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27 PRODUCTS NAMED 2009 DESIGN DEFINED HONOREE AT INTERNATIONAL
HOME + HOUSEWARES SHOW

Twenty-One Companies Awarded for Products Ranging from Cleaning Products to Clothing Care to Home Organization

ROSEMONT, IL (April 22, 2009)—The International Housewares Association has announced the honorees of its fifth annual Designed Defined product design recognition at the 2009 International Home + Housewares Show held at Chicago’s McCormick Place March 22-24. Twenty-seven innovative products for cleaning and organizing the home were named as 2009 Design Defined Honorees.

The products were selected by Design Finders, teams of young designers, experienced practitioners and educators from the University of Illinois-Chicago’s Interdisciplinary Product Development Program. They scoured hundreds of exhibitors in the Clean + Contain Expo in the North Building searching for products that exemplified a commitment to design while achieving a solution to common household cleaning, storage and home décor issues.
“The purpose of the Design Defined program is to bring attention to those companies that have placed a premium on quality design,” said Phil Brandl, president of IHA, which owns and operates the Show. “We are pleased to announce the results of this much-anticipated program.”

"This year's Design Defined Honorees showed the continued commitment of the housewares industry to integrate design and innovation into their new product launches,” said Stephen Melamed, IDSA, Designed Define facilitator, a professor in the UIC industrial design department and president of Tres Design Group. “It was also significantly demonstrated that many companies are now actively moving towards the manufacture of more sustainable products. The Design Finders recognized Casabella's eclipse™ line of new products as the first to receive a Silver Cradle-to-Cradle(SM) rating. No longer merely coloring a new product a shade of green and adding marketing “feel good” language on the packaging; companies are now serious about this commitment to the environment and their customers."

Design Finders evaluated products according to five standard design criteria:

  • Innovation: How is the design new and unique?
  • Aesthetics: How does the appearance enhance the product?
  • User: How does the design solution benefit the user?
  • Environment: How is the product ecologically responsible?
  • Impact: How did or might the product impact the market and the company’s business?

Companies receive a Design Defined logo to use in their packaging and promotion for the life of the selected product in the marketplace.

Recognized as Design Defined Honorees are:

Caddy Concepts Booth N 8041
Half Moon Portable Hamper

Capstone Industries, Inc. Booth N 8446
Eco-I-Lite™ and Mini Eco-I-Lite™

Casabella Holdings LLC Booth N 8505
Soap Pump with Funnel
eclipse™ Line
Aluminum Roller Mop

DSC Products Booth N 6733
Water U

For The Ages, Inc. Booth N 8532
ReUse Recycled Trash Bags

Full Circle Booth N 6005
Sustainable Cleaning Tools

Home Zone Int. Corp., A Division Booth N 7746
of Test Rite Products
Live 4 Nature Dinnerware

IMS/Trading
Clean Logic Bath & Body Care Booth N 6843
Clean Logic Body Wash and Body Lotion

Jaws Intl. Ltd., Div. of Canberra Corp. Booth N 6544
JAWS® Just Add Water System

Jokari/U.S., Inc. Booth N 6109
Medi Cap Remover
Dual Flow Spout

LG Lite Group Booth N 7844
Brushless Paw Wash

Like-It Co., Ltd Booth N 7132
POO Care Basket
POO POT

Organize-It-All, Inc. Booth N 7341
Abaca Woven Basket

Neat-Oh! International LLC Booth N 6548
Play Tote

Really Useful Products Booth N 6128
Z-Hanger

simplehuman Booth N 8309
simplehuman wall mount shampoo and soap dispensers
simplehuman plastic compact dishrack

The Green Garmento Booth N 7804
The Green Garmento

Three by Three, Inc. Booth N 7833
Bamboo Dry Erase Entry Butler™

Turkish Pavilion/IMMIB Booth N 8154
ilio forest

Umbra LLC Booth N 7907
Fonti
Hookaboo Multi Hook

Zibra LLC Booth N 8701
Open It! Household Packaging & More

Go here http://www.housewares.org/show/dd/09/DesignDefined2009.ppt for a Powerpoint presentation of the honored products. Powerpoint file is 40MB, expect extended load times.