Dezeen Wire: Design Matters, an online design talk show and podcast has won the People’s Design Award, voted for by the public and organised by the Smithsonian's Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum.

Design Matters was created by branding expert and author Debbie Millman and features interviews with leading creatives such as Stefan Sagmeister, Steven Heller and Neville Brody.

Bill Moggridge, director of the museum said of the winning entry: "Design Matters harnesses the power of online radio to communicate insights about design, great design minds and the lives of designers. I’m thrilled that the public has chosen to honor it."

Here is some more information from the Cooper-Hewitt:

Design Matters Wins the 2011 People’s Design Award

The Smithsonian’s Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum presented its sixth People’s Design Award to Design Matters, a show about design and culture, Thursday, Oct. 20, at its 12th annual National Design Awards gala in New York. White House Social Secretary Jeremy Bernard and musician and fashion designer Pharrell announced the winning design and presented the award to Design Matters creator Debbie Millman.

After thousands of votes were cast during the course of the People’s Design Award competition, Design Matters emerged as the public’s favorite design. Offered as a free design podcast, Design Matters features interviews with designers, artists and cultural leaders, including Lawrence Weiner, Barbara Kruger, Malcolm Gladwell, Eric Kandel, Stefan Sagmeister, John Maeda, Jonathan Hoefler and Tobias Frere-Jones, Michael Arad, Milton Glaser, Massimo Vignelli, Paula Scher, Steven Heller, Jonah Lehrer, among others.

Launched in 2005 on Voice America Business Network, Design Matters is now exclusively published on Design Observer and all broadcasts can be downloaded for free on iTunes. Under the editorial direction of William Drenttel, Design Observer encompasses five channels of programming and publishes more than 400 essays and features a year on design, urbanism, social innovation and visual culture.

“Design Matters harnesses the power of online radio to communicate insights about design, great design minds and the lives of designers,” said Bill Moggridge, director of the museum. “I’m thrilled that the public has chosen to honor it.”

Previous winners of the People’s Design Award include Marianne Cusato, designer of the Katrina Cottage, Toms Shoes, the Zōn Hearing Aid, the Trek Lime Bicycle and the Braille Alphabet Bracelet.

About the People’s Design Award

Launched Sept. 21, the People’s Design Award website received more than 100 nominations and thousands of votes. By logging on to www.cooperhewitt.org, users were able to browse and vote from the existing nominees or upload images to nominate a new object. Among this year’s nominees were the High Line, the iPad2, the Aqua Building and WordPress software.

The People’s Design Award is part of Cooper-Hewitt’s largest public education initiative, National Design Week, Oct. 15 though Oct. 23. The museum offers a series of public programs and a range of online resources for students, teachers, design professionals and the general public to celebrate the important role that design plays in all aspects of daily life. In recognition of the importance of design education, organizations and schools nationwide also will sponsor events during National Design Week.

About the National Design Awards

First launched at the White House as a project of the White House Millennium Council, the awards were established to broaden awareness of the role of design in daily life by honoring individuals in all areas of design, as well as its patrons and supporters. The National Design Awards are accompanied each year by a variety of public education programs, including lectures, roundtable discussions and workshops. For more information, visit www.nationaldesignawards.org.

About Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum

The Smithsonian’s Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum is the only museum in the nation devoted exclusively to historic and contemporary design. The museum presents compelling perspectives on the impact of design on daily life through active educational programs, exhibitions and publications.

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