¢ Brian founded and heads up the Steinhobel Group of Companies, carrying out consultant and entrepreneurial product development with industrial design clients spanning Asia, Europe and the Americas.
¢ Jaded executives trying to get by without the services of an industrial designer should take notice of the experience of water bottler aQuellé. A new design for the aQuellé water bottle moved the beverage from an also-ran to SA's best-selling flavoured water. In this case, a run-of-the-mill bottle was reshaped and remodelled into one whose folds catch the light invitingly. The 1l version has the same design as the 500 ml bottle and "a woman can pour from it using only one hand".
¢ Design goes far beyond aesthetics.Steinhobel is an ardent advocate of the safety measures that good design can introduce. A mining helmet he is working on may save lives. The batteries for the helmet's light are placed on the helmet itself instead of being attached to the miner's belt, which can lead to accidents when the cables catch on equipment. The helmet, called the Halo because it provides "spiritual protection", has back lights to ensure miners are visible from behind. This could prevent miners from being run over when they are not seen in the steamy darkness of a mine.
Work is carried out in a multitude of industries, including sports equipment, appliances, furniture, automotive and aeronautical to name a few. His work has a bias towards complex injection moulded plastics, pressure die cast aluminium, cadcam and animation. Some of Brian's clients include Lever Ponds, Colgate, SmithKline Beecham, Siemens, Arrows Formula One Team, Daimler Chrysler, BMW, Nissan, Coca-Cola, Elna, Shell, Zodiac and Virgin.
Brian serves on the Advisory Council for Industrial Design and is the current president of Design South Africa ID. He also judges numerous local and international awards in various capacities, including the German Braun Design Prize and the Australian Design Awards.
¢ His own awards include the Technology Top 100 Minister's Award, Warwick University Technology Excellence Award, Design Institute SABS Chairman's Award, Business Day Technology Award, International Gold Photography Award and The Canon Wildlife Photography Award. He was also awarded South African Schools and Defence Force Colours for rowing and Western Province Colours for swimming and athletics
The Brush-T golf tee has the dubious honour of having no fewer than 10 Chinese copies of it available on the global market.
It's a golf tee that sits on a configuration of brushes, which has the effect of suspending a golf ball in the air. It's so popular because it does what it promises: it reduces the resistance and energy lost at the point of impact, which means the golfer can drive the ball further. And the flexible bristles reduce resistance and decrease sidespin on the golf ball, resulting in straighter, more accurate shots –
¢ It was invented by father and son team Richard and Jason Crouse, keen golfers who wondered how many tees the average golfer goes through in a lifetime. And what does that add up to in rand ? And, isn't it a waste to keep buying something that you smash to pieces after one or two uses?
¢ This led them to invent the reusable Brush-T.
¢ They had a few technical problems so they took the idea to SA's leading industrial designer, Brian Steinhobel. Modifications were made to the product, it was patented globally and since 2002 at least 12m tees have been sold. Because global demand has outstripped supply, the tees have been hard to find in SA.
¢ That should change as Brush-T's own factory in China is now spewing out 8 000/day.
¢ For the traditionalists and sticklers for the rules, the tees have been approved by the US Golf Association and the Royal & Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews.
By the way, Ernie Els loves them!
The Brush-T has a number of advantages for the user:
Durability - the quality and strength of the bristles enable the tee to last longer.
More distance - the Brush-T reduces the resistance and energy lost at the point of impact, which enables the golfer to drive the ball further.
More accuracy/less spin - the flexible bristles reduce resistance and decreases sidespin on the golf ball, resulting in straighter, more accurate shots.
¢ Constant height - Brush-T enables the golfer to tee the ball at a constant height enabling him to concentrate on other areas of the game.
¢ The CJ2000 Continental kettle integrates timeless design elegance with features that enhance its functionality.
¢ The kettle's automatic 360-degree rotational cordless base allows freedom of movement.
Other advantageous features include steam control, an oval sight gauge and left and right side pouring indications.
Other advantageous features include steam control, an oval sight gauge and left and right side pouring indications.
¢ The jug's design enables the water to be poured easily. The kettle can be filled through the spout or by opening the lid. These smoothly integrated components, which enhance the product's aesthetic appeal, also contribute to its ease of cleaning and maintenance.
The product conforms to all local and international safety requirements
Another of his environmentally responsible projects is the development of the wind and solar powered lights that will be used to illuminate the Olympic Village in the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.
Brian Steinhobel's reputation, as an exceptional and award-winning industrial designer, is the result of many years invested in the design of sports equipment, appliances, furniture, automotive and aeronautical items. Brian's extensive list of highly satisfied clients includes the Arrows Formula One Team, BMW, Coca-Cola, Colgate, Daimler Chrysler, Elna, Lever Ponds, Nissan, Shell, Siemens, Smith Kline Beecham, Virgin and Zodiac... and now Cobra Watertech.
A triumph of contemporary design, the Callisto range redefines plumbware with minimalist simplicity, intelligent practicality and subtle sophistication, ensuring you of the most creatively contemporary taps and fittings.
A triumph of contemporary design, the Callisto range redefines plumbware with minimalist simplicity, intelligent practicality and subtle sophistication, ensuring you of the most creatively contemporary taps and fittings.
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