To some people, a lift truck is just a piece of utilitarian equipment. To others, it's a piece of utilitarian art.

To see what we mean, look no further than Crown Equipment's ES/ET 4000 Series of stacker forklifts, which recently received a Good Design Award from The Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design and the European Center for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies. The award jury chose the ES/ET 4000 Series as the winner in the industrial category for its ergonomics and safety enhancements, its integral approach to improving the forklift/operator relationship, and a design that meets operators' diverse daily needs, the company said.

Since 1950, the Good Design Awards have been handed out to designers and manufacturers worldwide for visionary and innovative product concepts that marry form with function.