LaCie today announced its innovative iamaKey has won a Gold Award at this year's International Design Excellence Awards (IDEA®) – sponsored by the Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA) and Fast Company magazine. LaCie's dashing Starck hard drive line was also recognized as an award finalist.
The coveted gold acknowledgment is awarded to only 38 recipients out of 405 finalists. As one of the world's most prestigious and recognizable design competitions, IDEA is a celebration of the year's most innovative and exciting product and product concept designs. This year submissions came from 29 different countries.
"It is in the DNA of LaCie that we constantly push the limits of great product design," said Philippe Spruch, LaCie Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. "Winning a Gold Award in such a prestigious design competition is truly a testament of our work and the talent of the designers we work with. I commend 5.5 Designers for their precision on this project."
Designed by 5.5 Designers, the iamaKey is an inventive, compact key-shaped USB key that conveniently fits in a pocket or on a key ring and holds up to 64GB of flash storage.
Built with sturdy aluminum, the key is resilient to the rigorous treatment that often befalls common USB keys. The iamaKey is both water- and scratch-resistant, making it one of the most durable flash drive choices on the market.
"When designing this USB key our number one priority was storing and protecting users' data. With a myriad of existing USB designs, we decided to focus the original product name and propose a USB key in the form of key," said Jean-Sebastien Blanc, 5.5 Designers. "It is an obvious idea and one could easily wonder why no one had the idea before."
The simplicity and functionality of this design have garnered an abundance of media coverage. The iamaKey was featured on popular morning shows such as "Live with Regis and Kelly" and "Good Morning America." It was also a hit during the holiday season, debuting in Associate Press and Wired gift guides – making it one of the most desired USB keys on the market.
The iamaKey now comes in three unique key-shaped designs and is available through the LaCie Online Store at www.lacie.com.
Fast Company feature - http://www.fastcodesign.com/idea-2010/lacie-iamakey-cookey-and-whiskey-usb-flash-drives
IDSA feature - http://www.blue-harvest.org/content/content1/usb-flash-keys
About 5.5 Designers
Recipients of the "Grand prix de la creation" by the city council of Paris, the 5.5 Designers studio focuses on research and consulting. Since its inception in 2003, 5.5 Designers has consulted on projects ranging from electronics to public installations and household products. With its focus on "sublimating the ordinary" and talent for humor and simplicity, 5.5 Designers has developed a client list populated with major French and international brands and organizations such as Baccarat, Bernardaud, Centre Pompidou and LaCie.
About LaCie
Located in the USA, Canada, Japan, Australia, Europe, Singapore and Hong Kong, LaCie is the leading manufacturer of computer peripherals for Windows, Apple and Linux users. LaCie creates external storage solutions and color monitors that help professionals and everyday people easily manage their digital lives. LaCie has differentiated its products through original designs and leading-edge technology. Established in France in 1989, LaCie is listed on Euronext under FR0000054314 (LAC). For more information, visit www.lacie.com
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