rise ends up both climbing and shifting, carving out its own identity among a growing cluster of urban silhouettes.

M1 and M2 Multi Residential House by Babak Eslahjou

Eslahjou’s design folds in green space at every opportunity: on the roof, at podium level, and throughout the pedestrian areas below. The faceted glass podium acts as both visual anchor and public space, housing outdoor amenities and a landscaped terrace that breaks away from the standard concrete base. At street level, patterned paving, softscapes, and sculptural seating redefine the sidewalk as more than just a throughway. Together, the buildings aim to model density with a human touch—bold up top, generous at the ground.

M1 and M2 Multi Residential House by Babak Eslahjou

Batumi Chess Palace Cultural Center

Boldly tipping its hat to the game, the Batumi Chess Palace builds the board into the structure itself. Designed by Irakli Emiridze and the Alpha Architecture team, the cultural center is modeled after an unfolded chessboard, with black-and-white rhythm baked into the facades. Perforated solar shades cover each side, shifting light and shadow throughout the day like strategic moves mid-match. A sculptural chess piece marks the entrance, doubling as both landmark and invitation.

Batumi Chess Palace Cultural Center by Irakli Emiridze - Alpha Architecture

Set to open in Batumi, Georgia, in 2027, the building will house everything from a tournament hall and study rooms to a chess library and exhibition space, with the hopes of boosting chess tourism and anchoring the city’s growing cultural identity. The two-story structure adapts its scale to the surrounding environment, despite its considerable footprint, and functions as both a sanctuary for players and a public space for those just curious enough to step inside. Much like chess itself, the building is equal parts logic and imagination.

Batumi Chess Palace Cultural Center by Irakli Emiridze - Alpha Architecture

Don’t miss this opportunity to elevate your work to the global stage. Submit your best work today at the A’ Design Award & Competition.

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