The 2023 Victorian Premier’s Design Awards finalists have been announced and in the lead up to this year’s awards ceremony in March we caught up with past winner Hugo Davidson, CEO and Executive Director of Victorian company Knog.
Knog took out the Victorian Premier’s Design Award of the Year in 2016 for Oi: The Knog Bike Bell – a bold new re-imagining of the humble bicycle bell.
Why did you decide to invent a new bike bell?
Our global network of distributors, spread across 45 countries, plays a pivotal role in spotting market gaps for our innovative products. The idea for the Oi Bike Bell emerged from one such insight. The idea sat with us for a good three or four years before we decided to bring it to life. This gestation period was crucial for us to truly understand and then revolutionise the concept of a bike bell.
How did you come up with the design?
Inspiration struck in a rather interesting way. After three years of pondering over various possibilities, the breakthrough idea came to me in just a couple of hours. I envisioned the bike bell not just as a functional item but as an elegant piece of jewellery for the bike, akin to a stylish bracelet. Our philosophy at Knog is to bring a distinctive edge to every product; if it's not uniquely different, it's not worth doing.
How did you come up with the sound that the bell makes?
Our marketing team used to say the sound of our Oi bell was akin to an angel playing a glockenspiel - it's that melodious! Interestingly, the sound was a serendipitous outcome of the bell's design. The shape, size, and material defined the acoustic quality. We were fortunate that this combination resulted in a sound as pure and resonant as it is.
What makes it better than other bike bells?
The Oi bell stands out for several reasons. Its compact design ensures it occupies minimal space on the handlebars, making it compatible even with high-end road bikes, which traditionally aren't bell-friendly. Its clarity and purity of sound set it apart from typical bike bells.
How long did the design process take?
After years of slow gestation, the concepts, design development and pre-production was fairly intense. It took three years to refine the idea, a few hours to sketch the initial concept, followed by three months of rigorous prototyping. Our design team used advanced techniques like 3-D printing and Computer Numercial Control (CNC) machining to create over 50 prototypes, fine-tuning each detail before transitioning to mass production in our China factory.
You were able to test the concept on Kickstarter. Did that process help you to refine the product in any way?
Launching the Oi bell on Kickstarter was initially a strategic marketing move. We had 500,000 video views in one month, followed by an overwhelming response. We sold over 95,000 bells across 90 countries and raised over $1.2 million, all statistics that were beyond our expectations. The success not only endorsed the product's appeal but also provided invaluable insights for refinement.
You won the VPDA in 2016. How has the product fared since then?
Post-VPDA, the Oi bell's journey has been phenomenal, with over six million units sold globally. We continue to innovate and are currently developing the next-gen bell. Apart from online and retail stores, we also collaborate directly with bike manufacturers for original equipment manufacturer supplies. The success has spurred us to constantly evolve our product line.
You’ve been nominated again for this year’s awards – what are you nominated for?
We are thrilled to be finalists again, this time for a radically different product - the Scout Travel. It's a sophisticated luggage/travel security device, like an AirTag but with more advanced features like QR codes for digital identification and a motion-sensitive alarm. Its underlying technology also powers a bicycle alarm and tracker we launched recently, both receiving fantastic market reception.
What advice would have for anyone starting their career in design?
Design is not just a career; it's a journey of constant discovery and innovation. My advice to aspiring designers is to seek global experiences. The diversity and richness of life abroad can significantly sharpen a designer's creative edge, life experience and perspective.
The 2023 Victorian Premier’s Design Award winners will be announced in March 2024. Find out more about the 2023 Victorian Premier’s Design Awards and this year’s finalists at premiersdesignawards.vic.gov.au