The winners of the 2023 Red Dot Design Awards have been announced, and HOTO has six products on the list. Among them, the HOTO Toolbox series is highly anticipated and has won the “Best of the Best” award for the best design!

The German “Red Dot Award” is recognized as a symbol of international creativity and design, and is one of the world’s four major design awards. “Best of the Best” is selected from tens of thousands of works worldwide, and only the top 100 are chosen.

In an era of unlimited creativity, the tools we use in our daily lives must keep up with the times. About two years ago, we decided to create a unique toolbox.

Redefining the toolbox

‘We wanted to create a toolbox that has texture and aesthetics.’

The adjustment in concept involves redefining the product. The box that carries tools is no longer just a plastic container for storing clutter, but instead serves as a beautiful object that is used frequently and embellishes life.

In terms of the design of the toolbox’s appearance, we eliminated the common “construction symbols” that are rough, bulky, and heavy, and instead opted for a simple expression, giving the toolbox a subtle and comfortable charm.

Unlike fleeting fashion, the clean and sculptural light-colored design with wonderful smooth curves is not just a change in appearance, but through visual design, it conveys the suggestion that a toolbox can be more elegant and part of daily life.

Simple, but better. Eliminate the unnecessary and concentrate on the essential

‘We hope that all tools have a unified design language, and the logic of their placement should be full of order and organization.’

Each tool in the toolbox not only upgrades its basic function but also incorporates many clever collaborative operations, making each tool more intuitive, easy to understand and easy to use.

The hidden butterfly clasp is a good improvement, unlike the usual plastic storage boxes, which are hard to open and close, to ensure that the clasp is secure, and the “click” is a smooth opening experience, giving users a pleasant start.

Details first, the design process is careful and precise is a kind of respect to consumers, in research and development and quality control is also the same.

“Constantly changing, adjusting, and pushing back again. The process took a whole year to try different materials and structures.”

Thanks to the skillful and huge technical support behind HOTO, the toolbox series strives for excellence, unlike the rough production line of traditional tools.

Based on the different functions selected for the appropriate variety of high-quality environmentally friendly materials. A series of processes such as improving hardness and surface rust prevention, strong and durable, long-lasting use of quality, can accompany the user in daily use for many years.

When we want to enjoy life. Lend them to optimize everything around us

“Focusing on the daily use scenario, the five dirty things to meet the basic needs of the family, choose to do the repair rather than throw away and buy new, environmentally sustainable lifestyle is what HOTO has been promoting.”

In the process of repairing or creating, the body and mind are relaxed, and the tools allow people to connect more emotionally with the things they repair and transform, and cherish the objects they own more.

The new appearance, simplicity and safe use experience make the user group more diversified. We were surprised to find that 60% of the users of the toolbox series are women, and an unexpected gain for HOTO to step out of the traditional tool framework.

Main Designers

Zheng Lu, Zhang Zhixin

Zheng Lu and Zhang Xin are classmates from Tongji University and students of industrial design from HOTO’s founder Liu Lidan. After graduation, they went to Sweden and the Netherlands to study at the Delft University of Technology. After returning to China, they started “making good things” together at HOTO.

“As product designers, we want to create more inclusive and easy-to-use products through design. We believe that everyone should be able to use tools easily and efficiently without being limited by their abilities. In the tool industry, men have always been seen as the primary consumer group. We want to make tools that are easy to use and work for everyone, and the HOTO toolbox line is a prime example of this. Globally, there are even more female users than male users, and we want to help everyone get a better start in creating with easy-to-use tools.

We believe that advances in technology will allow us to create more sustainable and efficient products that meet the needs of our users. By experimenting with new materials and manufacturing processes, we can push past existing limitations to create more durable, versatile and environmentally friendly tools.”

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