Tag Archives: Red Dot Design Awards 2020

This circuit board desk integrates a cabling solution to give you the ultimate wire-free desk setup!

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As I write from my desk, a countless number of wires hang on and tangle between my legs: the trio of cables coming from my WiFi Router, the designated spots for my phone and laptop chargers, along with some other wires whose purposes remain unknown to me. Surely, the mess of wires underneath my desk pales in comparison to the likes of a graphic designer or website coder, but it goes without saying that when it comes to cable organization, it seems we could all use some help.

CableTread, a standing desk with a built-in cable organizer, was conceived with San Francisco-based e.ventures, where Tom Gielselmann recruited Nick Allen to develop a “circuit-board desk.” Together, over the course of a year, they redefined what cable organization looks like, winning the Red Dot Design’s 2020 Innovative Award. The printed circuit board is relatively familiar for any young person who grew up on science-fiction spy movies but also stands as the inspiration behind CableTread. Simply put, the printed circuit board is an electrical connector that mechanically supports electronic components through conductive pathways. A clever reinterpretation of the circuit board’s purpose, it makes sense that the organizational scheme for CableTread’s underbelly mimics the electric roadways of circuit boards since both seem to make some sense out of an intimidating mess. The gut of CableTread, the underside of the standing desk, also carries an embedded Mac Mini, two defined mounts for USB accessories, a power strip with six feet worth of cord extension, cable slack management, and a flush mount heigh control assist button, all in addition to the desk’s physical wireframing.

CableTread desks embed cables inside the desktop itself so that technological hardware can function as expected without that unsightly mess of tangled wires above or below a computer screen. Dedicated channels weave, twist, and turn underneath CableTread’s topside, inside of which wires nestle, ensuring that workspaces stay clean and tidy. The natural elasticity of cables is what provides them with the ability to cling to the weaving of different, predetermined channels. As wires bend, they press up against the hardest, closest surface available, in this case, the walls that surround the varying, twisting channels, ensuring that they remain tightly fastened. CableTread also has some integrated features for the top of its desktop, including an integrated monitor mount and an inset magic keyboard and trackpad. Along the ridge of CableTread, an E1 and Carb2 certified valchromat boarders the desk and provides extra wood fiber paneling for high physical performance, making the desk as durable as it is organized. The minimalist workstation is currently only available for pre-order exclusively in the Bay Area, come early 2021.

Designers: Nick Allen, Tom Gielselmann x e.ventures

Integrated monitor mount

Embedded Mac Mini

Inset magic keyboard and trackpad

E1 + CARB2 certified valchromat

Two USB accessory mounts

Power strip with six feet worth of cord extension

Cable slack management

Linak desk frame

Flush mount height control

This award-winning soldering iron’s smoke purifying design is the modern avatar of this age-old tool!

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For DIY welding aficionados, the details are key with soldering tools. The welder has to be an appropriate size, the time it takes for the iron to heat up could make or break the experience, and the amount of heat generated has to make sense for each job. That’s why Red Dot gave their 2020 Design Award to an electric soldering iron with smoke purification capabilities – it managed to check all the boxes.

The lead designer behind this safety welder, Wang Guoqiang, implemented a built-in air purifier in order to filter toxic fumes that are inevitably inhaled when using other soldering tools on the market. The main body of the tool is comprised of an internal purification system that incorporates an exhaust and suction mechanism in order to filter harmful fumes that come from soldering. At the head of the tool, a tube of glass contains the flow of heat and air so burns that could result from touching hot, exposed iron are entirely avoided. The electric soldering iron works on built-in, rechargeable, lithium batteries so that it functions wirelessly and you don’t have to worry about messy wires while you’re getting a job done. This electric soldering iron with smoke purification features is the size of a pen for easy clean-up and storage, making it the perfect portable or household tool.

Designer: Wang Guoqiang x Ningbo Fonu

This flipping cat bowl avoids food spillage wet + dry meals, and prevents whisker fatigue!

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The first thing that came to my mind when I saw this design was a cat standing in front of the bowl, it takes a long pause and says, “Welcome to my TailTalk!” – now you can’t unsee it so let’s ‘talk’ about it. TailTalk is a multifunctional pet bowl that happens to have won the Red Dot Award 2020 as well as the Good Design Award 2019, so it certainly solves a problem most pet owners face – food spillage.

The innovative bowl takes into account that the pets eat both dry + wet foods for their respective benefits, and this product serves the purpose of holding both instead of having two bowls. The design is intuitive for pets and their owners, both sides of the liner can be used by simply flipping it over. The shallow side holds the wet food and the deeper side is for dry food, this way it prevents odor and minimizes bacterial growth. Shallow depth is chosen for wet food because it contains the moisture and makes it easy to lap up the wet bits while the deeper bowl is chosen for dry food to avoid spilling of crumbs. Clean eating isn’t just limited to ingredients, to keep the space clean while pets enjoy their meal TailTalk has a gap between the inner and outer shell which works as an anti-overflow tank. I call this gap the food moat!

Another benefit of the cleverly crafted bowl is that it avoids whisker fatigue. Your cat’s whiskers are extremely sensitive and can become easily fatigued by unnecessary contact with things like the sides of bowls. So to prevent whisker fatigue, you should make sure your cat’s food bowls are low and shallow and her water dish is wide – exactly like TailTalk which also has a gap that further minimizes contact with the sides. The simple design is effective in avoiding food waste and keeping the space hygienic which is healthy for your pets too. It saves you cleaning effort and now there are very slim chances of your pet eating food scattered on the floor that could disrupt their digestion and lead to more cleaning for you.

Designer: Neo Lee for Husky Design

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tailtalk

This smart water irrigation system keeps your plants fresh with zero effort

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Many people have dogs and cats as their pets. Many people also have plants as their pets…in my case, my plants are my siblings because that is how much my mother loves them. You wouldn’t leave your pets or children without care when you leave for an extended period of time, so you make arrangements like drop them off to a pet hotel, or have an overnight sitter and maybe a regular gardener depending on your pet. If it is just a day or two, the cost isn’t high but if you are going on a vacation or a long business commitment then you need a smarter solution – especially if it is your plants and garden. Enter Eve Aqua, an award-winning watering system design!

Eve Aqua is a smart water controller that will continue to regularly and quantitatively irrigate your plants, lawn, flowerbed, or backyard. It is compatible with your smart devices as well as Siri so you can set up the home kit and control the system with your phone, tablet, etc. It has 7 watering periods in a day and you can set it up as per your needs and even create an autonomous schedule. These irrigation plans are stored in Eve Aqua so even if your device is disconnected, it will still do the job. It also has a two-channel water distributor so you can use it for irrigation without tying up your faucet. The auto shut-off feature makes sure you never have to watch the clock or come home to a flooded garden. It conserves a lot more water through its smart management system when compared to us doing it manually.

“The appearance is made from black textured plastic and has been offered Australian-certified UV protection. The aluminum frame is made from extruded type, then processed in CNC, Sandblasting, and anodizing. The chamfer on the aluminum frame is processed after sandblasting and anodizing,” says the team about its physical form and safety. It is compatible with other smart home systems and helps you maintain the health of your plants with insight and data. Keep your lawn fresh so you can feel refreshed!

Eve Aqua is a winner of the Red Dot Design Award 2020.

Designer: Eve

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