The 2024 NY Product Design Awards recently concluded its first competitive season, announcing the winners. From a pool of over 1,000 submissions, these exceptional designs were chosen for their ability to significantly improve daily life through innovative solutions. The Baum Wingman won a Gold Award for its design and approach.
“I wanted to set the stage for a series of electric guitars designed and developed by a Nordic approach to product longevity in terms of materials and build quality combined with inspiration from 60s vintage cars’ style, bold colors, and characteristic curves by creating an electric guitar that combines the artistic from classic cars with the style and functionality from the offset guitar genre. It’s designed from a holistic perspective meaning that the important curves and the selected materials should add to the functionality too.”
Morten Bau, Founder of Baum Guitars
The Baum Wingman’s progressive design is deeply rooted in Baum’s Nordic philosophy focusing on functionality with high-grade materials in a timeless design for longevity combined with an inspiration in the bold styles’ of 60s American car design.
“The competition is thrilled to extend a heartfelt congratulations to each winner, celebrating their remarkable achievements and the inspiring impact of their designs,” stated Thomas Brandt, spokesperson of the International Awards Associate (IAA). “These winners exemplify the pinnacle of design innovation, harnessing creativity and forward-thinking strategies to redefine industry standards.”
The Wingman is made of high-quality materials, including roasted maple, mahogany, and genuine rosewood for the body and neck, proprietary hardware made of solid brass and nickel, and custom-voiced Goldsound® Jabmaster™ pickups, all of which combined give the Wingman a unique and punchy sound versatile for many music genres.
Precisely engineered hardware adds to the functionality, and the smooth edges around the Baum Levitator™ roller-bridge emphasise the curves on the body, while the warm brass details add a contrast to the nickel parts.
The offset body contour leans forward in a balanced shape that makes it easy to play standing and seated. Its thinner body style makes it lightweight and resonant, and the C-profiled neck shape makes it a comfortable experience for the player.
GRAND JURY PANEL AND EVALUATION PROCESS.
IAA has assembled a diverse panel of industry experts to serve as jurors, ensuring a fair and thorough evaluation process. Tasked with identifying exceptional submissions, the jury aims to honor outstanding works and raise the bar for excellence in the industry. Furthermore, IAA has welcomed nominations from esteemed professionals to contribute to the esteemed pool of jurors.
The awards placed a strong emphasis on fairness in the judging process by incorporating diverse perspectives. To achieve this, a panel of 14 jurors from 11 countries was carefully selected. These esteemed professionals, representing prestigious companies, including Q.C. & Industrial Innovation Product Designer at Parsons Corporation – Khaled Abdul Hamid Elnems, Media & Product Life Cycle Manager at Ideal Standard International NV – Vasil Velchev, Chief Executive Officer and Co-founder of LR Seoul – Joon Kwon, Partner and Chief Design Strategist of TCT Branding – Deepti Kshirsagar, and Head of Product Management at Amazon – Ram Nikhil Dodda, to name a few.
In pursuit of impartiality, the blind judging method was employed. This approach ensured that each entry was evaluated independently, without the influence of other submissions. As a result, winners were selected solely based on their own merits. Assessments were also conducted according to contemporary industry standards, setting a high bar for the competition.
ABOUT INTERNATIONAL AWARDS ASSOCIATE (IAA).
Established in 2015, the International Awards Associate (IAA) is a global organization dedicated to recognizing professional excellence and outstanding achievements in various industries. As the organiser of a wide range of prestigious award programs such as the MUSE Creative Awards, MUSE Design Awards, Vega Digital Awards, NYX Awards, NYX Game Awards, TITAN Business Awards, TITAN Property Awards, London Design Awards, NY Product Design Awards, French Design Awards, and many more, IAA aims to honour, promote, and encourage professional excellence, from industry to industry, internationally and domestically, through award platforms that are industry-appropriate.