09-30-20

The most innovative designs of 2020

See all the honorees of Fast Company’s 2020 Innovation by Design Awards in the General Excellence category.

By Fast Company1 minute Read

Winner

[Image: The New York Times]

New York Times COVID-19 front pages
The New York Times

A nontraditional front-page layout using graphics to spotlight the unprecedented scale and horror of the COVID-19 pandemic

Finalists

[Image: Ammunition]

Ammunition x Gantri
Ammunition

[Photo: Clove]

Clove
Clove

[Photo: Google]

Google Maps Live View
Google

[Photo: Google]

Google Nest Mini
Google

[Photo: Guide Beauty]

Guide Beauty
Guide Beauty

[Image: Work & Co]

Ikea digital tools
Work & Co

[Image: Emojination]

Interracial Couple Emoji
Emojination

[Image: Logitech]

Logitech G Adaptive Gaming Kit
Logitech

[Photo: Nike]

Nike Air Zoom Alphafly Next%
Nike

[Photo: 3M]

Scotch Flex & Seal Shipping Roll
3M

[Photo: courtesy Newlab]

Spiro Wave
Spiro Devices

[Photo: MIT Media Lab]

Totems
MIT Media Lab, Mediated Matter Group

Honorable Mentions

[Image: Swing Left]

Blueprint
Swing Left

[Photo: HKS]

COVID-19 Conversions
HKS

[Photo: Chris Cooper]

The David H. Koch Center for Cancer Care at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
Perkins Eastman Architects, Ennead Architects, Icrave

[Photo: Vollebak/Sun Lee]

Deep Sleep Cocoon
Vollebak

[Image: Disney]

Disney+
The Walt Disney Company

[Image: Salesforce]

Einstein Designer—Powered by Deep Learning UX
Salesforce

[Photos: Samsung]

Galaxy Z Flip
Samsung Electronics America

[Photo: Pentagram/& Other Stories]

Giorgia Lupi & Other Stories
Pentagram

[Image: Collective Health]

Guide, a new product in My Collective app
Collective Health

[Image: Work & Co]

Help Supply
Work & Co

[Image: Municipality of Anchorage i-team]

LaAnchoria 3D Printed N95 Alternative Mask
Municipality of Anchorage i-team

[Image: Light]

Light Phone II
Light

[Photo: Magic Leap]

Magic Leap 1
Magic Leap

[Image: Microsoft]

Minecraft Earth
Microsoft, Mojang Studios

[Image: Pentagram]

ReInc
Pentagram

[Image: Sarcos Robotics]

Sarcos Guardian XO Full-Body, Powered Industrial Exoskeleton
Sarcos Robotics

[Image: Institute for Computational Design and Construction]

Self-Shaping Wood—the Urbach Tower
University of Stuttgart, Empa, ETH Zurich, and Blumer-Lehmann AG

[Image: Scanwell Health]

Smartphone-enabled, at-home test for COVID-19 antibodies
Scanwell Health

[Image: Tempo]

Tempo Studio
Tempo

[Image: MIT Media Lab]

Venous Materials
MIT Media Lab, Tangible Media Group

Video

Impact

We need a new definition of corporate climate leadership

Fast Company Magazine

If we want more companies like Patagonia, we need laws to enforce it

Where Trump and Biden stand on the future of policing

News

Forget COVID-19. This doctor is worried about ‘COVID-20’

COVID-19 vaccine update: Young people might have to wait until 2022, says WHO

Before you watch HBO Max’s ‘The West Wing’ reunion special, listen to skeptics of the beloved series

Co.Design

How one tiny accessory popularized some of the most iconic slogans of the 20th century

The death toll from COVID-19 has been devastating. And it’s just the beginning

One of the strongest ways to fight misinformation will soon be right in your phone

Work Life

How to inspire your team during a crisis without falling into toxic positivity

These 3 lessons from the triathlon steeled me for the C-Suite—and the pandemic

Why you should still take vacation time during the pandemic