Steelcase Inc., an international work effectiveness company, on June 30 announced that it received a Gold Industrial Design Excellence Award (IDEA) for its Think chair, a smart, simple and environmentally sustainable seating product that adjusts itself to individual user's needs. The IDEAs are co-sponsored by the Industrial Designers Society of America and BusinessWeek magazine and recognize products that exemplify excellence in design.
"The Industrial Designers Society of America recognizes those products that were able to tune into the hearts and the minds of the customer, not just into market trends, and deliver smart products that reframed entire categories. In light of this, Steelcase is honored to receive this prestigious award for the Think chair," said James P. Hackett, president and CEO of Steelcase Inc. "Winning the Gold IDEA is a testament to the innovative set of research and design principles that Steelcase incorporates into its product development process."
"With this chair, there is more focus on the function than features," said Carl Magnusson, IDSA IDEA judge and founder of Carl Gustav Magnusson Design. "The upholstery speaks of expected comfort, the back speaks of expected support. It is a more dignified citizen in the office landscape."
After three years of extensive research and development, Steelcase developed the Think chair to have both a "brain" and a "conscience." The Think chair "thinks" for the user, anticipating user needs and reacting to them by automatically adjusting itself, moving fluidly with the body and providing support in proportion to body weight. By combining the ideas of sophistication and simplicity, the chair provides a unique solution to benefit the end user.
The Think chair also conforms to the highest environmental standards and raises the bar in cradle-to-cradle design and life-cycle thinking. It is comprised of up to 41 percent recycled content, is 99 percent recyclable by weight and can be disassembled for recycling in five minutes with common hand tools.
This year's IDEA entries included categories as diverse as consumer electronics, housewares, transportation, sporting goods, furniture and medical and scientific equipment. Judging criteria for each entry focused on five areas of industrial design excellence: design innovation, benefit to the user, benefit to the client/business, ecological responsibility, and appropriate aesthetics and appeal. Exceptional design, intelligent functionality and innovation ultimately captivated the jury. This year's honors included 27 Gold, 38 Silver and 41 Bronze awards.
