Compasso d'Oro
Compasso d'Oro logo
Awarded for	Industrial design award
Location	ADI Design Museum (Milan)
Country	Italy
Presented by	Associazione per il Disegno Industriale
First awarded	1954
Website	adidesignmuseum.org

The Compasso d'Oro (Italian pronunciation: [komˈpasso ˈdɔːro]; 'Golden Compass') is an industrial design award originated in Italy in 1954. Initially sponsored by the La Rinascente, a Milanese department store, the award has been organised and managed by the Associazione per il Disegno Industriale (ADI) since 1964. The Compasso d'Oro is the first, and among the most recognized and respected design awards. It aims to acknowledge and promote quality in its field in Italy and internationally, and has been called both the "Nobel" and the "Oscar" of design.^{[1][2][3][4][5]}

The Compasso d′Oro was established in 1954, and now it is the highest honour in the field of industrial design in Italy,^[8] comparable to other prestigious international awards such as the Good Design award, iF Design Award, Red Dot Award, the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Awards, and the Good Design Award (Japan). It was the first award of its kind in Europe and soon took on an international dimension and relevance, multiplying the occasions on which the exhibitions of award-winning objects were held in Europe, the United States, Canada and Japan.

The original idea for the award is credited to Gio Ponti and Alberto Rosselli [it]. Many other leading architects and designers of the era including the Castiglioni brothers (Livio, Pier Giacomo, and Achille), Albe Steiner [it], Enzo Mari and Marco Zanuso were involved in aspects of its inception and early development.^[1][9] The Compasso d'Oro logo (designed by Steiner) and award trophy itself invoke a drafting compass invented by Adalbert Göringer in 1893 to measure the Golden Section.^[1][10]

At present the management department of the Compasso d'Oro is Italy Industrial Designing Association, and it is also the members of the International Industrial Designing Committee and the European Designing Bureau.^{[citation needed]}

Since its inception, approximately 350 designers have been honoured with the Award,^[1] for designs covering a wide range – from automobiles and bicycles to furniture and household objects, portable sewing machines, typewriters, calculators, clocks, lighting as well as concepts and systems, technical equipment, and yachts.^{[citation needed]}

For the first time, the 2020 Compasso d'Oro included a "Products Career Award" which was given to three historical designs that have proven to be highly successful over time but were not awarded at the time of their inception: a 1962 floor lamp called Arco by Pier Giacomo and Achille Castiglioni; a bed design by Vico Magistretti from 1978 called "Nahalie"; and the now famous "Sacco" bean-bag chair designed by Piero Gatti, Cesare Paolini, and Franco Teodoro in 1968.^[11]

The ADI Design Museum in Milan houses the historical collection of the ADI Compasso d’Oro Foundation, as well as temporary exhibitions, public talks and initiatives.^[12] On 22 April 2004, the Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities and Tourism – through its Superintendency for Lombardy – declared the collection of "exceptional artistic and historical interest", thus making it part of the national cultural heritage.^[13][14] In 2020, the Milan square where the ADI Design Museum is situated was renamed "Piazza Compasso d'Oro" to honour the cultural and historical significance of the award.^[15][16]

• Selection of winning designs
• 
  Cassina Model 683 chair by Carlo De Carli [it] (1954 award)^[21]
• 
  Olivetti Lettera 22 by Marcello Nizzoli (1954 award)^[22][23]
• 
  Borletti [it] Model 1102 "Super-automatic" sewing machine by Marco Zanuso (1956 award)^[24]
• 
  Fiat Nuova 500 by Dante Giacosa (1959 award)^[25]
• 
  Olivetti ELEA electric calculator by Ettore Sottsass et al. (1959 award)^[23]
• 
  Abarth 1000 Bialbero by Ugo Zagato (1960 award)^[26]
• 
  Brionvega Doney portable television by Richard Sapper and Marco Zanuso (1962 award)^[27]
• 
  Grillo telephone by Richard Sapper and Marco Zanuso (1967 award)^[28]
• 
  Zanotta Sacco chair by Piero Gatti, Cesare Paolini, Franco Teodoro (1968 design; 2020 award)^[29]
• 
  Olivetti SUMMA 19 by Ettore Sottsass and Hans Von Klier (1970 award)^[30][23]
• 
  Oluce Atollo 233/D lamp by Vico Magistretti (1979 award)^[31]
• 
  Alessi 9090 espresso maker by Richard Sapper (1979 award)^[32]
• 
  FLOS [it] Parentesi lamp by Achille Castiglioni from Pio Manzù concept sketch (1979 award)^[33]
• 
  Vertabrae chair by Emilio Ambasz and Giancarlo Piretti for Castelli (1981 award)^[34]
• 
  Nomos table and office desk system by Foster + Partners for Tecno [it] (1987 award)^[35]
• 
  Alessi Nuovo Milano cutlery by Ettore Sottsass with Alberto Gozzi (1989 award)^[36]
• 
  1:1 scale model, Alfa Romeo Brera concept by Giorgetto Giugiaro (2004 award)^[37]
• 
  Ducati 1199 Panigale by Giandrea Fabbro and Ducati Design Center (2014 award)^[38]
• 
  Fondazione Prada by Rem Koolhaas/OMA (2018 award)^[39]

• Photographs from Paolo Monti archive (1956-1960)
• 
  Cifra 5 electric "split-flap" clock (on shelf) by Nani and Gino Valle [it] for R.E.C. Solari (1956 Award)^[40]
• 
  Sewing machine Mirella designed by Marcello Nizzoli for V. Necchi Spa.
• 
  Franco Albini photographed by Paolo Monti at Compasso d'Oro Award, Milan, circa 1960.

• Industrial design
• List of industrial designers
• List of Compasso d'Oro recipients by year (in Italian)

• Fiell, Charlotte; Fiell, Peter (2005). Design of the 20th Century (25th anniversary ed.). Köln: Taschen. p. 174. ISBN 9783822840788. OCLC 809539744.
• Fiell, Charlotte; Fiell, Peter (2006). Industrial Design A-Z. London: Taschen. ISBN 978-3-8228-5057-2.

• Official site of the Associazione per il Disegno Industriale (in Italian)
• List of all Compasso d'Oro winners since 1954 by year/edition (in Italian)
• ADI Design Museum Compasso d'Oro, brief documentary film by RAI Culture television (in Italian)