February 8, 2019
Allseating’s Exchange and Zinc Recognized in 2018 GOOD DESIGN® Awards
The Chicago Athenaeum Honors the World’s Best New Product Designs
TORONTO | CANADA — January 2019 — Allseating is excited to announce that two of its seating collections, Zinc and Exchange, designed by Carl Gustav Magnusson and Nick Gillissie respectively, have been selected as recipients of the 2018 GOOD DESIGN® award. Organized by The Chicago Athenaeum Museum of Architecture and Design in cooperation with the European Centre for Architecture, Art, Design and Urban Studies, GOOD DESIGN is a global competition that recognizes the latest, most advanced products and designs for their innovation and invention.
“We are immensely proud of our talented collaborators, Carl Gustav Magnusson and Nick Gillissie, for the recognition they have received for Zinc and Exchange,” says Chris Binnendyk, President of Allseating. “Masters of their craft, it is an honor to have these designers as an extension of our team, bringing forth timeless and innovative designs that add a competitive edge to the market.”
Zinc is the second seating collection designed for Allseating by Carl Gustav Magnusson, a former associate of legendary industrial designers and GOOD DESIGN founders, Charles and Ray Eames. Magnusson, a modern design visionary who has held a celebrated decades-long career in the art and design field, is highly regarded for his timeless design philosophy. His latest design, Zinc, references that with its simple, yet elegant form and a distinctive cufflink detail created from the product’s namesake material – the detail also provides thoughtful functionality, offering the option to retrofit arms and/or add a seat and back pad.
Exchange, a revolutionary modular soft seating system designed in collaboration with Nick Gillissie, is the culmination of years of diligent market research and testing that has perfected the product’s design, functionality, and ergonomics. The system is comprised of seven injection-molded recycled-plastic frames, equating to 16 standard configurations, as well as endless custom configurations, building to over 2,725 possibilities. An alternative to traditional workstations and boardrooms, Exchange supports overall wellness by promoting movement and collaboration. Its flexible design gives individuals the freedom to work how and where they want.
GOOD DESIGN was founded in Chicago in 1950 by architects Eero Saarinen, Charles and Ray Eames and Edgar Kaufmann, Jr., and is judged by a jury of renowned international specialists with wide design experience, guaranteeing the prestige of the program. This year, 900 products and graphic designs from 47 countries were honored for sustainability, superior design, and unparalleled function.
Zinc and Exchange have been published in the GOOD DESIGN Yearbook for 2018-2019, which is available for purchase through Metropolitan Arts Press Ltd.