Mompreneur start-up receives prestigious 2013 GOOD DESIGN award for Yumbox
January 6, 2014
DOYLESTOWN, PA– Boolabox, LLC, a young start-up founded by two moms, has received the coveted 2013 GOOD DESIGN® Award in the Children’s Products category for its flagship product, Yumbox®, an innovative lunch box for kids. This prestigious honor is presented annually by The Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design in conjunction with The European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies.
Yumbox combines Japanese bento compartmentalization with a European design aesthetic, using child-friendly construction and materials, while emphasizing My Plate dietary guidelines. Yumbox’s design simplifies the preparation of healthy meals. Its food tray guides the user in packing proper portion sizes and promotes nutritional balance.
The GOOD DESIGN awards are referred to as the ‘Oscars’ of industrial design. The awards date back to 1950 and now represent one of the world’s largest and most distinguished design competitions. The program honors visionary and innovative product concepts and recognizes designers for stretching the envelope beyond what is considered ordinary product and consumer design.
“It is truly an honor for us, as mompreneurs, to be in the company of some of the world’s leaders in design” says Daniela Devitt, co-Founder of Boolabox. This year’s winners in other categories include: Apple, Volkswagen, Tupperware, Alessi, Lufthansa, Willams-Sonoma, OXO and many other Fortune 500 companies.
Several thousand leading manufacturers, industrial design offices, architects, graphic and packaging designers from over 50 nations submitted the best of their new product designs, in categories ranging from furniture to flooring, appliances to automobiles and from electronics to medical devices – everything from the spoon to the city, as the program's original founders intended in 1950. A total of over 700 awards from 38 countries were given this year. Boolabox, LLC was one of only two children’s products manufacturers to receive the award.
“The Good Design award is cherry on the cake for us, after a very busy year of establishing Yumbox as THE lunch box solution for the younger set,” said Maia Neumann, co-founder of Boolabox LLC. “Yumbox design is based on real needs of real parents. The design’s goal is to simplify the task of preparing healthy meals, as well as promoting nutritional education in a home setting. Working with our design partner, Prime Studio, we wanted to create a consumer product that went beyond being just practical, but one that also educates, in a fun way. We are thrilled that Yumbox’s innovative design was recognized by the esteemed Good Design awards committee.”
“Maia and Daniela had a very clear vision for the product when they came to us” said Prime Studio founder, Stuart Harvey Lee. “ Our job was to make that vision a reality, which involved testing of multiple prototypes to perfect the design”.
The key to the functional design is the leakproof feature. Yumbox seals all compartments with one silicone molded lid, making it leakproof. “Picky eaters don’t like food to touch and moms don’t like food to leak, so the construction of the lid and divided tray were key.” says Daniela Devitt, who has a picky eater of her own.
Yumbox responds to a growing need for products that assist parents with portion control. With child obesity on the rise worldwide, parents are seeking products that simplify the road to a healthier lifestyle. Beyond the features that make it incredibly practical and fun to use, Yumbox assists in educating children and caretakers in preparing healthy meals.
“We have already received the validation of thousands of parents and kids that are using Yumbox every day around the world, but we are truly honored to know that the design community also considers Yumbox simply a good design,” said Maia Neumann.
This year’s jury included Michael Prince of Beyond Design, Marianne Grisdale of Teams Design, Ford Pearson of Herbst Lara Bell, Gregg Montgomery of Montgomery Design International, Mark Jones of Ideo, Daniel Streng of Streng Design, and Charles Choi of Choi Design, Inc.
ABOUT
Boolabox, LLC (Yumbox) is dedicated to promoting good nutrition and healthy eating habits. We create innovative products that entertain, educate and assist parents and children in leading healthier lives. Boolabox, LLC is a Pennsylvania-based company that was founded by two moms, Daniela Devitt and Maia Neumann, co-Presidents. They are also creators of two educational apps for iPhone / iPad that encourage kids to try new foods: “Kids Food Adventure” and “Choose My Food”.
If you would like more information on this topic, or to schedule an interview, please contact Daniela Devitt via telephone at (646) 207-5754, or email ddevitt@yumboxlunch.com.
Prime Studio is a Product + Brand design consultancy based in the heart of New York City. Since 1998 our insights and thinking have been trusted by some of the world's best brands. For more information, please contact Stuart Harvey Lee via telephone at (212) 239-2395, or email stuart@primestudio.com.
