Press Release
Zhenghao Huang Is Honored with the Bronze A' Design Award for Portal One Headphone in Audio and Sound Equipment Design
Zhenghao Huang honored 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/ A' Design Award & Competition has confirmed the Bronze A' Design Award in the Audio and Sound Equipment Design category for Portal One Headphone by Zhenghao Huang. The award was conferred within 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 evaluated anonymized entries against predetermined criteria.
About the Bronze A' Design Award
The Bronze A' Design Award is given to outstanding designs that showcase a high degree of creativity and practicality. It recognizes the dedication and skill of designers who produce work that stands out for its thoughtful development and innovative use of materials and technology. These designs are acknowledged for their professional execution and potential to influence industry standards positively. Winning this award highlights the designer's ability to blend form and function effectively, offering solutions that enhance people's lives and wellbeing.
About Portal One Headphone
Portal One is a pair of headphones designed for shared work and study spaces. A lighting panel shows animated abstract visuals that signal the wearer's need for focus. The colors used are shades of blue, purple and green, chosen for their calm and focused associations. The light is noticeable without being distracting or overly bright. The right panel also works as a touch area for swipe and tap media control. A long press starts the focus time mode for one hour, which can also be set through a mobile application.
Award Record
This recognition makes Zhenghao Huang a winner of 1 A' Design Award.
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/160071
- A' Design Award Page: https://competition.adesignaward.com/160071
- Media Showcase: https://www.designnewsroom.com/!160071
- Laureate Profile: https://dezigners.org/d/351006
Media Contact
Giulia Ferrari, Press Office
Designers.Org
Via Leone Leoni 32, 22100 Como, Italy
press@designers.org
+39 031 4491953
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Fact Sheet
The Work
- Project
- Portal One Headphone
- Function
- Headphone
- Category
- Audio and Sound Equipment Design
- Discipline
- Industrial Design
- Industry
- Electronics & Appliances and Entertainment
- Colors
- Silver, Dark Gray, Gainsboro, Light Gray and Gray
- Images
- 5
The Recognition
- Laureate
- Zhenghao Huang
- Country
- United States of America
- Recognition
- Bronze A' Design Award
- Edition
- 2023 - 2024
- Design ID
- #160071
Credits
- Image Credits
- Zhenghao Huang Weiqi Sun
Design Details
- Unique Properties
- Portal One is beyond a pair of headphones; it is a unique device designed to express a concentration signal through a lighting display. By lighting up in distinctive animated visuals, Portal One serves as a non-intrusive communication tool, signalling to others the wearer's need for focus, thereby avoiding disturbance in the work and study environment. The abstract pattern is noticeable without being distracting or overly bright, which is important in shared spaces.
- Inspiration
- Globally, wearing headphones has become a universal signal for do not disturb and concentration, a non-verbal cue used by millions to communicate their need for focus and privacy. Despite this widespread understanding, it’s also common for people to communicate with each other while wearing headphones. Thus, the message often falls short of being clearly and effectively communicated, leading to confusion, and resulting interruptions in the context of open offices, studios and classrooms.
- Research
- How can we express the concentration and do not disturb signal for the headphone users who demand it to others in an effective and gentle way? We studied existing practice of visuals and analysed why they are not suitable for the context of workspace by secondary research and interview. We studied color psychology and abstract visual communication to create the proposals of the visuals. We invited people who work in the office and studio environments to have a perception test of our proposals. Finally we came to the result: Abstract Visual Communication: Lights are a clear and non-verbal way to communicate.
- Challenge
- How we let people understand the signal? Historically, we explored past uses of color and light in communication to create an intuitive signal. Socially, we conducted many user researches to ensure our design would be universally understood across different cultures, considering the varied interpretations of colors and light patterns. This approach helped us create a visual signal that resonated with a wide audience, bridging cultural differences effectively.
- Realization and Technology
- Color psychology plays a pivotal role in this communication strategy. Shades of blue, purple, and green on the Portal One displays are chosen for their associations with tranquillity, focus, and creativity. Blue and green, in particular, foster a calming ambience conducive to productivity, while purple hints at creativity and insight. These colors not only convey the wearer's current state effectively but do so in a manner that's subtle and non-disruptive to the surrounding environment.
- Operation and Interaction
- An app on mobile phone could be used to activate the focus time mode that turns the light on as well as other basic functions. The rightside light panel functions as a touch control area, accepting swipe and tap guestures to control media. Long pressing will activate the focus time mode for a default duration of 1 hour. Portal One offer a unique solution for users looking to focus without interruptions. It also introduces a social code for the modern workplace. This focus Time feature fosters an environment of mutual respect and understanding. Ideal for open offices, studios, and more.
- Project Duration and Location
- The project started in Dec 2023 in Pasadena, CA, US and finished in Feb 2024.
- Specifications
- 203.98mm x 82.01mm x 218.37mm
