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Centre stage
[Fri 22/07/2011 11:26:58]
 Over the past 10 years, the Global Innovator Awards (gia) have continued to reward retailers for their innovative practises and excellence in retailing, and something all retailers eternally strive to find is another winning product to offer their customers. So what better way to introduce new innovations to the thousands of retailers who flood to the International Home + Housewares Show (IHHS) in Chicago every year, than in the form of award-winning products worthy of a giaDesign.
Three by Three Seattle
Three by Three Seattle, based in Washington, is best known for stainless and powder coated magnetic organisational products that are practical, modern and stylish. The company is now broadening its line with a wide range of wall-mounted and desktop dry erase boards, and is also expanding its materials to include eco-friendly, Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified and sustainable options.
“We strive to create innovative, modern organisational solutions with equal parts style and function,” says company owner and designer, Gwen Weinberg.
“We focus not only on innovation in product ideas, but also innovation in materials and their applications.”
Weinberg is a great believer in aesthetics and function having equal consideration in design.
“It’s not simply ‘form meets function’ but specifically when these two things meet in an aesthetically pleasing way,” she says. “Good design solves a problem that we might not have known existed before.”
The company’s Bamboo Dry Erase Channel Panel is a standout product. “We have been developing our patent-pending bamboo dry erase material into several products and this product utilises the material in an especially beautiful and highly functional way,” Weinberg explains.
“Size-wise, it's also one of the largest products we've ever made, so it certainly has a big impact. The large, plain, framed whiteboard is ubiquitous and of course very functional. Our channel panel offers a beautiful solution with the same function and is worthy of being displayed among nice furniture in homes and offices.”
As designers with a hallmark of innovation to be proud of, sourcing new materials and creating useful products that utilise the materials to their best extent is all part of the day in the studio.
“I want to create solutions to problems that we never knew we had, to define a new niche,” says Weinberg.
When asked how she feels design has changed over the last decade, Weinberg comments on a big shift towards eco-friendly materials and the establishment of an industry that has solutions at its heart.
“I also see a return to a more playful and light aesthetic, compared to more stark minimalism,” she says.
“Also, technology has created more exposure and accessibility to the general public, which helps to spread good design to the mainstream and it has also sped up our development process—we not only have quicker access to more information, but we are also now pushed to innovate at a much faster rate in order to compete.”
Being green is very important to Three by Three Seattle. “We do our best to use eco-friendly materials not only in our product line, but also in our trade show booth,” says Weinberg.
“We paint our booths with low volatile organic compound (VOC) paint and we've reduced the size of our trade show shipments by designing flat-pack display units. In our line itself, we are currently focused on sustainable materials such as bamboo, and our dry erase boards reduce the need for paper. We have sourced wood and medium-density fibreboard (MDF) that is not only California Air Resource Board (CARB) compliant (with very low formaldehyde levels) but also FSC certified.”
The J factor
Joseph Joseph is globally renowned for creating functional kitchen accessories that are destined to be used daily, with a pivotal design aesthetic.
“Great design means the products must be useful, innovative and long lasting,” says Richard Joseph, one of the head designers and co-owner of the business.
Joseph Joseph has just launched a new three-blade peeler called the Rotary Peeler. With three different peeling blades housed in a clear plastic case, it is extremely compact, so fits easily and safely in a kitchen draw and is extremely easy to use and clean.
“We really enjoy designing products that offer a functional advantage and innovative approach to problem solving,” Joseph says. “The kitchen environment gives us lots of opportunities to design products this way.”
The company believes that environmentally good design is a trend that has grown in the last 10 years and is definitely here to stay.
“We hate disposable design, in other words products that have a short life and little functionality,” says Joseph.
 Beautifully blomus
Blomus in Germany is the parent company of SKS USA—blomus, a wholly owned US subsidiary based in Illinois.
The aim of blomus is to harmonise form and function, creating special products to be used in everyday life.
“blomus offers streamlined, beautiful designs to soften the sterile edge of stainless steel by combining it with other materials without losing the vision of everyday functionality,” says director Mark Burgener.
“We strive to maintain an innovative approach to improving what most people view as normal. True design provides real world form and functionality to enhance the quality and appreciation of life.”
Burgener believes that the company’s water carafe is among their most successful products. It has a lid designed to hold back any items like lemons, ice cubes or limes when the user pours, a fact that presents the simplification of an everyday task and matches it with stylish design.
“Recent blomus designs are driven to improve the comfort and quality of life at home, since more time is spent at home due to economic conditions,” says Burgener. “And designs created with stainless steel are intended to last a lifetime.”
blomus takes its green steps into the future very seriously. “All blomus facilities have a full recycling program and all packaging is to be recycled,” Burgener explains. “It begins with the dream and the concept follows. We envision how people can improve their quality of life with designs around them.”
The staff at blomus is aware that the very concept of design is continually changing in tune with the rest of the world.
“While design itself is relatively constant, how people view and process design is affected by technology and product innovation,” Burgener says. “Sustainable and innovative raw materials help design evolve.”
Modern twist
“ Modern-Twist is a small company run by a group of extremely talented people who love what they do and hope to do it for a long time,” says Kat Nouri, owner and founder of Modern-Twist, a San Francisco-based company that thrives on the great multicultural and diverse community around them.
“Bringing art to the table via collaborations with independent artists and designers is what we are all about. Modern-Twist is a pioneer in the use of food-grade, hand-silk-screened silicone and with a minimalist aesthetic, our home accessories exhibit unmatched elegance and innovation in the design and use of silicone. We design products that are good for people and respectful of the planet.”
All Modern-Twist products are recyclable and the promise that the company likes to give to its customers is that its products will not end up as landfill, as designated recycling plants will recycle all Modern-Twist products created.
“We said we would never make just another product for the sake of making a product,” says Nouri.
“The MIT duo at Nervous System co-designed our amazing Trivets with us. They are beautiful and they link down the table for larger hot pots to form an elegant runner.
The Trivets are like a jigsaw puzzle—a dose of creativity for the table. The kitchen and food is a big part of our company culture, so many of the things we come up with are just made because we spend so much time around the table,” explains Nouri.
Being green is integral to Modern-Twist’s design inspiration. “We hope by bridging the gap between design and eco products we could get the consumer inspired without having to pound them in the head with saving the planet. They will do it instinctively through being attracted to good aesthetics,” Nouri says.
Being environmentally aware goes beyond the pride Modern-Twist has in its own products. “We hope that in the future, designers won’t even think about using materials that are harmful for the planet. Quality will become key over quantity. The good thing about the downturn in the economy was that it forced everyone to revisit this idea.”
Raising the bar
Vynebar, based in Indiana in the US, believes that design is inspired by life's circumstances.
“Why produce something that you cannot be proud of?” asks the company’s designer, Jason Bevis.
“Design should come from deep inside your soul. It is what moves you, what speaks to you personally. Whether or not people like it is only an additional bonus complimenting your concept.”
The Vynebar vertical wine rack is a product inspired by going back to the bare simplicity of design.
“It’s creativity with a straight forward approach,” muses Bevis. “It’s about combining the form and function of a product and how easily it can be completed. The Vynebar exhibits a simple, modern way to update and improve the style of your kitchen. With the do-it-yourself, effortless installation, along with the 36 colour and finish options, Vynebar makes home décor improvement fun and stylish.”
Bevis has strong opinions when it comes to design and the mass market. “Design has been cheapened by the greed and opportunity to mass produce to consumers. The logistical approach on how we can squeeze every last penny out of a product to fatten our wallets has compromised the very intent of conceptual design that was put into a product,” he says.
Many designers feel strongly about what comes first—the materials used or the concept devised and Bevis is a believer in the latter.
“You have to take your vision and get it past the drawing phase to the point that you are actually holding a prototype in your hand. Then you can let it speak to you as to where it should go from there in terms of the feel and look.
“We went through a number of prototypes of the Vynebar before the anodised aluminium just felt right. It gives you the desire to want to touch it, pick it up and understand it. A good design teases your body’s senses. A good design will make people want to look at it, but a great design makes people want more—to touch it and understand it in a deeper way.”
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