LG Corporate Design Center named ‘Design Team of the Year 2006’
Added: (Sun Jul 16 2006)
Pressbox (Press Release) -
Amman, Jordan (July 2006) --- LG Electronics (LGE), leading provider of consumer electronics and mobile communications, has recently won the ‘Design Team of the Year 2006’ reddot design award. This award was granted to the firm on account of its focus on design management. This is only the second time the design department of an Asian company ever wins the reddot’s ‘Radius’ Trophy.
The award was handed to LGE at a festive award ceremony held at the Aalto Theatre of Essen, Germany on June 26. The event was attended by more than 1,200 guests, all representatives of the design industry, the regional business arena, the local media, and lovers of culture and style.
During the event’s proceedings, Giorgetto Giugiaro, President of Italdesign, gave a speech in which he honoured LGE’s design team.
Reddot has been presenting its ‘Design Team of the Year’ Award to teams that set new standards in design through their innovation, since 1998. Other members of the hall of fame include Apple, Adidas, Mercedes-Benz, Nokia, Audi and Sony (the only other Asian company to ever win the award). The ‘Radius’ Trophy, inscribed with all the names of past winners since 1989, was presented to Jae Jin Shim, head of Display and Media Design Department at LGE. Mr. Stephan Dietrich, of the adidas Design Department and winner of last year’s trophy, presented the award.
Professor Dr. Peter Zec, initiator of the reddot design award and president of the international umbrella organisation of design Icsid, explained the criteria by which LGE was selected as the design team of the year: “LGE has a position of its own and it sets the market trends with products such as its wall mounted projector. Via technology and design, LGE has made the step from pursuer to contender. All its activities and products focus on human needs in the digital age” he said.
Mr. T.Y. Lee, General Manager of the LGE Amman Branch, added, “Many people ask me why a chief technology officer would focus on design. At LGE design is just as important as technology -- internally, we even refer to R&D as 'research and design.' Our focus is not just on technology, but on creating products that enhance the lives of our customers. Our designers come up with great ideas, and our engineers make them happen.”
LGE solidified its existing commitment to design on June 16, when it officially declared its “Era of Design Management.” Many factors have facilitated the company’s ability to compete so effectively. LGE Corporate Design Center is headed by the company’s Chief Technology Officer, and is given equal amount of importance to the company’s technology R&D centers.
Earlier this year, LGE broke industry records winning in 20 categories at the reddot design awards and 11 categories at the prestigious iF Design Awards. Products that propelled the company to the top included its Wall-Mounted projector (AN110), its dual-core widescreen notebook PC (T1), its 50-inch plasma TV, its 42-inch LCD TV, its front-loading washing machine and its chocolate phone, amongst others. The Wall-mounted projector and Dual-core widescreen notebook PC did especially well, winning reddot’s ‘Best of the Best’ design award. The Chocolate phone is not only a best seller in Europe and Asia, but also the talk of the design industry at present.
It is important to note that LGE is the first company with a full range of electronics products winning the Design Team of the Year Award. LG’s award-winning products will be exhibited at reddot’s Design Museum until next year’s award ceremony.