Flo Desktop Fan by Soyoung An Wins the A' Design Award in Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning Products Design

Soyoung An honored for heating, ventilation, and air conditioning products design by the international grand jury of the 2021 - 2022 A' Design Award & Competition

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

COMO, Italy, April 22, 2022 /DesignNewswire/ A' Design Award & Competition has announced that Flo Desktop Fan by Soyoung An has been granted the A' Design Award in the Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning Products Design category. The award was conferred within the 2021 - 2022 A' Design Award & Competition and was decided through blind peer review by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members, who scored 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 Flo Desktop Fan

Flo is a compact desktop fan designed for use in every season. A stick control on the head is moved from left to right to set the output between heating and cooling. A gradation mark on the head shows the selected setting, so users can match the room condition or personal preference. Flo has a washable filter that removes dust and viruses from the air. Dust on a fan can cause respiratory illness and fire, so the filter helps to keep the air clean. Flo has no grill, which makes the fan safe for children. The body is made of ABS plastic, a material with high resistance to heat.

About Soyoung An

This is my very first time applying for the design award. Before, I thought that applying for a design award was a challenge and something very difficult. However, after I have uploaded this FLO project on Behance, many people appreciated my work. And finally, the project has been featured on the website. This result encouraged me to continue design work and gave me chance to step forward to this field.

Award Record

With this recognition, Soyoung An is a winner of 1 A' Design Award.

About the A' Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning Products Design Award

The A' HVAC Design Award is an international industrial design competition recognizing good design in the fields of heating, ventilation, and air conditioning. It is organized within the A' Design Award & Competition and is open to HVAC system designers, industrial designers, HVAC brands and HVAC manufacturers from all countries. Typical entries include furnaces, boilers, heat pumps, air conditioners, ventilators and thermostats. The awarded hvac designs are published at https://dezigners.org/design-category/hvac

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/129699
A' Design Award Page: https://competition.adesignaward.com/129699
Media Showcase: https://www.designnewsroom.com/!129699
Laureate Profile: https://dezigners.org/d/315214
Further Information from the Laureate: https://www.behance.net/gallery/121174577/flo-the-hot-and-co

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: Flo Desktop Fan
Function: Desktop Fan
Category: Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning Products Design
Discipline: Industrial Design
Industry: Manufacturing, Electronics & Appliances and Architecture
Colors: Light Steel Blue, Light Blue, Gainsboro, Dark Gray and White Smoke
Images: 5

The Recognition

Laureate: Soyoung An
Country: Republic of Korea
Recognition: A' Design Award
Edition: 2021 - 2022
Design ID: #129699

Credits

Image Credits: All the images and contents uploaded on the main image to the four optional images are created by Soyoung An.

Design Details

Unique Properties: The most remarkable feature of Flo is its compact design. Flo is a small desktop fan and provides a temperature setting with a stick stuck out of the head part. The stick helps to adjust the temperature setting between hot and cold. So it means users can use flo regardless of the season. And flo has a washable filter to filter out dust and viruses etc. Filtering out dust is a very crucial part of flo. Dust is the cause of respiratory disease and fire. For the most, it assures blow-out clean and dust-free air to users. Additionally, as flo has no grill, it is safe for children to use.
Inspiration: The inspiration started from my curiosity and questions when I was washing two fans this summer. One day, I found out there was too much dust on the fans that I was using. Suddenly, I felt it is unpleasant to breathe in the dust from the fans. Then I decided to wash them. But disassembling fans was not easy for me in such weather. Also, I thought that using a fan in summer and a radiator in winter seems not comfortable to move around because they take up too much space. So my experience dragged me to start thinking about an idea.
Research: Online sources such as blogs, webs, and internet news were useful sources for the research. It was thought to be the fastest and valuable method to collect as much data in a short period, especially in the covid era. After the collection of the data, the concept sketch and dirty prototyping process have been gone.
Challenge: The hardest part was coming up with a shape or design that won't get fed up easily by users, as this product aims to be used for all seasons. So the first thing to consider was design. But, There's a famous quotation, ' form follows function' coined by architect Louis H. Sullivan. The design had to make a balance with its function and purpose. After lots of research, idea sketches, and prototyping, Flo was designed.
Realization and Technology: Flo is available to set the temperature from hot and cold according to the user's preference, moving the stick from left to right stuck out of its head part. Therefore, it makes users use flo all seasons. So users don't have to take out and move around a heavy and bulky fan and radiator every season. Also, flo has a washable filter. This washable filter can use permanently and filter the dust and virus in advance. And this will make users breathe in the pure and clean air. Flo is made with ABS plastic, which has high resistance to heat and deformation.
Operation and Interaction: Flo can easily adjust the temperature with the stick on the head, moving the stick from left to right, heating, and cooling. The gradation on the head states the temperature, making users set the right temperature according to the atmosphere or preference. Flo has a washable filter. There's an issue of breathing in dust stuck on a fan grill. And the dust stuck on the grill of a fan and radiator can cause a fire in the long-term view. However, FLO's filter will help to prevent this situation.
Project Duration and Location: This project started in April 2021 and finished at the end of June. And it was conducted by myself in my personal residence.
Specifications: Approximately, Width 178 mm x Depth 220 mm x 420 mm.
Keywords: Desktop fan, Home appliance, Temperature setting, Dust-free, Washable filter