Media Release
5th June, 2009
HUM receives Australian International Design Award
Formway Furniture’s Design Studio has been honoured with a prestigious Australian International Design Award.
The award, presented at a gala event in Melbourne last week (Friday 29 May), went to HUM. Minds at work, released by
Formway last year. The work place system was designed in response to an overwhelming desire in the business community to
have collaborative workspaces that would increase performance in the work place. Hum is the sound of productivity and a
team working well together.
The Australian International Design Awards, a division of Standards Australia, is recognised by the Australian
Government and the International Council of Societies of Industrial Design [ICSID] as Australia’s peak design assessment
and promotion body. It also plays an important role in fostering a culture of design and innovation in Australia.
Formway CEO Alan Buckner is delighted with the award and its contribution toward Formway’s growing global reputation.
“Formway Furniture is proud to have achieved this significant recognition from our peers in the Australian design
industry. We have a long and important history in Australia, and this award enhances our reputation for being a
design-led business, with meaningful insight and understanding of workplace environments.”
Hum stemmed from four years of research and development which included voice of the customer research, prototyping, and
input from external experts. The project set out to deliver a product that would compete in the international furniture
market. Hum is licensed for manufacture and distributed in the United States through Kimball Office and has been bought
by a range of high profile clients in the United States, Australia and New Zealand.
The Australian International Design award is the latest in a remarkable run of recognition that Formway Design has
received for Hum. This includes a Good Design Award from the Chicago Athenaeum, Best Product design and Best
Environmental design at the BeST Awards in NZ and a Stringer, the highest recognition for outstanding design in New
Zealand.
About Formway
Formway is privately owned and operates one of the largest furniture design studios in Australasia. Developing
empathetic insights into human behaviour is central to Formway’s user-centred design culture. Coupled with a rigorous
design process and sensitivity to aesthetic and environmental considerations, these insights create the platform for
new-to-the-world innovation. As a result, the company enjoys a reputation as a world leader in workplace product design.
Products are distributed through a network of showrooms, agents and distribution partners in New Zealand, Australia and
South East Asia.
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