Savvy and discerning consumers are driving the bar for good design higher and higher, which means that only the very best product designs stand out from the crowd. We are delighted to announce that six products created by McKinsey Design clients have won 2021 Red Dot Awards for Product Design.
Launched in 1955, the Red Dot Award for Product Design honors the best products created every year across a wide range of categories, from robot technology to vehicles to household aids. Each submission is reviewed by a jury of 50 international design experts and assessed for criteria including functionality, quality, and durability.
Here is a look at our clients’ winning products, three of which have also received 2021 iF Awards for Product Design.
3M Speedglas Welding Helmet G5-02
The 3M Speedglas Welding Helmet G5-02 holds the world’s first curved auto-darkening filter. Designed for highly precise tungsten inert gas (TIG) welding, the curved filter darkens automatically in response to the bright light of a welding arc. Its design allows it to follow the curved shape of a user’s head and opens up the full range of their peripheral vision. This helmet, which has been awarded a Best of the Best distinction by the Red Dot judges, was designed as part of a cohesive range for 3M, where each helmet targets the needs of a specific type of user.
Axkid ONE car seat
Axkid is a child car seat manufacturer with a “passion for children’s right to safety.” Inspired by the American Academy of Pediatrics’ recommendation that children should remain in a rear-facing car seat for as long as possible, they set out to create a new kind of car seat, one that would be rear-facing, comfortable, and adjustable for children up to seven years of age. With help from McKinsey Design, Axkid realized that vision in their new ONE car seat.
Baby Björn Harmony baby carrier
Baby Björn sought to create a single baby carrier that would be ergonomically designed for both parents and their children, from infants to toddlers. With help from McKinsey Design, they created the Baby Carrier Harmony, a carrier that is adjustable to different heights, which allows babies aged zero to three years to sit comfortably. The product design includes mesh fabric, wide and padded shoulder straps, and a pressure-relieving waist belt.
Blueair HealthProtect™/Blueair Protect air purifier
The Blueair HealthProtect™/Blueair Protect is the company’s flagship range of air purifiers, which they have created in an effort to realize their stated vision of exemplifying Blueair’s air purification expertise and revolutionizing the market. McKinsey Design worked with Blueair to understand what the modern premium consumer wanted in an air purifier and then translated that vision into design. The HealthProtect purifier has also been awarded a 2021 iF Award for Product Design.
Blueair DustMagnet air purifier
For their DustMagnet line of air purifiers, Blueair sought to create an air purifier that would become an essential element in homes by combining the utility of a top-performing dust filter with the design Scandinavian furniture. Working with McKinsey Design, they developed the DustMagnet line, which is intended to blend into living spaces as a side or end table while also capturing 99 percent of airborne dust before it settles on the floor. Like the HealthProtect purifier, the DustMagnet has also won a 2021 iF Award for Product Design.
Tobii Pro Glasses 3
Eye tracking is the practice of observing what people look at, and for how long, in order to learn more about the way they make decisions or behave in an environment. McKinsey Design contributed to the creation of the Tobii Pro Glasses 3, a wearable eye-tracking device that can be used in research scenarios to improve business productivity, enhance shopping experiences, design safer products, and more. The product’s slim design allows users to move through space in a natural, unburdened way, helping researchers gather unbiased insights more easily. In addition to its Red Dot recognition, the Tobii Pro Glasses 3 has also received a 2021 iF Award for Product Design.