Design Award for Carl Zeiss and ART-KON-TOR

Primo Vert microscope receives reddot 2010 product design award and is nominated for Design Award of the Federal Republic of Germany

JENA/Germany, GÖTTINGEN/Germany – June 1, 2010.
The Primo Vert microscope developed by Carl Zeiss with the support of the design agency ART-KON-TOR has been honored with one of the world’s most coveted design prizes, the 2010 reddot product design award. The microscope was chosen as one of the winners from more than 4,500 international applications.

The outstanding features of the microscope Primo Vert from Carl Zeiss are its intuitive ease of use and special industrial design.

The Primo Vert was launched on the market by Carl Zeiss MicroImaging GmbH in December 2009. The inverted microscope is designed for the fast and convenient inspection of living cells and can be used in routine laboratories and research. Typical fields of application include cancer and HIV research. The outstanding features of the microscope are its intuitive ease of use and special industrial design. “Winning this internationally renowned design award is seen as a seal of quality and confirms the leading edge product design of the Primo Vert,” says Dr. Thomas Bocher, Business Sector Manager at Carl Zeiss MicroImaging GmbH. “In particular its lateral contouring in the form of a double ellipse generates a look and feel of dynamism that additionally underscores the practical value of the microscope.”

The reddot product design award has been presented since 1955 and is one of the world’s most prestigious product design accolades. The official award ceremony will take place with more than 1000 guests on 5 July 2010 in the Aalto Theater in the German city of Essen. From 6 July to 1 August 2010 all winning products will be exhibited in a special show titled “Design on stage – winners reddot award: product design 2010” in the Essen reddot design museum on the “Zeche Zollverein” world cultural site. The Primo Vert will be on display in the reddot museum for one year.

The Primo Vert has also been nominated for the Product Design category of the Design Award of the Federal Republic of Germany. The very nomination for Germany’s highest official design award is a very special honor. It is not possible to apply for the award; to be short-listed, products must be nominated by the regional Departments of Commerce and senators of the various German states or by Germany’s Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology. In addition, they must already have received a national or international award.

Further information at: www.zeiss.de/primovert-pr

Carl Zeiss
The Carl Zeiss Group is a leading group of companies operating worldwide in the optical and opto-electronic industries that generates revenues totaling around EUR 2.1 billion (2008/09). Carl Zeiss offers innovative solutions for the future-oriented markets of Medical and Research Solutions, Industrial Solutions and Lifestyle Products. The Carl Zeiss Group has approximately 13,000 employees worldwide, including more than 8,000 in Germany. The Carl Zeiss business groups hold leading positions in their markets. Carl Zeiss AG, Oberkochen, is fully owned by the Carl Zeiss Stiftung (Carl Zeiss Foundation).

Carl Zeiss MicroImaging
Carl Zeiss MicroImaging GmbH comprises the Microscopy Group of the Carl Zeiss Group. Carl Zeiss MicroImaging is one of the leading manufacturers of microscope systems and offers total solutions for biomedical research, the healthcare sector and high-tech industries. Its product line spans a broad spectrum from light microscopes and systems for laser scanning microscopy and spectrometry to hardware and software for image processing and documentation. Carl Zeiss MicroImaging GmbH is headquartered in Jena, Germany. Other manufacturing and development sites are located in Göttingen and Munich. In fiscal year 2008/09 the Microscopy Group at Carl Zeiss generated revenues of approximately EUR 365 million with a global workforce of around 1,700 people.

Further information is available at www.zeiss.de/micro

ART-KON-TOR
ART-KON-TOR was founded in 1990 and has developed into one of the leading B2B agencies for communication, product development and market research in German speaking countries. 40 experts, including designers, engineers, draftsmen and model makers, assist global players and institutions with complex products and services.
The expertise of ART-KON-TOR has been honored on several occasions and has earned the agency many prestigious awards: Lucky Strike Junior Design Award, Kommunikationspreis des RDA, IF Design Award, Thüringer Designpreis, World Calendar Award (USA), Innovationspreis Thüringen.

Further information about ART-KON-TOR at: www.art-kon-tor.de