Trig receives two IDEA awards

July 1, 2016 (CHAPEL HILL, NORTH CAROLINA) Trig, a virtual design firm focused on exploring new directions in innovation processes, industrial design and product marketing, has earned multiple awards at the Industrial Designers Society of America’s (IDSA) 2016 International Design Excellence Awards (IDEA).

While the firm has seen recognition at previous events, this year’s IDEA is special for Trig, with awards for the company’s groundbreaking collaborations with a pair of North Carolina startups, ALTR ERGO and 410 Medical.

ALTR ERGO, a Greensboro-based maker of products for cycling competitors and enthusiasts led by cycling entrepreneur Will Holt, has joined Trig in earning a bronze award for its Sanctuary Saddle.

The Sanctuary is the result of a multi-faceted engagement between the two companies, with Trig providing ALTR Ergo with a range of innovation services, including customer research, ergonomic testing, and work with textiles engineering students at North Carolina State University to develop new materials to optimize the Sanctuary Saddle. In addition, Trig provided full industrial design and mechanical design for Sanctuary, as well as the development of multiple marketing assets, including logos, packaging, website, promotional materials, and naming of products and proprietary components.

The ALTR ERGO project resulted in the development of two proprietary technologies for the company, the ALTRFIT system for customizing saddle width, as well as VIBEABIDE, a state-of-the-art solution for vibration dampening over long riding distances.

For its second award of the 2016 cycle, Trig collaborated with 410 Medical of Durham. 410 Medical, founded by Triangle physician Mark Piehl MD, is the maker of the LifeFlow rapid infuser, a device to be used by hospitals and emergency responders to administer fluids to critically ill patients.  The LifeFlow Rapid Infusion System is currently undergoing 510(k) premarket review by FDA and is not available for sale in the United States.  With the LifeFlow’s revolutionary hand-held design, hospital and EMS based clinicians, may more effectively perform rapid fluid resuscitation required for patients in shock.   The design simplifies a three-handed fluid administration procedure, typically executed by two people, to a single-handed exercise to be performed by a single health care professional.

For its engagement with Dr. Piehl and the team at 410 Medical, Trig effectively filled gaps needed to further develop and launch the product, including mechanical concept brainstorming, 3D CAD visualization, rapid prototyping, industrial design, and animated videos.

“We are thrilled to earn multiple awards from our colleagues at IDSA, and proud to partner with great companies like ALTR ERGO and 410 Medical,” said Trig’s founder and president, Ty Hagler. “All of the teams involved in the Sanctuary and LifeFlow projects poured their hearts and souls into these devices. We are so grateful to work on projects that improve the human condition, whether it’s pain relief in sporting endeavors or Medical Device  technologies with large-scale impact potential. Thanks to everyone at IDSA for these awards.”

Hagler believes that Trig’s foundation as a virtual design firm gives the company a competitive edge in product development. “We’ve shunned the traditional studio model that most design firms utilize, leveraging digital communications tools to seamlessly collaborate with clients, regardless of their location,” said Hagler. “While we offer a strong work/life balance to our employees, they in turn deliver consistently on our core values of inspiration, collaboration, pragmatism, and integrity with each client engagement.”

About ALTR ERGO

A company dedicated to innovations that improve the riding experience of cyclists worldwide, ALTR ERGO is the maker of the award-winning Sanctuary Saddle, offering the custom width-selecting ALTRFIT mechanism and the revolutionary VIBEABIDE vibration damping system.

About 410 Medical

410 Medical is a medical device company dedicated to building intuitive solutions that improve fluid resuscitation. The company’s first device is the LifeFlow, designed for clinicians to more quickly and effectively infuse patients with fluids in emergency situations.

About Trig

Approaching its ninth year, North Carolina’s Trig Innovation is focused on excellence in innovation, design, and marketing services for entrepreneurs and product development teams around the world.

About IDSA

Founded in 1965, the nonprofit IDSA is one of the oldest and largest membership associations for industrial design professionals, with thousands of members in dozens of Professional Chapters, Student Chapters and Special Interest Sections in the United States and internationally. IDSA sponsors IDEA®, the world’s most prestigious and rigorous design competition. The Society hosts events including an annual International Design Conference, five District Design Conferences and a Medical Design Conference—bringing together some of the biggest names and brightest minds in industrial design and related fields. Global outreach includes designUpdate and designBytes e-newsletters; INNOVATION magazine; and the Yearbook of Design Excellence featuring IDEA, IDSA Award and Student Merit Award winners. IDSA Ambassadors support and promote industrial design with research and thought leadership.

Media Contact
Ty Hagler, Founder and Principal
Phone:  919-480-8744
www.trig.com