Press Release
Slice Outdoor Speaker by Hu Zou and Miao Jingyi Receives the A' Design Award in Audio and Sound Equipment Design
Hu Zou and Miao Jingyi recognized for audio and sound equipment design by the international grand jury of the 2023 - 2024 A' Design Award & Competition
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
COMO, Italy, April 17, 2024 /DesignNewswire/ Slice Outdoor Speaker by Hu Zou and Miao Jingyi has been granted the A' Design Award in the Audio and Sound Equipment Design category, A' Design Award & Competition has announced. The result belongs to the 2023 - 2024 A' Design Award & Competition and was determined through blind peer review by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members, who assessed anonymized entries against predetermined criteria.
The A' Design Award Explained
The Iron A' Design Award is awarded to good designs that meet the rigorous professional and industrial standards set by the A' Design Awards. This recognition is reserved for works that demonstrate a solid understanding of design principles and show creativity within their execution. Recipients of the Iron A' Design Award are acknowledged for their practical innovations and contributions to their respective fields, providing solutions that improve quality of life and foster positive change. These designs are a testament to the skill and dedication of their creators, showcasing their ability to address real-world challenges through thoughtful design.
About Slice Outdoor Speaker
This thin outdoor speaker can be carried around easily and used in camping and similar scenarios. It can be freely hung on surrounding branches, and music can be played by pulling the red ball. As the speaker swings and rotates in the wind, music seems to become more ethereal and pleasing to the ear. This design breaks the fixed mind-set that speakers must be placed on the ground, making it more closely integrated with the natural environment, allowing users to enjoy music more easily and comfortably outdoors.
About Hu Zou and Miao Jingyi
Graduated from the Innovation Design Department of Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts. Winner of international awards such as iF Design Award, International Design Excellence Awards, Spark Design Awards, Asia Design Prize, K Design Award, KOKUYO Design Award, SHACHIHATA New Product Design Competition, Design Intelligence Award, Goldreed Industrial Design Award, International Design Awards, DNA Paris Design Awards and European Product Design Award.
Award Record
Hu Zou and Miao Jingyi is a winner of 1 A' Design Award, including this recognition.
About the A' Audio and Sound Equipment Design Award
The A' Audio Products Design Award is an international product design competition recognizing best audio equipment by leading designers and brands worldwide. The competition is organized within the A' Design Award & Competition and is open to audio product designers, sound equipment designers, industrial designers and product engineers from all countries. Entries typically include headphones, microphones, speakers, amplifiers, soundbars and turntables. Awarded audio products designs are published at https://dezigners.org/design-category/audio-products
About A' Design Award & Competition
A' Design Award & Competition is an international, juried design accolade organized annually since 2008. The competition is open to entries from all countries. The A' Design Award has a philanthropic mission to advance society through good design by recognizing and promoting superior products, projects and services that benefit society, and by creating a global awareness and appreciation for good design practices and principles. Entries are peer reviewed and anonymously evaluated by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members against predetermined criteria such as functionality, ergonomics, engineering, presentation, innovation, usability, sustainability and technology, with score normalization applied to remove biases. Awards are conferred at Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze and Iron levels. The A' Design Prize granted to eligible laureates includes the award trophy, the certificate of design excellence, the hardcover yearbook, a lifetime license to use the A' Design Award winner logo, exhibition of awarded works, an invitation to the gala night and award ceremony in Italy, inclusion in the World Design Rankings and Designer Rankings, and public relations and publicity services. Registration, the upload of a work and the preliminary score are free of charge, and Professional and Digital Edition laureates are not contractually obliged to pay further fees to claim the A' Design Prize. Further information is available at https://competition.adesignaward.com
Press Resources
- Winner Page: https://dezigners.org/152913
- A' Design Award Page: https://competition.adesignaward.com/152913
- Media Showcase: https://www.designnewsroom.com/!152913
- Laureate Profile: https://dezigners.org/d/346599
Media Contact
Giulia Ferrari, Press Office
Designers.Org
Via Leone Leoni 32, 22100 Como, Italy
press@designers.org
+39 031 4491953
###
Fact Sheet
The Work
- Project
- Slice Outdoor Speaker
- Function
- Outdoor Speaker
- Category
- Audio and Sound Equipment Design
- Discipline
- Industrial Design
- Industry
- Electronics & Appliances and Entertainment
- Colors
- Black, Dark Slate Gray, Gray, Dark Olive Green and Dark Gray
- Images
- 5
The Recognition
- Laureate
- Hu Zou and Miao Jingyi
- Country
- China
- Recognition
- A' Design Award
- Edition
- 2023 - 2024
- Design ID
- #152913
Credits
- Team
- Zou Hu and Miao Jingyi
- Image Credits
- Photographer Qian Kai, Slice, 2023.
Design Details
- Unique Properties
- This thin outdoor speaker can be carried around easily and used in camping and similar scenarios. It can be freely hung on surrounding branches, and music can be played by pulling the red ball. When the wind blows, the thin speaker flutters with the wind, as if the music is also flying in the air, scattering in all directions. As the speaker swings and rotates in the wind, music seems to become more ethereal and pleasing to the ear.
- Inspiration
- This design breaks the fixed mind-set that speakers must be placed on the ground, making it more closely integrated with the natural environment, allowing users to enjoy music more easily and comfortably outdoors. Compared to common speakers, the hanging design makes this speaker more convenient and easier to use in outdoor environments. When hanging on a branch, the speaker occasionally sways and rotates under the gentle breeze, reminiscent of the image of a wind chime.
- Research
- Through conducting interviews with users and field investigations on people's outdoor behavior, we found that there is a lack of a sound product on the market that is more closely related to outdoor activities and nature. During the product development process, we tested the music playback performance of different audio accessories in different outdoor environments and wind conditions, and selected audio systems with outstanding anti-interference capabilities.
- Challenge
- The challenge we face is how to utilize existing technology to ensure that speaker have high sound quality and a good auditory experience while maintaining its thin and light form. Meanwhile, due to the close connection between this design and the natural environment, it is necessary to consider the impact of uncertain factors such as wind and sunlight on the product during the research process, which also increases the difficulty of product development.
- Realization and Technology
- This outdoor speaker is made of biodegradable and recyclable plastic, which can be carried around and hung freely on surrounding branches. When designing, we hope that this product can return to nature in terms of production materials, usage methods, and experience, becoming a truly integrated and harmonious design with nature.
- Operation and Interaction
- This thin outdoor speaker can be carried around easily and used in camping and similar scenarios. It can be freely hung on surrounding branches, and music can be played by pulling the red ball. As the speaker swings and rotates in the wind, music seems to become more ethereal and pleasing to the ear. After enjoying the music, simply pull the red ball again to turn off the speaker.
- Project Duration and Location
- The project started in July 2022 and finished in April 2023 in Guangzhou, China, and was exhibited in the Art Museum of Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts in June 2023.
- Specifications
- During the design, we produced product models of different sizes and obtained the optimal product size through testing the sound effect and model weight. After ergonomic testing, the product was selected in the following dimensions: 90mm x 50mm x 200mm. When the product is of this size, it can have a beautiful auditory effect while being able to flutter lightly in the wind.
- Keywords
- Speaker, Outdoor, Nature, Camping, Sustainable Design
