Grafton Architects to receive IDI President’s Choice Award

farrellmcnamara

Yvonne Farrell and Shelley McNamara, founders of international award-winning Grafton Architects, are to receive Irish design’s highest honour, the IDI President’s Choice Award for Outstanding Achievement in Design in Ireland, says the current President of the Institute of Designers in Ireland, George Boyle. Last year the honour was awarded posthumously to Irish designer, Eileen Gray.

The IDI Irish Design Awards take place on 17th November at The Marker Hotel, Dublin. This year’s judges include Una Burke, the multi award winning leather accessories designer, and Harry Parr, co-founder of Bompas & Parr.

The IDI Irish Design Awards, now in its 18th year, recognises, celebrates and promotes exemplary design vision in Ireland, showcasing innovations across seven categories. “It is an inspiring, always exuberant affair,” says George. “This is the design world after all, it’s inevitably a riot of colour and style, a lesson in what is cool and trending right now – from fashion, graphics and gadgets to the rapidly-expanding virtual, smart technology and service design sectors”. This year sees the introduction of Architecture and Structures as categories in their own right, with app, game, video, illustration and photography making the event recognition and reach more inclusive and exciting.

“Each discipline will have their own recognition vehicles,” George observes. “But this umbrella Awards represents the best of the best”. Due to the large volume of enquiries, IDI awards chairman, Kirk McCormack has issued a final call for designers from all disciplines to enter their best work. The extended deadline for the awards will now be Monday, 26th September.