The winners of the DFA Awards 2021, which attracts attention as one of the most prestigious design awards in Asia, have been announced. The DFA Awards 2021 recognises the outstanding contributions to the design industry. ADF (NPO Aoyama Design Forum) proudly supports DFA Awards 2021 as a media partner.

The three winners of the Designs 2021 are:
・DFA Lifetime Achievement Award: Patrick Whitney, Professor, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

・DFA Design Leadership Award: Min-Liang Tan, Razer Inc. CEO and co-founder.

・DFA World 's Outstanding Chinese Designer: Freeman Lau, Founder of KL & K Creative Strategics

DFA Lifetime Achievement Award 2021 (DFA LAA): Patrick Whitley
Professor in Residence Harvard T.H.Chan School of Public Health

Patrick Whitley is the core member of D-lab, a leading laboratory that researches and demonstrates how design methods and frameworks can improve human well-being. He is the former Dean of the Institute of Design (ID), Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT), where he was the Steelcase/Robert C. Pew Professor of Design and an IIT distinguished professor.

Whitney is widely regarded as a thought leader on the concepts of human-centred design and strategic design. He is one of the few people in the design world who has developed and strengthened the relationship between theory and practise. He has contributed to the body of knowledge about design in many ways, including formulating frameworks for design, developing new educational programmes, advising a variety of organisations, and creating new conferences.

Whitney speaks not only at many international design events, but also at major events with people from other fields on topics such as innovation, sustainability, human well-being, and humanising technology. These include TED, China Daily CEO Summit, the Conference Board and the Delhi Sustainable Development Summit.

DFA Design Leadership Award 2021 (DFA DLA): Min-Liang Tan
CEO & Co-Founder of Razer Inc.

Min-Liang Tan is the co-founder, chairman and CEO of Razer Inc. (HKEX Stock Code: 1337). He has also served as Creative Director since 2006, responsible for directing and overseeing the design and development of all Razer products. He is also the Chairman and CEO of THX Ltd.

Under his leadership, Razer has grown from a two-man startup to a multinational market leader that was named to Fortune Magazine's "Unicorn List" in 2015 (private companies valued at billion or more). Razer went public on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange in 2017.

Tan was named one of the "25 Most Creative People in Tech" by Business Insider in 2015. Juniper Research named him one of the "Top 10 Most Influential Leaders in Tech," while Tech in Asia ranked him No. 1 among Southeast Asia's top 30 tech founders. In 2016, he was named one of the Straits Times Asians of the Year. That same year, Tan debuted on Forbes' Singapore Rich List with a net worth of 0 million and has maintained his position ever since.

DFA World's Outstanding Chinese Designer 2021 (DFA WOCD): Freeman Lau
Founder KL &L Creative Strategics

Freeman Lau was born in Hong Kong in 1958 and graduated from Hong Kong Polytechnic, now Hong Kong Polytechnic University, which is well known for its design. He began his career at SS Design & Production and was appointed art director in 1985. In 1988, he moved to Kan Tai-keung Design & Associates Ltd. In 1996, Kan Tai-keung Design & Associates Ltd. was renamed Kan & Lau Design Consultants. Since then he has been the partner of the new company.

Lau has won over 300 design awards during his career, which is a testament to his international success. He develops his profession as a designer in several fields, including book, graphic design, poster and commercial products. He is not just an artist. He began his career as a designer over 30 years ago and has created a wide range of design work including graphic, packaging and branding concepts to name a few.

In addition to his individual creations, Lau is a tireless advocate for the development of design in Hong Kong, Greater China and Asia.