The prestigious international award goes to the Politecnico di Milano professor
Professor Ezio Manzini has been awarded the 2012 Sir Misha Black Medal in recognition of his distinguished service in the field of Design Education. The prestigious international award was announced by the Sir Misha Black Committee and will be officially awarded on 8 March 2012 at public ceremony held at the Royal College of Art in London.
Manzini has worked for decades in the sector of design and sustainability. More recently, his interest have focused on social innovation for sustainability. This commitment stems from recognizing the importance of the social problems facing today’s society. His interests and expertise led him to start and currently coordinate DESIS, an international network of schools of design, specifically those active in the field of design for social innovation and sustainability.
During his professional life at the Politecnico di Milano, he concerned himself with Material Design in the ‘80s and Strategic Design in the ’90s. While at Politecnico, starting in 2000, he turned his attention to Service Design. Over the years, he has directed several national and international research projects, coordinated various Units of Research and published countless scientific publications.
His varied experience in design schools and institutions includes director of Domus Academy in the ‘80s and professor at several international universities across Europe, North and South America and Asia. He is currently Honorary Guest Professor at the Tongji University (in Shanghai), Jiangnan University (in Wuxi), COPPE-UFRJ (in Rio de Janeiro) and at Parsons, the New School for Design (in New York).
He has been awarded Honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degrees from The New School of New York and Goldsmiths College, London.
“The Sir Misha Black Medal is awarded to Manzini in recognition of his ability to be at the forefront. He has made design and sustainability very visible to his students and on the international scene, and for that alone he deserves the award” commented Sir Christopher Frayling, who represents the Sir Misha Black Medal Committee.
The Sir Misha Black Medal for Distinguished Services to Design Education was instituted in 1978 as a memorial to Sir Misha Black, designer and teacher at the Royal College of Art. It is one of the most prestigious international awards in design and was created by such British institutions as the Royal College of Art, the Faculty of Royal Designers for Industry of the RSA, The Design and Industries Association and The Royal Academy of Engineering.
