iF Design

In spring 1953 the "Sonderschau formgerechter Industrieerzeugnisse" (Special show of well-designed industrial goods) opened its doors to the public for the first time during the Hannover Messe. Representatives of the exposition authority and of industry had taken the initiative to award contemporary design and make it accessible to the public.
This unique connection of industry, exhibition center and design shaped the overall development of design exhibitions at Hannover. While during the 1950s the term "Sonderschau" (special show) was kept in the title of the exhibition, it was eventually renamed "Die gute Industrieform" (The good industrial form) in 1959. During the 1960s, "Die gute Industrieform e.V." association was established, which soon received non-profit status and organized the iF competitions and the iF exhibition. From the 1980s onward, iF gained increasing international importance, which, in 1990, resulted in its renaming as iF Industrie Forum Design Hannover.
Since 2001, iF has also been synonymous with iF International Forum Design GmbH, which supports the iF Forum Design e.V. Today, iF sees itself as an international service provider at the intersection of design and industry and as a showcase of current trends in design.

Travel in time through our history - from the 1950s to the present day.