Andrea Ponti, a young Italian Industrial Designer based in Japan received the Grand Prize at the “LG Mobile Design Competition 2012” with his new state-of-art smartphone called “LG Touch” (Tokyo, Roppongi Hills Tower). The special award of two million Yen wasn’t assigned to any designer since the past 3 years. But this time the Italian designer was honoured with the prestigious award since his product is a perfect combination of thenewest-technology, minimalistic design and high-usability.
Andrea Ponti is a young designer specializing in everyday life-enhancing electronics, who has developed hundreds of products currently on the market. Born in Cagliari, Italy, in 1985, he has lived in Japan since 2006. Fascinated by the artful simplicity yet sophisticated rationality of Japanese design, he left his home country to carry out innovative stylistic research in Japan, after graduating in industrial design from the Politecnico in Milan, Italy. A researcher and freelance designer at Kyushu University in Fukuoka, Japan, he has been on numerous internship programs with leading transportation and consumer electronics companies. For several years, he has worked in renowned design firms in Tokyo, Osaka, and Kyoto, learning directly from contemporary Japanese design leaders. Andrea has also organized many exhibits and events for the Salone del Mobile Milan, a leading international furniture and design show in Italy. Currently Art Director and Chief Designer with Pineway Asia Ltd, he collaborates with several Italian design companies and fashion houses. His creations are published in the major trade media.
LG Touch is a smartphone with raised touch screen. Designer Andrea Ponti says, “I’ve always wondered about the meaning of universal design: it’s theoretically a deep and complex concept, and challenging to practically implement in everyday products. Is it really possible to create an object that fits all users perfectly yet feels custom made and flexible enough for each individual? I took on the challenge with project Touch for LG, a state-of-the-art smartphone with raised touch screen that morphs in 3D thanks to micro-shock waves running through a polymer membrane. Design is not an overriding priority for a phone that is the result of research on interaction and ergonomics rather than style. The raised touch screen gives the users tactile feedback (a feature smartphones currently lack). Thanks to the raised touch screen, vision impaired users will be able to interact with the smart phone, elderly users will find it easier to type and surf the internet, and everyone will benefit from the unprecedented level of interaction and dual feedback – visual and tactile. Users will be able to feel the texture of a fabric or a surface by touching the embossed image at the bottom of the screen: virtual reality is here and now!”
