A good design should meet present needs while maintaining relevance and adaptability for the future. This complex and important work is highlighted by Teknikföretagen and Techarenan through The Grand Award of Design.
The award, earlier called “Stora Designpriset”, has a long legacy of over 20 years with previous winners such as Volvo, Ericsson, and CAKE. The award was last year reborn as the Grand Award of Design, and then for the first time, with two award categories: Gold and Pioneer.
“The company wins the competition with a perfect score, meeting all criteria for the Grand Award of Design by using the design process in a professional and prioritized manner, combined with business development, innovation and user friendliness” says Pia Sandvik, CEO of Teknikforetagen
And now the winners of the 2024 competition have been selected.
The Gold category is won by Husqvarna for their SmartGuard helmet, designed for construction professionals. This product is a testament to safety. The first of its kind, the helmet can reduce the severity of injuries from blade contact if a kick-back occurs when using handheld equipment for cutting.
Jury’s motivation for the winner: “Through an exceptionally well-executed design process, the company has met user needs with an innovative certification process. They has successfully built upon a proven design, incorporating newly developed technology. This has resulted in a user-friendly, safe, and profitable product for both new sales and the aftermarket.”
“Our goal was to create a product that met the highest safety standards. Starting from a blank page, helped us explore. The process we went through was a lot of trial and error” SmartGuard helmet team
The Pioneer category is won by SKUGGA and their mission to bring smart functionality to all eyewear, with 1 billion units sold annually. SKUGGA’s advanced sensor platform integrates into fashion eyewear, offering real-time data analysis, movement and lifestyle tracking, safety features, UV warnings, AI personal assistance, auto-dimmable lenses, and AR capabilities.
Jury’s motivation for the winner: “The product has a great potential to disrupt an industry. A marriage between technology and design – this product taps into multiple industries and use-cases. With proof of concepts in testing, the product have received positive feedback and high demand, with a commercial launch in the near future. This product is a disruptive innovation with high degree of novelty and applications, that doesn’t compromise on performance nor sustainability.”
“It’s been a dream for the past 10 years to win this prize and it’s a huge deal, very flattering. It’s very big to be recognised in Sweden. 3 to 5 years from now, the way we see the world will change” say the founders of SKUGGA.
The award focuses on design excellence in connection to commercial success and sustainability. Recognizing design as a crucial element for success, the award honors companies that have effectively integrated design to create innovative products and services. These companies demonstrate exceptional creativity, functionality, business insight, and a strong understanding of customer behavior and needs. The organizers are Teknikföretagen, the Association of Swedish Engineering Industries, in cooperation with Techarenan.
Grand Award of Design – Winners 2024
Gold Category: Husqvarna for their SmartGuard helmet
Gold Jury:
Ann Granberg, Head of Design Practice Excellence, Lynk & Co Design
Jonas Pettersson, FUWL
Michael Henriksson, VP & Head of Design, Bang & Olufsen
Camilla Kullborg, ABB/Synerleap
Andreas Säfström, Head of Design & User Experience, Ericsson
Julia Valentin, Kommunikationschef Teknikföretagen
Finalists in Category Gold:
FläktGroup with ArtX air valve
Husqvarna’s SmartGuard helmet
Ullman Seats
Pioneer Category: SKUGGA
Pioneer Jury:
Stefan Ytterborn, Founder POC & CAKE
Reinhard Pascher, Co-Founder, Pascher+Heinz
Rebecca Sjödin, Co-Founder Principal, Node Ventures
Mikaela Larsell Ayesa, Head of Investor Relations & Business Area, Techarena
Finalists in Category Pioneer:
SKUGGA’s platform and ecosystem for smart fashion and design-oriented eyewear
SutureTOOL which standardizes suturing in open abdominal surgeries
Papersurf’s snowsurf made from PaperShell’s
