Winner of the Design Management Award 2023
Award winner
77 Electronics Ltd
Jury statement
Representing the traditionally progressive Hungarian health industry, this family-owned business at the forefront of product development for more than 35 years is one of the flagships with globally successful product lines.
In the medical diagnostics sector highly reliable, heavy-duty, ergonomic, easy-to-handle and durable measuring equipment for personal use as well as medical instrumental systems installed under laboratory conditions must meet especially high requirements. In this category the application of the most important components of the modern design management approach (creating user experience, design thinking, social responsibility, corporate culture) is key to professional and business success.
Being the result of a very conscious approach, the business’s palette of medical electronics focuses on the production of blood sugar monitors as well as urine analysers and their reagents, with the design and development activities carried out by the company itself along with the commercial sales. 77 Electronics Ltd owes its outstanding success of exports to more than 100 countries to its various systems – its full-scale diabetes management aspirations, its self-confident and elegant visual identity, sensitive communication, efficient service background and continuous development projects (the new version of the blood sugar monitor is number 74) – being built on each other.
A major competitive advantage of the business is that it can satisfy the different requirements, spanning from simple and flexible self-measurements to continuous glucose monitoring, at the same high standards. Moreover, embracing design thinking, it combines market demands, technological opportunities and business potential in creative ways.
The family business’s three-word slogan Family, Innovation, Quality is consistently manifest in the areas of social responsibility (successful cooperation with the Hungarian Diabetes Association), international expansion and corporate growth (OEM sales, Roche cooperation and buyouts).
77 Electronics Ltd’s strategic approach and corporate culture as well as its complex intellectual capital and potential have made it an authentic and successful ambassador promoting the thinking that is also at the heart of the Design Management Award.
About
A consistent identity and design are of great significance on the local markets but for a business exporting its products to more than 100 countries worldwide it is outstandingly so. Good design is even more important if the given business operates in the health sector and manufactures various diagnostic tools and equipment to end-users too as in this case it must provide products that meet the requirement of ergonomy and easy use combined with evoking trust in the end-user; furthermore, in the global arena it must remain attractive and competitive in the B2C (business-to-consumer) and the B2B (business-to-business) transactions. The overall challenge is further enhanced by the online interfaces that come with virtually every device nowadays: the user panels, applications, webpages and social media platforms of IoT devices are also expected to communicate the brand’s values, and the same applies to many other modes of representation, including exhibition stands, catalogues, advertising, and packaging.
77 Electronics is at the forefront of Hungarian businesses not only because its professional graphic identity and its main shade of colour appearing virtually on every product and interface but primarily because it committed itself to the comprehensive and strategic application of design at management level actively before the methodology of design thinking became widely known. The success of a business depends on user experience to a great extent even today, and 77 Electronics soon recognised that the seamless harmonisation of hardware and software will make the use of their products simpler and easier, which leads to greater user satisfaction, brand loyalty and, in the long term, repeat customers and a good reputation. This strategic design thinking is manifest not only in product development but also in areas such as social responsibility, corporate culture, quality policy and commitment to local community building, the latter being exemplified by the company’s active involvement in the operation of the music centre and theatre, located close to their central offices, as well as by the organisation of general screening programmes. In a sector where continued innovation is a fundamental expectation and where the rivals on an increasingly global market include international giant corporations, an indisputably huge competitive advantage can be gained from design thinking and strategy spanning from product development through process design to communication tools. The same is true for businesses operating in any area, which is why 77 Electronics serves as a role model to be followed by every Hungarian small- and medium- but even by big businesses.
Special Prize Awarded by the Hungarian Intellectual Property Office
halQ – Image Service Ltd
Jury statement
It is their printing business that led the owners of the halQ brand started working in the design, production and distribution of acoustic panels made of recycled materials. The essence of their concept is largely based on the application of design management, with the company having become competitive on the market with their innovative product design and customer-oriented services. Hearing is an important sense in the perception of our environment but the noise effects in modern living and working spaces often burden their users, jeopardising their well-being and performance. The products of halQ are designed with the aim of eliminating background noises in rooms, as well as the reverberation and echoing of spaces as much as possible. This is achieved thanks to acoustic measurements, specialist design consulting and the business’s unrivalled design concepts. At haIQ it is firmly believed that the application of design management has become an integral part of the company’s activities, which is confirmed by their innovative design being coupled with all-round service design. Moreover, the various aspects of sustainability are emphasised by the products being adaptable to and reusable in several locations. It is haIQ’s mission to raise awareness of spaces with better sound quality and to spread modern acoustic knowledge among designers and users alike. The business’s product range exemplifies that uncompromising design and a client-focused approach can lead to entrepreneurial success when jointly applied.
About
An equally important role is assigned in halQ’s scope of activities to service and product development, which is the result of the strategic, comprehensive and early (before the business was even launched) application of design thinking. The company manufactures, distributes and installs acoustic panels, supplementing its products with a complex service pack, which, embracing the requirements of environmental consciousness, offers precise, customised and complex solutions to the clients’ noise-related problems. The process ranging from the acoustic surveys to the design, production, installation and testing of the panels deemed best for the given location is always tailored to the given client and the site-specific needs, while being smooth and fast; the panels always have a high design value with customisable materials, colours and patterns. In this way design thinking plays a leading role in the design process itself as well as in regard to interior design and project management from beginning to end, thus resulting in the customer saving significant amounts of time and money.
MINUSPLUS– General Planning Ltd
Jury statement
MINUSPLUS defines itself as an independent architectural and design firm that applies a wide range of design management tools in its extensive design, project management and customer relations work. The company does this while stimulating its own creativity and ability to innovate. Since 2020 the office has had the industrial property registration of a shade structure that can smoothly be integrated into the urban fabric. The young founders of the 20-year-old enterprise have attracted the attention of both professionals and the public with their numerous award-winning works of various scales, while expressing their views beyond the sphere of their profession as architects by taking a responsible intellectual stance in important social issues. Their creative credo, entrepreneurial philosophy and, above all, their buildings, interiors and installations, not only accord with the most progressive world trends but also unmistakably bear the life-affirming signature of their authors driven by innovative curiosity. MINUSPLUS is an excellent example of Hungarian small- and medium-sized enterprises in the creative industry able to fulfil their mission even after becoming a prominent market player, and thus serving the public good, in this case by shaping the built environment.
Acknowledgment is due for the company’s continuous efforts to promote Hungarian design culture. It is a regular participant in the Budapest Design Week and several other events, and, within the framework of its latest mashup exhibition celebrating the twentieth anniversary of its foundation, it presented its diverse activities using the tools of fine art and then donated the proceeds from the auctioned artworks to the From the Street to a Home association. The MINUSPLUS community deserves the Special Prize of the Design Management Award because their spirited mentality could inspire its contemporaries and the next generation of designers for many years to come.
About
Architecture, regarded by many people as the highest and most complex art form, impacts our everyday lives perhaps more than any other branch of art since it is encountered by those who do not normally meet other genres of art. Despite its magnitude, the philosophical, sociological and community-shaping aspects of architecture are manifest in the practice of Hungarian architect offices only to a lesser degree, and it is rare to see the kind of dedication and sense of mission that are at the heart of the MINUSPLUS team. The importance of developing visual culture, the priority of the aesthetic and harmonious qualities of the built environment and the crucial role of environmental psychology in the well-being of individuals are all factors that are at the forefront of MINUSPLUS’ design projects and are supplemented by pro bono activities, such as organising exhibitions aimed at shaping attitudes and community-development events. MINUSPLUS exemplifies through its activities that consistently applied and design-conscious corporate management infusing a business’ operation from planning processes to project management, customer service management and the communication linked to completed projects will always result in sustainable, creative and innovative but above all human-centric solutions that will produce client satisfaction and introduce beauty into the life of end-users, while making the members of the work team more motivated, involved and proud, thus crucially contributing to the continuous success of the company ensuring steady growth in the long term.
Special Prize Awarded by the Herend Porcelain Manufactory Ltd.
VITÉZ KÜRTŐS – Földijó-Gastro Ltd
Jury statement
Content and form filled with awareness. Design management also has a positive effect upon chimney cakes, and definitely promotes sales and market share. This business and product stand as proof that design thinking works at all levels, sizes and segments.
Starting from the stalls of markets and then having your own business premises, a franchise operating model online sales and becoming a market leader – while having to survive Covid in a hospitality sector – cannot have been easy.
A chimney cake is not a very broad spectrum, so one might wonder where it can be developed? Yet, as one sees the activities of Vitéz Kürtős, one sees not only a product but a brand: the chimney cake desserts of Sweet bear under the umbrella brand, as well as the chimney cake baker Vitéz Gastro and its grill products, together with their packaging, are the result of well-thought-out design and brand building.
In micro and small enterprises the owner needs to be an overall expert. It is not possible to have independent job titles for various tasks in the organisation in this segment. This is why teamwork among employees and long-term cooperation with other companies, suppliers and consultants is all the more important.
The founders of the Vitéz Kürtős brand are making every effort to be distinct. No aspect of their work is realised without the involvement of professionals – design consultants, architects, interior designers, graphic designers, photographers and food stylists. Design thinking prevails from workwear to the design of offices, showrooms and even in the selection of gifts in the annual rewards for employees.
So how can quality consistently be maintained and products be renewed? At Vitéz Kürtős image manuals, trademark registration participation in tenders and strategic management provide the foundations for the long-term viability of the enterprise, preserving its successful operation and competitiveness even independently of its owners.
Vitéz Kürtős is a textbook example showing the systematic application of design management in a micro-enterprise right from the start, thus being an authentic source of encouragement and inspiration to others to pursue their dreams.
About
It is of the utmost importance especially for microbusinesses to be heard in the visual cacophony created by other businesses with a similar profile, especially if this cacophony is in the tumultuous milieux of fairs, festivals and tourist attractions. Vitéz Kürtős aptly recognised that it can most efficiently make its product – which has better quality than that of its competitors – more noticeable, visible, recognisable and easy to remember with the tools of design. It employed a design expert who was able to create a unified visual identity for the brand’s multifaceted activities. The diversity of the distinct umbrella brand – manifest in the beech wood charcoal provided for restaurants and other bakeries, a cake shop opened in a listed building, a festival evoking the nicest traditions of the City Park Fairground, a chimney cake stand overlooking a Balaton panorama, the various kinds of packaging, transportation vehicles and office interiors – is unified by the V-shape, distilled from the initial and the meaning of the brand name, and the fishbone pattern, created through its multiplication, in an efficient and characteristic, yet subtle and elegant way. Hence design thinking is elevated into a decisive element of business operation that distinguishes the brand among its rivals, thus enhancing its prestige and sales, while playing a key role in recruiting and retaining the labour force.
Certificate of merit
letsgo.shallwe?
Jury statement
Sightseeing and guided tours all became popular and widely accessible in the 20th century. The key figure of classical tours is the tour guide, who provides participants with new knowledge and unforgettable experiences.
But how does design thinking come into this?
Design thinking is the user-centred approach to innovation using the toolkit of design to fuse user requirements, new technology and the conditions of business success into one solution. The founders of hosszúlépés.járunk? (letsgo.shallwe?) ower their ten years of successful operation to the strategic application of this.
It is their realisation, which they have introduced on an ever-widening spectrum, that the stories of squares, streets, houses and their inhabitants attract not only foreigners but also people living locally, and that the past and human stories/destinies define the lives of others. All this makes it worthwhile to explore specific issues thoroughly and, instead of holding boring lectures, to present them to the public in an interactive way in the form of exciting tours led by people with personal experiences linked to the given theme.
During its work the business helps people to encounter and understand problems linked to social inequalities, globally and locally, in the past and in the present. In the choice of themes and the design of the tours the focus is on remembering, coupled with the intention to make the present better, to draw attention to various issues and create ’aha’ experiences.
Besides the professional members of the team, authentic personalities, who are experts on the subject of a given tour, are also involved in the work: a photographer, actor, conductor, urbanist, monk, rabbi candidate, stage-manager and a conservationist.
The classic guided tours are supplemented by corporate team building and customised events, while the business profile also includes the production of publications, organising the unveiling of statues and other activities.
While providing a world-class service, the business has an unmistakably Central European character and a classic Budapest vibe.
About
In recent decades interest in local history, microhistory and urbex sites has virtually evolved into a city sightseeing movement in Budapest. But how should a business dealing not in tangible products but in services distinguish itself from its competitors? How can it visually represent the fact that the experience it provides is more diverse, in-depth, more thoroughly thought-through and more professionally organised? And how can a brand name, which is fundamentally based in the public mind on personal experiences and community building, survive at all if virtually the whole world is in lockdown? Of course through the use of design, which, in the case of letswalk.shallwe?, decisively means the comprehensive application of graphic identity. The figure of the logo simultaneously denotes the intellectual focus and the act of walking, the colours of the visual identity consistently appear on the webpage, the tickets and the books, thus visually highlighting this business among others with a similar profile.
