Celebrating Good Design – the 2016 Good Design Awards

I’ve been following the Good Design Awards for a few years and each year they impress with highlighting some spectacular visual design and brilliant engineering combined to make great products. We’ve trawled through a bunch of the 2016 entries ahead of the Finalists being awarded.

These awards date back to the ’50s, and have a record of unearthing great talent and products. In 2015 the Tesla Model S won – and it’s hard to argue with the overall design of that vehicle and engineering concept.

This year the awards ceremony coincides with the launch of Vivid Sydney, the magnificent festival of light & ideas. The finalists will be awarded on May 27.

Here’s a few we like the look of:

THE SEABIN PROJECT: This has been recognised recently and is just brilliant – basically an automatic rubbish bun for the water – to b deployed around marinas and commercial docks, it’s like a pool skimmer. I honestly can’t work out how it works – but that’s why I’m not an inventor.

CLEVER PET: This little guy is a game console for your dog. Yep, you read that right. It challenges your dog with puzzles featuring lights sounds and touch pads. What a time to be alive:)

TESLA POWERWALL: I know this one well, and geez I love the look of it – you know that portable battery you carry around because your phone is always going flat? Well this puppy from Tesla is that – on steroids. Well, not quite, but that’s the best way to make it easy to understand. It’s a battery for your home – storing power you generate from Solar, or take in when rates are low, and its drawn from when power is needed. Simple, effective and the future.

The PEPSI SPIRE: When was the last time a vending machine or drinks machine got a makeover? Never. Look at this – beautiful full-colour touch screen vending machines and drink machines. I love it! (Shame it’s not Coke!)

OSMO: How cool is this – don’t have the kids being drawn back by screen-time – this guy links the screen with a toy, so kids can interact to make shapes and learn. So simple, so well made.

CSYS: JAKE DYSON LIGHT: This light is to desk lamps what the Dyson Vacuum is to old school bag vacuums. It’s firstly beautifully designed, but secondly innovative, with a drop of water circulating around the LEDs to cool them and protect them – which in turn keeps them bright. Who knew!

SINGLED SNAP: A world first LED light bulb with a built in security camera, two way audio communication and cloud storage for video. It’s a jack of all trades.

LATCH: This is one of many great door locks that turns your door into a smart door. The Latch features touch screen, Key or Bluetooth entry – so you’ve got all new security on the front door, and forgetting a key doesn’t mean being locked out.

VOZZ HELMETS: Here’s a product that heat’s changed much – the Helmet. But the Vozz is like no other – it unlocks at the back, and doesn’t have a chinstrap, instead the front chin cup is adjustable. Innovative without question.

Of course, there are many finalists, many categories, and we might have missed completely one of the stunning winners – we’ll wait until the end of the month to find out.

Trevor Long( Editor )

Trev is a Technology Commentator, Dad, Speaker and Rev Head.

He produces and hosts two popular podcasts, EFTM and Two Blokes Talking Tech. He also appears on over 50 radio stations across Australia weekly, and is the resident Tech Expert on Channel 9’s Today Show each day and appears regularly on A Current Affair.

Father of three, he is often found down in his Man Cave.

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