The Hannover, Germany based Industrie Forum (iF) awards were started in 1953 by a group of European design industry representatives. Their ambition was to draw attention to beautifully designed products and stress the importance of design to brands, users and society. These days, iF holds the reputation for being among the oldest truly independent design institutions in the world.
This year two motorcycle manufacturers are among those to have been honoured - Kawasaki and Yamaha.
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| Kawasaki Ninja H2 |
The supercharged Kawasaki Ninja H2 won the prestigious iF Design Award, with Yamaha's flagship supersport YZF-R1, and the smartphone application "Rev Translator", which deciphers engine sound, have received the 'iF Design Award 2016' in the product category and the communication category respectively.
This is the third year running that Yamaha has received an award in the product category, and the first time in the communication category.
With over 5,000 submissions from 53 countries, winning the award is recognised as a symbol of design excellence. Every submission is thoroughly assessed by a panel of design experts and judged on grounds of practicality, innovation, usability and ergonomics.
Carrying the tag line "Built Beyond Belief", Kawasaki describe the Ninja H2 as representing "Kawasaki's collective strength in terms of performance, innovation and engineering".
Senior Manager for the Styling & Design Department at Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd., Mr. Keishi Fukumoto, commented: "It is a great honour to win the internationally recognised iF Design Award, and we are very proud of this flagship motorcycle and what it represents for Kawasaki. We truly believe the Ninja H2 has changed the motorcycle landscape forever and are understandably delighted that this prestigious award endorses its all-round excellence."
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| Yamaha YZF-R1 |
Yamaha say that the YZF-R1 was developed "allowing riders to experience the technical concepts of a MotoGP YZR-M1 machine" and that it comes "equipped with the potential for a circuit-level top speed. The design, in addition to projecting the image of a YZR-M1 MotoGP machine, is a new interpretation of the innovative "Speed Racer" concept and has built a new strand of R-DNA".
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| Yamaha Rev Translator |
"Rev Translator" is the first smartphone application in the world to translate the sound of an engine. The translator has six different personalities and offers over 100 million lines of dialogue. "Rev Translator will reveal its mood based on the engine sound it hears, and its comments can also vary depending on the time of day and the weather".
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