Triple-threat Teknion
Teknion, the designer and manufacturer of office systems and related products, has started 2011 off with a bang, garnering three important awards: an iF product design award, and two 2010 Good Design Awards.
The iF product design award, introduced in 1954, is conferred annually by the iF International Forum Design. Teknion won for its Conflux LED Lighting line by industrial designer Carl Gustav Magnusson. Created in conjunction with Teknion’s in-house design team, Conlux introduces innovative design and technology advancements with its flat-panel structure and power-source capabilities. It is the first LED lamp in the industry to use a PIR (Passive InfraRed) sensor that works based on infrared waves emitted by the user’s body; the first with USB port/outlet that allows handheld devices to be plugged in; and the first with a Powermat surface in the lamp base to recharge electronic devices. “LED lighting design if beautifully complicated, demanding the expertise of many Teknion team members,” says Magnusson. “This prestigious award is for the whole team.” (In the 2010 iF competition, the Marketplace worktable – also designed by Magnusson and the Teknion team – was recognized.)
The Good Design Awards are sponsored by the Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design, and the European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies. Teknion won for its dna line of lounge seating and tables, and also for its Design Does Matter NeoCon 2010 Marketing Campaign.
Designed to suit today’s collaborative workplace demands, dna addresses needs for flexibility, reconfigurability, and access to power and communications. It was created by Acer Design of Denmark in conjunction with Teknion’s in-house team. “Design Does Matter” was chosen as Teknion’s theme for promotional activities around NeoCon, the industry’s largest trade show. A book, video and various printed pieces employed common colours, typefaces and design symbols; six icons – from a simple paper clip to a technologically advanced wind turbine – were used. The anthology included 26 essays by such noted professionals as Jack Diamond, Art Gensler, Peter Lawrence, Virginia Postrel and David Suzuki. The Design Does Matter Campaign was created by Michael Vanderbyl of San Francisco–based Vanderbyl Design, with Teknion. (Since 2004, Teknion has won an impressive 13 Good Design Awards.}
Cheers to Teknion.