The red dot design award has been presented since 1955, and is considered to be one of the most important international recognitions in industrial design. The competition is organized by Design Centrum Nordrhein Westfalen, Essen, Germany. The red dot design award is an acknowledgment that demonstrates the innovative, technological and design perfection of products. This year, the professional jury assessed 4433 products from 60 countries, which makes this competition one of the largest industrial design events, with its recognition increasing every year. The red dot design award has gained its reputation worldwide due to the way the competition is organized, and primarily because of the independent assessment made possible by the top design names involved.
Like in previous years, the competition was divided into three assessment categories: product design, communication design and design concept, which are – independently one of another – assessed by selected global design specialists. The internationally recognized red dot is a winning symbol that sends a message of top design quality.
The Iskratel company has participated in the product design category. The products were assessed against the highest design standards; the international jury judged them according to the innovation, functional, usability and quality criteria, their ecological awareness and durability as well as their symbolic and emotional value. The best products were selected by an elite jury composed of independent, top design specialists who have been participating in the competition for several years in a row, thus guaranteeing the continuity of the selection. The red dot design award means being chosen as the best among the best. This year's prestigious red dot design award was granted to Iskratel's product line, sold under the Innbox brand name, designed for GDS by David Cugelj, the leading designer, and Miha Črtalič, a co-designer.
Innbox comprises devices that provide the user with broadband connections over an optical network, while offering a rich set of telecommunications services, which include triple-play IP-services (the internet, telephony and IPTV) as well as conventional cable TV (CATV). The recognizable design of the new product line was carefully planned with the aim to resolve many functional problems with the installation, connection and maintenance of products. The housing of the products is designed in a way to allow the various modules to be installed separately, and to be combined by using a simple click-to-fit system. This is why the end user can freely choose from among different modules without requiring any technical support, thus reducing the overall service connection costs. The high flexibility of design provides the fast and simple connection: the connection time can be halved and so can the costs of deployment. The design of the housing is ready for new versions of the Innbox modem to complete this successful, remarkable product line.
"In the abundance of products for the termination of a fiber-optic telecommunications line we wished to make an Innbox product and the entire Innbox product line distinctively different, and incorporate the rich experience that our company has gained in the relatively short history of the fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) access technology. Compared to other access technologies, such as VDSL, the cost of a fiber-optic connection in a home is much higher, so the thorough approach to the solution design and construction was the key to cost reduction. In addition to an attractive design, the new products provide an extremely innovative and simple building of FTTH networks. The red dot design award is yet another proof in support of this," add Gregor Smolej and Uroš Habič, CPE product managers at Iskratel.
"Due to its neutral design, the Innbox modem is an unobtrusive element in the user's workplace or home. The innovative way of combining the various modules makes it possible to compose a device with a harmonious design in all its functional forms. Compared to competitors' products, this modem is simple and easy to upgrade for access to IP services, while preserving the harmony of design. This important innovation was made possible by joining the professional, designing, technical, technological and construction skills of the GDS design studio and Iskratel's development department. The construction of the product was a contribution of the Simetrija company," say Rok Jenko, Creative Director, and David Cugelj from GDS.