Press Release
Rx1 IOT Controller by Travis Baldwin Wins the A' Design Award in Information Technologies Design
Travis Baldwin of Créa Inc Design acknowledged for information technologies design by the international grand jury of the 2020 - 2021 A' Design Award & Competition
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
COMO, Italy, April 23, 2021 /DesignNewswire/ A' Design Award & Competition has confirmed the A' Design Award in the Information Technologies Design category for Rx1 IOT Controller by Travis Baldwin of Créa Inc Design, designed for Crea Inc Design Ltd.. The result belongs to the 2020 - 2021 A' Design Award & Competition and was reached 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 A' Design Award
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 Rx1 IOT Controller
Rx1 is a security controller that links access readers and locks and decides whether access is allowed. The unit is mounted on a DIN rail inside an electronics closet, so the form is restrained and suited to that context. Printed graphics show which wire connects to each plug pin, and LEDs indicate which plug has a fault. An internal atrium and side vents cool the processor when the housing is wall mounted. The LED boards sit close to the surface, which removes the need for light pipes. The case is made from flame resistant plastic.
About Travis Baldwin
With more than 20 years of award winning in-house & consultancy product design experience, my career focus is industrial design, innovation strategy, and high quality production. Crea Inc was started in 2004 in Colorado to work for a small tech startup there, and has continued successfully serving clients across the US, Europe, and globally. It is currently based in Bristol UK, a creative capital of Britain. Creative challenges are my passion and am always searching for opportunities to bring great products into the world.
About Créa Inc Design
With almost 20 years of award winning experience, Travis and the team at Créa combine industrial design, brand & innovation strategy, and production management. This facilitates focused & successful product development in every part of the produ
Award Record
With this recognition, Travis Baldwin of Créa Inc Design is a winner of 8 A' Design Awards. The awards were granted between the 2013 - 2014 and the 2020 - 2021 editions of the A' Design Award & Competition.
About the A' Information Technologies Design Award
The A' Information Technologies Design Award is an international design competition recognizing outstanding works by engineers, designers and brands worldwide. It is organized within the A' Design Award & Competition and is open to information technologies designers, software developers, computer engineers and database administrators from all countries. Typical entries include software applications, hardware devices, network systems, data storage solutions, cybersecurity tools and cloud services. The awarded information technologies designs are published at https://dezigners.org/design-category/information-technologies
About A' Design Award & Competition
Organized annually since 2008, A' Design Award & Competition is an international, juried design accolade. The competition is open to entries from all countries. The philanthropic mission of the A' Design Award is 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. Nominations are peer reviewed and evaluated anonymously 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. Eligible laureates receive the A' Design Prize, which 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, uploading a work and receiving a 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. More information is available at https://competition.adesignaward.com
Press Resources
- Winner Page: https://dezigners.org/123134
- A' Design Award Page: https://competition.adesignaward.com/123134
- Media Showcase: https://www.designnewsroom.com/!123134
- Laureate Profile: https://dezigners.org/d/123627
- Further Information from the Laureate: http://www.identiv.com
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
- Rx1 IOT Controller
- Function
- IOT Controller
- Category
- Information Technologies Design
- Discipline
- Service Design
- Industry
- Software
- Colors
- Gainsboro, Firebrick, Silver, Dark Gray and Dark Red
- Images
- 5
- Client
- Crea Inc Design Ltd.
The Recognition
- Laureate
- Travis Baldwin
- Country
- Great Britain
- Brand
- Créa Inc Design
- Recognition
- A' Design Award
- Edition
- 2020 - 2021
- Design ID
- #123134
Credits
- Team
- Mark Allen, Bryan Gordon and Christopher Karr
- Image Credits
- Industrial Designer Travis Baldwin, Overhead, 2021; Industrial Designer Travis Baldwin, See Through, 2021; Industrial Designer Travis Baldwin, In Context, 2021; Industrial Designer Travis Baldwin, Details, 2021; Industrial Designer Travis Baldwin, Exploded, 2021
Design Details
- Unique Properties
- Aesthetics set Rx1 apart from other products in its category, but are appropriate for the context. Embodies brand building design features that can be reused for other products (info/brand face, vents, & rounded form). Atrium cooling strategy is optimized for cooling the processor in wall mounted orientation. Innovative led mount strategy eliminates light pipes. Graphics allowing clusters of remote led. Ease of use via graphics indicating what circuit has issues and easy din mount install.
- Inspiration
- Inspiration was tasteful design that stands out from competition, but is not overdesigned nor compromises ease of use - Rx1 is a highly functional product and lives in device closets among other utilitarian products. Brief was to not "design a box" but have appropriate style for context. Also to build brand design language including prominently displayed brand graphics such as red circle motif. Inspiring products were consumer routers and external hard drives, particularly with vents.
- Research
- Primary and secondary research were employed for the Rx1 design. Two research objective were to create a good user experience build an appropriate design language for the category. Usability research came from the client, installers, and forums. Valuable info such as the reliance on flat head screwdriver installation and importance of diagnostic led. For styling, date came from competitive audits, style reference, and company brand. Learnings were that the vent area could be a brand feature, and the distinctive red color is important to represent.
- Challenge
- The hardest part was to create appropriate design for the context. DIN rail spaces in electronics closets are not visible and hide unsightly devices. Design styling that is dramatic or overdesigned would waste the mfg costs as it would not be seen and may turn customers away from company products. Perceived value of the product would be directly influenced by the design styling. It should appear a high quality performance product, based on solid engineering and not flash. Design challenges were cooling, access to DIN mounts, and fitting text on the top surface.
- Realization and Technology
- The product is made up of custom built electronics and plastics, as well as off the shelf parts. The electronics schematic was started when ID started, consisting of a Raspberry Pi compute pcb and an I-O pcb. As we developed device architecture concepts and each was evaluated for easy of use, aesthetics, and performance. When a form was chosen, the design was developed from the outside-in, ie. We started with best form in respect to setup, mounting, servicing, and information architecture. The pcb layout architecture was driven by this, and is an example of design led engineering.
- Operation and Interaction
- Rx1 is a security controller linking access readers and locks, and making decisions on allowing access. The device is mounted in an electronics closet, only opened if there is an issue. During install, Rx1 is attached to a Din rail, among other devices. Inputs and outputs are wired using phoenix plugs (multiple wires fixed with screws, then plugged in). Printed text indicates what wire goes to which plug pin. During diagnostic, LEDs indicate which plug has a fault. To remove, the DIN mount is disengaged from the wall with either a flat head screwdriver or via depressing a spring release.
- Project Duration and Location
- The project was started in November 2020, in both Bristol, UK and Santa Ana, California. The project was finished in March 2021, is in manufacturing now, and will be released in Spring 2021.
- Specifications
- Overall size is 8.0 x 4.5 x 1.75in (203.5 x 114.8 x 44.5 mm). It is made from Flame resistant plastic and is optimized for UL safety. Rx1 controls two doors and two access devices, plus connectivity on Ethernet RJ45. System status is indicated by led for each plug and a status indicator relaying information. There is a hidden reset button and a tamper sensor indicating unauthorized access. Various DIN rail mounts can used and have been specified/ configured for ease of accessibility. Wiring is easy to using phoenix plugs. Powered by Rasberrry Pi cm4, it replaces the Hirsch Mx1.
- Keywords
- Security, Controller, DIN, IOT, Badge Access, Door Locks, Access Control
