Search for Design in Business champion closes in
Media Release
September 5,
2008
Search to find New Zealand champion of Design in Business closes in
A company that helps keep babies snug and warm naturally; a tapware manufacturer that turns showering into an indulgent experience; a baby buggy manufacturer that has celebrities cooing; and a software manufacturer that makes managing staff fun and easy, are among the finalists of this year’s Design in Business Award, an initiative of the Designers Institute of New Zealand presented in association with Better by Design.
The judges of the Design in Business Award, who included Derek Lockwood, Worldwide Director of Design at leading multinational advertising agency, Saatchi & Saatchi; David Walker, an architect, designer, innovation and new product development specialist and Nevil Gibson, Editor in Chief of National Business Review, said that they were impressed by the range of companies from throughout the country who were strategically incorporating design throughout their businesses.
Said David Walker, a member of the University of Auckland’s INNOVATIONZ team and a judge of the Design in Business Award 2008: “The judges were impressed by the high standard of work and the commitment of the entrants who were using design throughout their businesses. This gave us an encouraging cross section of pioneering New Zealand businesses to choose from, each of whom was hungry for global success.”
The Design in Business Award seeks to recognise and reward New Zealand companies who have used design to drive innovation and business growth. Judging criteria included: proven business success, brand and reputation, home grown innovation, evidence of design skills in detail, and most importantly, the pre-eminence of design thinking at a strategic level.
The winner of the Design in Business Award will be announced at a cocktail function in Auckland on Thursday, September 18.
Here’s who the judges picked as the Design in Business Award 2008 finalists:
Amie Design
Ltd
Established in 2003 by Auckland mother of three
Amie Nilsson, Amie Design Ltd designs and manufactures
natural fibre infant clothing and sleepwear under the brands
Merino Kids, Pure Cotton Kids and Hum Baby. Amie Design
products are sold in 50 boutique baby stores in Australasia,
Europe and the United Kingdom and group revenue has
increased 750 per cent over the past two years.
AuCom
Electronics
Christchurch based AuCom Electronics
specialises in the design and manufacture of soft starters,
which protect and control electric motors on heavy
machinery. Since the company introduced design strategies in
2005, sales have increased 60 per cent and AuCom soft
starters are now exported to 70 countries. Brand partners
include Toshiba, Electronica Santerbo of Italy and Danish
company, Danfoss.
Methven
Established in
1886 and once a traditional bathroom products company,
Methven has transformed itself through design into a
luxury shower and tapware company, with an international
reputation for its water saving shower technology. Since
listing on the New Zealand Stock Exchange in 2004, Methven
has had an unbroken record of profit
growth.
phil&teds
Wellington based phil&teds
produce the world’s original inline baby buggy and have
expanded their nursery product range to include the only
travel cot in the world that’s lighter than the baby, car
seats, and clip-on highchairs. Exports make up 95 per cent
of their business, which are sold in 2000 retail outlets in
45 countries.
Sonar6
Auckland based Sonar6 are
the makers of the world’s only graphics-based HR
management software. Launched in 2006, it has been named as
a Top Ten HR Product of the year by Human Resources
Executive magazine. Sonar6 is used by 50 New Zealand
companies as well as companies in India, Australia, the
United Kingdom and the United States, where the company
recently secure L’Oreal as a customer.
Winegrowers of
Ara
A multidisciplinary team of architects, designers
and winemakers has literally designed a global wine business
from the ground up. The team, which includes winemaker, Dr
Damian Martin, have established a land brand or “state of
viniculture” in Marlborough. Established in 2001,
Winegrowers of Ara is a community of winegrowers who live a
shared vision: to harness the extraordinary promise of the
land and produce wines that are unique expressions of their
origin. More than 1.6 million vines have already produced
20,000 cases of sauvignon blanc and pinot noir
wine.
Xero
Harnessing the power of the internet,
Wellington based Xero has designed an online accounting
system that provides its customers easy access to their most
up-to-date financial figures, anytime they need it and from
anywhere in the world. Xero has been designed to remove
complexity, automate common tasks and clarify financial
information, making information digestible for both
accounting experts and non experts alike. Listed on the NZX
in 2007, Xero was recently named as a winner in
UseIT.Com’s “10 Best Application User Interfaces of
2008.”
ENDS