In addition to the wonderful products competing to win the Good Design Award Best in Category for Domestic Appliances — think Dyson stickvacs, De’Longhi coffee machines and Philips pasta makers — several electrical and appliance brands have entered the prestigious awards in other divisions.
In Commercial and Industrial, Australian brand and former overall winner Blackmagic has three entries (ATEM, Cintel Film Scanner, Smartview 4K) and Otterbox has entered its UnlimitED iPad case.
In Hardware and Building, Seeley International has entered the Braemar 7-Star Ducted Gas Heater and Brivis is pushing its Iceberg evaporative cooler.
In Sport and Lifestyle, all-rounder Philips is backing its Avent Comfort Single Electric Breast Pump.
One of the more modern categories is App Design, which is being contested this year by Oral-B’s electronic toothbrush’s complementary application. It’s taking on banking apps from CommBank and Westpac, a gardening app from Yates and the very on-trend Uber ridesharing application.
Perhaps the most interesting tangential application is Thermomix entering the Good Design Awards for Best Business Model Design. It’s up against high-value accountancy platform Deloitte Private Connect, aged services provider RSL Care, AMP Insurance and idea development agency Xventure. Thermomix is famous for selling its $2,000-plus benchtop multicooker person-to-person, through the party planning channel made famous by Tupperware.
“The core purpose of the Thermomix business is to encourage Australians to live a healthier lifestyle through better cooking and eating practices,” a spokesperson said. “Thermomix and its team of consultants are in the business of empowering people to eat better, live healthier and in the case of consultants, achieve financial independence.
“In a direct selling business model it is important that everyone has a clear understanding of not only the product, but also the vision and purpose of the business. The Thermomix team are passionate, enthusiastic and committed to achieving their own personal goals while contributing to the company’s vision. Consultants are provided with ongoing training and support to achieve these goals.”
The latest Thermomix appliance, the TM5, has also been entered in to the Domestic Appliance category.