Nytec Wins Two International Design Awards in 2016

KIRKLAND, WA--(Marketwired - Dec 13, 2016) - Nytec, a full service integrated design, engineering, and manufacturing management consulting firm providing end-to-end solutions and resources to make on-demand consumer lifestyle products a reality, announced today that it has won the Spark Award - GOLD: Design Concept 2016, and the Red Dot Award: Design Concept 2016, both for its innovative Audiowear product concept. The Red Dot Award is one of the largest and most prestigious product design awards in the world.

"Winning two international awards, the Spark Gold Award, and the Red Dot Award for our Audiowear concept, is very exciting for us because it further validates the team's visionary design and engineering accomplishments," said Richard Lerz, CEO, Nytec. "Vince Ball, our VP of Product Innovation Center, and his team, James Tsai, Malgorzata Blachnicka, Ryan Smalley, and Kevin Doan did an amazing job and we are honored to win both of these awards."

Audiowear is a unique flexible audio device that allows users to wear it as an on-ears headphone, or use it as a portable stereo speaker to compliment mobile devices like smartphones, tablets, and laptops. It was created as an answer for a mobile lifestyle that is gaining more and more popularity. Digital nomads influenced the trend to limit objects they possess and focus on their utility and good fit to their particular way of life.

The product concept challenged the team to take a huge step towards fashion-forward technology. When designing Audiowear, the team focused on what opportunities each material gave them. Form factors were dictated by pure function that let them achieve a unique look and highlight the flexibility of the product. Experimenting with different textiles helped the Nytec design team deliver a design concept that has the latest trends in fashion, while keeping the innovative functionality smartly hidden. At Nytec the focus is on fitting advanced technology into modern lifestyles, enabling innovation that improves people's lives.

SPARK AWARD
With over 500 entrants in 12 different categories, the criteria are the same for all Spark competitions: does the design spark? For example, does it innovate, change the game and in some way help humanity or the environment we live in. The Spark founders believe design is an important, relevant tool to help build a better world.

"There was some wonderful work this year, and the judges' job was not easy. But after much discussion and many rounds of voting, they agreed on the best of the submissions," said Peter Kuchnicki, Director & Founder, Spark Design Awards. "Our best wishes and appreciation for your hard work and dedication, to design that improves our world. This is what the Spark Design Awards are all about. Getting it out there."

RED DOT AWARD
Participants from across the world submitted 4,698 products concepts for the Red Dot: Design Concept 2016 Awards. Winning concepts were selected based on innovation, functionality, quality, ergonomics, and durability.

"Each of the winning concepts represents a significant achievement on the part of the designer. The adjudication process is a particularly demanding one, with each concept subjected to intense scrutiny led by a critical set of jury members," articulated Ken Koo as he spoke of the adjudication process. "Only 6 percent of all entries were awarded a Red Dot this year, making each awarded concept an outstanding feat of accomplishment."

About the Red Dot Design Award
In order to appraise the wide scope of design in a professional manner, the Red Dot Design Award is broken down into the three distinct disciplines: the Red Dot Award: Product Design, Red Dot Award: Communication Design and Red Dot Award: Design Concept. The Red Dot Award is organized by the Design Zentrum Nordrhein Westfalen in Essen, Germany. With more than 17,000 entries in 2015 alone, it is one of the largest competitions in the world. It was in 1955 that a jury convened for the first time to assess the best designs of the day. The name and brand of the award were developed in the 1990s by Red Dot CEO, Professor Dr. Peter Zec. Since then the sought-after "Red Dot" is the revered international seal of outstanding design quality. Further information: www.red-dot.org.

About the Spark Design Award
Spark is first and foremost a community of designers and creative people, bound together by the idea that Design can make significant, positive changes in the world and help make it better. The way we promote this Good Design is through the annual organization of international design competitions, exhibitions, blogs and workshops. Spark is unique in a world of many design competitions because it is multi-disciplinary, reflecting the modern fact that most designers work on teams in this fashion. Spark sees technology as a great enabling tool, that is helping all of society to be more creative, productive and innovative. Spark is "aspirational," believing that design is a process for improving our life and the planet we live on.

ABOUT NYTEC, INC.  
Nytec is an award-winning, integrated consulting firm with over 40 years of proven success turning ideas into real, first-of-a-kind, lifestyle technology products for tier-one global and Fortune 100 companies. Nytec's world-class designers, engineers, and manufacturing experts specialize in translating complex problems, anchored around delivering the ultimate user experience into compelling, simple solutions that span hardware, software and services. With a global footprint of dedicated employees, able to manage highly complex projects end-to-end at their Product Innovation Center, equipped with cutting-edge design and engineering labs. Nytec's unique business model and sophisticated facilities allow clients to push beyond the boundaries of technology, and creatively solve challenges across design, firmware, electrical and mechanical initiatives to engineer complete solutions. With offices around the world, Nytec teams work seamlessly with a vast portfolio of trusted manufacturing partners, to ensure every detail is refined, from start-to-finish, creating exceptional design, execution, and quality. Nytec's integrated end-to-end management approach delivers the right product, with the right experience, at the right time. For more information please visit http://www.nytec.com or call +1.425.968.5715.