The Disquieting Muse

The Australian International Design Awards began to request entries for this year’s event last September. Not surprisingly, the participants for the prestigious event delivered. 42 winners, all of which underwent careful scrutiny from the very watchful eyes of the experts, were announced in Sydney, June 4.

Before an entry can be considered for the event, the product must meet the following requirements:

a) they must be submitted by Australian or international designers or manufacturers and,
b) they must be made for sale, either in Australia or overseas.

Once entries have passed these requirements, the products are then judged on several design factors, including environmental sustainability, visual appeal, functionality, and innovation.

As mentioned, 42 entries were given the honor of receiving an award at this year’s event. In addition, 69 entries were also awarded the Design Mark in recognition of their excellent designs.

Of the 42 winners, the most notable to receive the coveted prize were: M8 Intensive Care, who produced a hospital intensive bed designed by Howard Wright, a New Zealand-based company. Attention to detail, ease of use, and safety were heavily contributing factors, all of which were exhibited by the NZ winner and it’s no wonder it bagged the top prize. Other Design Award winners included the OPTILINE™ Sheep Drenching system – designed by Simcro and Novartis Animal Health, A Cochlear™ Nucleus 5 implant System – designed by Cochlear and Blue Sky Design Group, A Baby Jogger City Mini Single stroller – designed by Baby Jogger, and the Lean+Green Lightweight Wine bottle – designed by O-I Australia.

In another category, the Enviromesh, a sturdy and lightweight alternative to concrete reinforcement bagged the Sustainable Design Award for this year’s event. Designed by Infinty Design Development, a product development consultancy based in Queensland, for OzSafe Industries,the Environmesh improves the longevity of concrete structures, and is likely to cause a huge impact in the world of industrial construction.

Another designer worthy of note is Liam Ferguson, who claimed the James Dyson Design Student’s award for his Mamtoya vehicle, designed to efficiently defend against bushfire incidents. His prototype is pictured below:

The 2010 Australian International Design Awards is a great way for participants to get media exposure, claim credibility, and quite possibly gain print and online promotions. With this year’s turn out, it would be no surprise to see even more incredible designs at next year’s event in 2011.

For more information, please feel free to visit www.designawards.com.au.