Kiwi wins gold at Australia’s International Good Design Awards
The winners of Australia’s peak international design awards have been announced during the 2021 Good Design Awards Week – and it includes our very own Media Design School alumnus Rose Norgrove.
Rose Norgrove has won Gold in the prestigious Good Design Award (Next Gen category) for Dual, an innovative medical device that provides blood glucose testing and smart insulin delivery for Type 1 diabetics. All data collected by the device is sent via Bluetooth to a connected mobile app. This allows users to analyse their daily patterns and review their management history.
The Next Gen category was created to inspire the next generation of designers and to help foster a culture of design, innovation and creativity. Sponsored by RØDE Microphones, Rose was awarded a cash prize of AUD$7,000.
“Type 1 Diabetes affects 26,000 New Zealanders. Every person affected requires a blood sugar reader and an insulin delivery device. But unfortunately, there is no current affordable, all-in-one device that does not impose constant attachment to the user's body,” says Rose Norgrove.
“As a Type 1 Diabetic myself, I have designed Dual to resolve all of the pain points I have encountered over the past 12 years. It is a device that combines an insulin pen and a blood glucose meter to calculate the amount of insulin needed. Dual is fit for everyday use, providing diabetics with the freedoms of detached devices and benefits of automation. It allows diabetics to live with less equipment, less complications, and more control,” Norgrove added.
The Good Design Awards are the highest honour for design and innovation in Australia and reward projects across 12 design disciplines and 30 subcategories.
The Good Design Awards Jury commented: “The Dual is what design is all about. A well-defined global problem, personal experience, research, creativity and an Aha! moment resulting in this amazing product.”
Dr. Brandon Gien, CEO of Good Design Australia said: “Receiving an Australian Good Design Award is testament to embedding design excellence at the heart of a product, service, place or experience. Although 2021 continues to be another challenging year, it is incredibly inspiring to see designers and businesses working together to find innovative, customer-centric design solutions to local and global challenges and to see them recognised and rewarded for their efforts through these prestigious Awards.”
The 2021 Good Design Awards attracted a record number of submissions with 933 design projects evaluated by more than 70 Australian and international Jurors, including designers, engineers, architects and thought leaders. Each entry was evaluated according to a strict set of design evaluation criteria which includes good design, design innovation and design impact.
“At Media Design School, we have several values, including Be Good, Be Creative and Bold, and Be Global. This project epitomises our values but also our vision to Connect the World for Good. Receiving a Gold at Australia’s oldest and most prestigious international awards is an outstanding achievement for Rose and Media Design School. It’s also an example of how we live our values through our work, and use design as a force for good,” Jim Murray, Programme Leader for Bachelor of Media Design said.
“Dual has now received multiple international design awards including a Red Dot Junior Award, it’s fantastic to see a young designer from Aotearoa reconsigned on the international stage,” Murray added.
