Juryspeak: The best combination of industrial design and traditional crafts. It has a distinct Indian identity and is sophisticated.

Juryspeak: The fine detailing and ergonomics make it a winner.

Tank top

Best industrial design
Minimax - industrial boiler
Forbes Marshall

You may remember a boiler as an ugly thing that takes time to install. No more. Meet Minimax, the smallest boiler in India. The modular product comes with the fuel tank (300 l), water tank (1,800 l), accessories and piping all in a height of 450 cm. This 75 kg-per-hour powerhouse has a textured aluminium finish, cutting cost, and a fibre-glass control panel, shedding flab.

Juryspeak: A pure industrial product shows that by using design elements well it can become slick.

Tech contortionist

Best Office equipment
Dali 173p- LCD Monitor
Samsung Electronics India

It can bend, twist, pivot, tilt, swivel and adjust to any level. Samsung's ultra-slim 17-inch LCD monitor may not be made of India rubber, yet its double-hinge design allows it the flexibility to be mounted on a wall or simply rest on a table. It's not only easy on the eye, it also promises to help you avoid eye problems, thanks to its vertical height adjustment and tilt feature. The monitor is stylish and buttonless and has a contemporary clean cable arrangement, eliminating all clutter. Salvador would have approved.

Juryspeak: It is slick, it's slim and can bend to any shape.

Wait in style

Best Furniture for public spaces Karnataka
State Road Transport Corporation Bus Terminus, Bangalore
Quetzel

This bus terminus is a great example of how design can keep practical, everyday usage at the forefront.The seating material is tough enough to take the daily beating of a busy bus stand, and can be cleaned using only a dry cloth. It also serves the more social function of discouraging sleeping. Even trash bins have been designed to fit the concept. All the signage was re-done in bold, readable English and vernacular languages in uniform colours. In short, it's simple, comfortable and user-friendly.

Juryspeak: Aesthetic yet practical design that serves the public well.

No wire, no cry

Best consumer electronic product
Vaayu - wireless Internet access device
Innoviti Embedded Solutions

Bid those tanglesome wires goodbye, and let Vaayu make your laptop truly portable - all while being online. It's a wireless Internet access device - half the unit can be plugged to your laptop and the other half to a telephone connection. This comes as a boon to business travellers. It's not only compatible with a variety of computer operating systems, it also works with various devices like fax machines, modems and, of course, laptops. Weighing in at a nifty 80 gm, it comes with rechargeable batteries. Need we suggest 'plug and play'?

Juryspeak: A one-of-its-kind product.

Ultra-lite ultrasound

Best medical device
Sonalisa - ultrasound machine
Satish Gokhale, Larsen and Toubro

An innovation that lends comfort when one needs it most, Sonalisa is the world's first ambidextrous ultrasound machine. This trolley-mounted device moves around, the patient need not; and even a southpaw can operate it seamlessly. The principles guiding the overall design were ergonomic comfort and flexibility. Consider the positioning of some critical elements: around the trackball are three critical function buttons; the keyboard console swivels 30 degrees on either side (and not the usual 15 degrees); the freeze-frame keys, transducer holders, and gel holders are on both sides. The unit ships with a printer too. Ultra-cool, wouldn't you say?

Juryspeak: It has simple insights which will make the product popular, anywhere in the world.

A 'broken' vase

Best craft
Devotee - flower vase
Abhijit Bansod

This unconventional flower vase is made of wood, and uses strong magnets that hold the cone together through an inch of glass, giving the illusion that the vase goes through the surface. A small test tube is hidden inside to keep water in the vase with minimum fuss. Devotee uses an indigenous, 150-year-old toymaking craft from Andhra Pradesh called Etikoppaka, which was originally used to make hand-crafted wooden toys, and partners it with the modern use of a magnet. The outcome is both beautiful and simple.

Juryspeak: The simplicity of the product and the ingenious way an old craft has been used to make a contemporary product stood out.

Timeless timeframe

Best graphic
Pragati calendar
Lopez Design

THIS is a celebration of not just the technological prowess of Pragati Printing Press, but also its philosophy. The calendar features allegories from Panchatantra and Jataka, and rides on innovative printing. The story of the thirsty crow, for instance, uses a unique colour separation to enhance saturation, a spot UV coat (on the pot) for the transparent effect, and textured UV coat (on the pebbles) to make them stand out. More than just a calendar.

Juryspeak: The Indianness of the design, combined with the world-class technology, was impressive.
From thin air

Best consumer durable

Dewdrops - water creator
Killick Nixon

Could this be the answer to the crisis plaguing water-deficient, humid cities like Chennai? A device that converts atmospheric moisture into drinking water. Under optimal conditions - read humid weather - Dewdrops can produce 12-16 litres of water using electricity. A suction fan placed at the back of the unit takes in air, which encounters an air filter made of food-grade plastic. Clean air comes in contact with a condenser and gets cooled rapidly. The condensed water is then guided into a collection tray, from where it is channelled through a duct into a three-way filtration mesh device. Along the way, microbiological contaminants get destroyed too.

Juryspeak: An invention that is perfect for India.

One for the greens

Best concept design
Disposable mug
Sandip Paul

HERE's one more to give Laloo's earthern kullads company. But this aesthetic little disposable mug, made of hand made paper, is for the train loos. No synthetic adhesive has been used - instead, organic glue binds the edges of this eco-friendly product. It can hold about 1.2 litres of water and it disintegrates within 15 minutes of use. The mug is foldable and occupies insignificant space. It's also easy to manufacture, and a pack of three will cost roughly Rs 5.

Juryspeak: To create a simple product, keeping in mind a need felt but never fulfilled, is truly a function of concept design. This product fulfills that.

Angled for comfort

Best Automobile
Accessory
Easy seat
Krishna Maruti

The Easy Seat, through simple and smart design, will help the aged and disabled become more independent - as well as more comfortable. This affordable product allows the front seat of a car to turn at an angle of 90 degrees. The seat can slide as well as rotate at the turn of a knob and with a gentle push, and it automatically slides back to a proper, front-facing position. It looks the same as existing seats - an instance where an 'average' look actually adds to the appeal of a
product.

Juryspeak: It is cost-effective, domestically produced, and serves real needs.

Indian identity

Best Retail packaging
Ayush, HLL
DMA Branding

Clever packaging is all about catching the customer's eye in a crowded retail outlet. Sure enough, Hindustan Lever's Ayush - with its very distinctive Indian look - makes an impact. The range of shampoos and cough syrups stand out, thanks to the illustrations and innovative nomenclature, which also convey the message that these are natural products. The seal - Poshak for nourishment, Naashak for destroying bad things, and Rakshak for protection - evoke a sense of trust.

Juryspeak: A design which stood out for creating a distinct Indian identity.

Play and learn

Best Animation
Att Veta, business administration program
Tata Interactive Systems

A simple e-learning tool, Att Veta's programme feels like playing a game, despite six whole modules of business administration content. The Swedish company, which runs web-based educational programmes, wanted a solution to address corporate employees and school students in the 16-18-years group and adults studying economics. Tata Interactive Systems created the game design document, which has a library of 4,000 animated characters, and uses lip sync compatible with English and Swedish speech.

Juryspeak: A simple and easy mode of e-learning.

Best Digital media

GSK Training College, intranet program
Tata Interactive Systems
Animated fare

THIS intranet programme has been created to train GlaxoSmithKline's (GSK) medical representatives for the Australian market. It works on the back of simple navigation tools and animation characters. The basic content centres on human anatomy and physiology, common diseases affecting people, symptoms and treatment of diseases, specific over-the-counter GSK products for each condition, and key marketing techniques used in field sales. The navigational functions are icons shaped liked tablets and capsules, to go with the animation characters and even interactive games that retain the interest.

Juryspeak: Its features make science come alive.

Best Digital media

www.bajajauto.com
Elephant Design
Click to chase

Bajaj Auto's website guarantees a smooth ride on the information highway. Click on the digital-biking link - it will take first-timers to the 'Digital Twin Spark Ignition', which means about a minute to load. Once past that, the display of motorcycles is impressive, complete with sleek web pages and information on each brand. The content is easy and personalised. A service diary, for instance, provides customised fare to users. Updated every 15 days, the site is an e-branding experience.

Juryspeak: The brand identity is clear, and there is sufficient information without clutter.

Lighten the stress

Softlite-Fusion
Wipro Lighting

The tag under which Wipro classifies this product portfolio defines its design ethos: brightness management. True to the argot, the Softlite Fusion range works on the principle of direct-indirect lighting and seeks to create stress-free and visually pleasing workspaces. But leaving it at that would be making light of the innovations. Softlites can use options like energy-saving ballast and dimming ballasts to get the desired brightness. They filter light through a special film that cuts out ultraviolet rays. And the wing-shaped, matt-finish reflectors cut glare. That's for functionality; for the aesthetics, we'll let the light lead you.

Juryspeak: Excellent finish and detailing of the recess-mounted lighting.

Natural grace

Jellyfish, Neil Foley

USING fish motifs for designing everyday objects isn’t new. But a light called Jellyfish? Well, that’s new! No, we aren’t taking you for an underwater ride — look at the picture. In this stylised, contemporary form, the clear acrylic dome represents the thin outer layer of a jellyfish, and the stainless steel wires its tentacles. The “lightness and grace of a jellyfish suspended in the ocean” that the designer wanted to invoke has been captured effectively. He needn’t fish for compliments.The sophisticated execution does it for him.

Juryspeak: Little value in terms of utility. Top-of-the-list as an aspiration.