The Blackmagic Cinema Camera tonight (Thursday) joined the hall of fame of Australian and international design, alongside James Cameron’s Deep Sea Challenger, the Qantas A380 Economy Class seat and the Ford Territory All-Wheel Drive, winning the Design Award of the Year and the Best In Category for Consumer Electronics at the 2013 Australian International Design Awards.
It is the first time in over a decade that a consumer electronics product has won the major prize at the Design Awards, which is traditionally dominated by Medical and Scientific and Sport and Leisure products.
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Able to achieve Hollywood-quality filming at a fraction of the cost of a commercial camera, Blackmagic impressed the judges due to its potential to transform an entire industry. The camera is sold through the professional and prosumer cinematography channels for around $3,000.
“A brilliant piece of design in every regard,” the Judges said. “This product is a showcase of what professional design can do when used effectively.
“It will revolutionise the film industry and highlight Australia’s capability to design and develop high technology products with global appeal.”
Winning the Best In Category award for Domestic Appliances was the LotusGrill BBQ out of Zimba Designs in Germany.
“LotusGrill delivers focused consideration to the environment, users’ experience, design and cooking superiority for small format BBQs,” said a Zimba Designs spokesperson. “Designed to facilitate and enhance any occasion: home, beach, boating, camping, picnics, inside or outside and much more.”
The LotusGrill is primarily sold through homewares and design stores, and its own online store for around $300.
Dyson picked up two Design Awards in the Domestic Appliances category, for Hot+Cool AM05 and the Digital Slim Mk2, while Sunbeam (Café Series Espresso Machine EM7000), Nespresso (U coffee machine), Philips (PerfectCare Aqua), Breville (Original 74) and Everdure (E Churrasco) all picked up one award each.
As the overall winner on the night, Blackmagic didn’t leave much room for other consumer electronics products to stand out, though several companies put up a good show, taking home Design Awards. These winners were Hive, Jobo, Pentax, Rode and Blueant.
Several well-known appliance brands also made their mark in other categories, most notably Dyson, which won Best In Category for Architecture and Interiors for the Airblade Tap hand dryer. Philips was another to perform well, picking up two Design Awards in the Medical and Scientific category.