Brands
IFA Berlin unveils new innovation awards to spotlight tech breakthroughs
BERLIN: IFA Berlin, the world’s leading home and consumer technology event, has launched a new global awards programme: the IFA Innovation Awards. These awards, set to debut at IFA 2025 in Berlin, aim to celebrate exceptional innovation, design, and market impact within the industry.
Clarion Events managing director James McGough, stated that the awards will “recognise the Best of IFA, rewarding the incredible progress being made in home and consumer technology.” He added that the initiative would help identify brands “truly shaping how we live, work and play,” particularly those implementing AI and designing sustainable and accessible solutions.
Geekspin editor in chief and jury member Helena Stone highlighted that the IFA Innovation Awards represent “the natural evolution of IFA’s century-long commitment to showcasing the technologies that transform how we live, work, and connect.” She believes these awards will “spotlight the innovations that define the future of consumer technology” as IFA enters its second century.
The new awards follow IFA’s hundredth anniversary in 2024, which attracted over 215,000 visitors from 138 countries and more than 1,800 exhibitors.
The comprehensive programme will recognise innovations across various sectors, including smart home and IoT, sustainable technology, health and wellness tech, gaming and entertainment, mobile communication, audio-visual excellence, kitchen and home appliances, and emerging technologies. Winners will receive either the official IFA “Best of category” or “Innovation Award” certification, along with full licensing rights to use the awards logo. Additional benefits include an exclusive showcase at IFA 2026’s Innovation Gallery, prominent placement across IFA’s global media channels, and coverage in official IFA publications and social media.
Helena Stone affirmed that the IFA Innovation Awards are poised to “become the gold standard for consumer technology recognition in Europe and beyond,” with an international jury of experts ensuring the winners represent “truly groundbreaking achievements.”
The awards are open to manufacturers, designers, engineers, start-ups, and technology companies worldwide. Eligible products must be innovative consumer technology or home appliance solutions commercially launched between 1 February 2025 and 30 April 2026, and must be available in European markets. Applications are now open, with an independent panel of global technology experts, industry analysts, and innovation specialists overseeing the evaluation process.
Brands
Godrej clarifies ‘GI’ identifier after logo similarity debate
Says GI is not a logo, will not replace Godrej signature across products.
MUMBAI: In a branding storm where shapes did the talking, Godrej is now spelling things out. Godrej Industries Group (GIG) has issued a clarification on its newly introduced ‘GI’ identifier, addressing questions around its purpose and design following a wave of online criticism. At the centre of the debate were two concerns: whether the new mark replaces the long-standing Godrej logo, and whether its geometric design mirrors other corporate identities.
The company has drawn a clear line. The Godrej signature logo, it said, remains unchanged and continues to be the sole logo across all consumer-facing products and services. The ‘GI’ mark, by contrast, is not a logo but a corporate group identifier intended for use alongside the Godrej signature or company name, and aimed at stakeholders such as investors, media and talent rather than consumers.
The need for such a distinction stems from the 2024 restructuring of the broader Godrej Group into two separate business entities. With both continuing to operate under the same Godrej name and signature, the identifier is positioned as a way to differentiate the Godrej Industries Group at a corporate level.
The rollout, however, triggered a broader conversation on design originality. Critics pointed to similarities between the GI mark’s geometric composition and logos used by companies globally, raising questions about distinctiveness.
Responding to this, GIG said its intellectual property and legal review found that such overlaps are common in minimalist, geometry-led design systems. Basic forms such as circles and rectangles appear across dozens of brand identities worldwide, the company noted.
It added that the identifier emerged from an extensive design process and was chosen for its simplicity, allowing it to sit alongside the Godrej signature without competing visually. While acknowledging that elemental shapes may appear less distinctive in isolation, the group emphasised that the mark is part of a broader identity system that includes a custom typeface, sonic branding and other proprietary elements.
Following legal and ethical assessments, the company said it found no impediment to using the identifier, reiterating that the GI mark is a corporate tool not a consumer-facing symbol.
In short, the logo isn’t changing but the conversation around it certainly has.
