This research initiative identified the company’s target consumer, enabling it to reshape the Li-Ning brand, modernize its story, and create a new product and service architecture and strategy. This allowed Li-Ning to craft a distinctly Chinese experience for a new generation.

Contact: Julia Carpenter: julia_carpenter@ziba.com

Credit: Ziba and Li-Ning (China)

REFLECT is a showerhead and non-fogging shower mirror. It uses incoming water to heat the reflective surface and prevent condensation, making the shower a perfect place to shave, shampoo and reflect.

Contact: Nicholas Guy Paget: npaget@mac.com

Credit: Nick Paget of Paget Designs

The Jabra PRO 9400 series hands-free headset brings together the growing number of voice communication streams, namely desk phones, soft phones (voice-over-IP services) and mobile phones. The user interface enables fluid management of the busy professional’s communication streams, calls, contacts, sound levels, set-up and other controls.

Contact: John M. LeRoy: jleroy@360publicrelations.com

Credit: Valérie Pegon of Jabra (Denmark)

Available in single, double and triple models, the shampoo and soap dispenser can dispense a wide array of bath products, eliminating messy bottle clutter. Its sophisticated pump mechanism gives the user precise control over the amount of soap dispensed. It attaches to the wall with silicone glue—no drilling required—and contains a large, refillable reservoir.

Contact: Travis Wentworth: twentworth@simplehuman.com

Credit: Frank Yang and Randy Wei of simplehuman and Myk Lum, IDSA and Adam Wade of LDA LLC

The TuneBase with Hands Free allows users to answer calls on their iPhones, hands-free, and to listen to all their digital content through their car stereos. The adjustable design of the cradle securely holds all sizes of iPhones and iPods without removing their protective cases. A USB port allows simultaneous charging of one additional device.

Contact: Mitchell Suckle: MitchellS@Belkin.com

Credit: Oliver DuncanSeil, IDSA, Chad DeJong, Abe Camacho, Steve Lane, Vince Razo, Kelly Ferdman and PJ Jung of Belkin

NOMAD Pro is an advanced, handheld dental X-ray system. Its lightweight cordless design improves radiography speed, convenience and efficiency. It is safe enough for the operator to stay chair side with the patient, making it ideal for both the conventional office setting as well as for humanitarian, nursing home or other remote uses.

Contact: Michael Horito: michael@rocketshipdesign.com

Credit: Dayne Tanner, Daniel Heaton, Michael Horito, IDSA and Tyler Allan of Rocketship, Inc. and Clark Turner and Khoi Nguyen of Airbex

The Solar Light Prototype facilitates teaching design and prototyping skills to the future designers of the developing world at the International Development Design Summit. Since the majority of them are not designers or engineers—they may be pastors, doctors or bike mechanics, for example—they first must spend a day learning about design before they embark on solving pressing and difficult problems in the developing world.

 Contact: Harald Quintus-Bosz: quintus-bosz@cooperperkins.com

The eBeam Edge transforms ordinary whiteboards into fully-featured interactive whiteboards for classrooms and conference rooms. Using infrared and ultrasound, the eBeam Edge tracks the precise location of an interactive stylus on the board, allowing users to create notes and diagrams while navigating within and capturing sections of web sites and applications.

Contact: Bradley Richter: brad@luidia.com 

Credit: Bradley Richter and Rafi Holtzman of Luidia Inc.

The container design for Snox, an easy-to-use system for fitting tire chains, reflects the product’s innovative properties for instant point-of-sale communication. Additional design requirements resulted in a case that is easy to carry, protects the contents from being damaged, is aesthetically appealing, and is easily stacked for retail displays and trade show booths.

Contact: Mathias Miller-Aichholz: mma@bma.cc

Credit: Georg Wagner and Stefan Arbeithuber of Spirit Design/Innovation (Austria) and Branding for Pewag Austria GmbH (Austria)

This Wi-Fi router uses the Internet as a potable router. It supports various Internet-enabled devices, such as a laptop, iPod or Nintendo DS, allowing users to share an Internet connection with up to seven people. Its circular footprint and soft texture are a welcomed departure from the ordinary boxy look of most conventional routers on the market today.

Contact: Jung Ho Bang: jhbang@lginnotek.com

Credit: Jung Ho Bang and Kwangsung Kim of LG Innotek (South Korea)