Press Release
Toolless-Cuddly Assembly Connector by Yu Ren Is Granted the A' Design Award in Design Quality and Innovation
Yu Ren honored for design quality and innovation by the international grand jury of the 2024 - 2025 A' Design Award & Competition
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
COMO, Italy, April 19, 2025 /DesignNewswire/ Toolless-Cuddly Assembly Connector by Yu Ren, designed for Ziel Home Furnishing Technology Co., Ltd., has been granted the A' Design Award in the Design Quality and Innovation category, A' Design Award & Competition has announced. The recognition forms part of the 2024 - 2025 A' Design Award & Competition and was reached through blind peer review by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members, who evaluated anonymized entries against predetermined criteria.
The A' Design Award Explained
The Iron A' Design Award is awarded to good designs that meet the rigorous professional and industrial standards set by the A' Design Awards. This recognition is reserved for works that demonstrate a solid understanding of design principles and show creativity within their execution. Recipients of the Iron A' Design Award are acknowledged for their practical innovations and contributions to their respective fields, providing solutions that improve quality of life and foster positive change. These designs are a testament to the skill and dedication of their creators, showcasing their ability to address real-world challenges through thoughtful design.
More About Toolless-Cuddly Assembly Connector
Toolless-Cuddly is a connector designed for assembling cat trees. The connector is made of plastic and measures 76 mm in width, 76 mm in depth and 46 mm in height. Assembly is completed by aligning the clasps and rotating them, so no tools are required. Parts can be taken apart and joined again many times, which allows a cat tree to be expanded or reconfigured as the needs of the cats change. The connector supports a load of 30 kg. Worn accessories can be replaced, extending the service life of the cat tree.
About Yu Ren
China's emerging furniture designer-Ren Yu, he is an interesting furniture designer, loves life, and has always been passionate about new things. For Ren Yu, design is not an empty concept, let alone a popular element. It is an insight into rooted life. Expressing his own thinking through design; for design, in addition to form and function, he seeks the beauty of the text of the product, trying to create a dialogue with the user through the product.
Award Record
This recognition makes Yu Ren a winner of 38 A' Design Awards. The awards span the editions from 2020 - 2021 to 2024 - 2025 of the A' Design Award & Competition.
About the A' Design Quality and Innovation Award
The A' Design Quality Award is an international design competition recognizing exceptional design quality of products by leading designers and brands worldwide. The competition is organized within the A' Design Award & Competition and is open to design quality designers, design quality engineers, industrial designers and product engineers from all countries. Entries typically include industrial designs and innovations with heightened ergonomics, sustainability, functionality, aesthetics, durability and usability. Awarded design quality projects are published at https://designers.org/design-category/design-quality
About A' Design Award & Competition
A' Design Award & Competition is an international, juried design accolade organized annually since 2008. The competition is open to entries from all countries. The A' Design Award has a philanthropic mission to advance society through good design by recognizing and promoting superior products, projects and services that benefit society, and by creating a global awareness and appreciation for good design practices and principles. Entries are peer reviewed and anonymously evaluated by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members against predetermined criteria such as functionality, ergonomics, engineering, presentation, innovation, usability, sustainability and technology, with score normalization applied to remove biases. Awards are conferred at Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze and Iron levels. The A' Design Prize granted to eligible laureates includes the award trophy, the certificate of design excellence, the hardcover yearbook, a lifetime license to use the A' Design Award winner logo, exhibition of awarded works, an invitation to the gala night and award ceremony in Italy, inclusion in the World Design Rankings and Designer Rankings, and public relations and publicity services. Registration, the upload of a work and the preliminary score are free of charge, and Professional and Digital Edition laureates are not contractually obliged to pay further fees to claim the A' Design Prize. Further information is available at https://competition.adesignaward.com
Press Resources
- Winner Page: https://designers.org/164472
- A' Design Award Page: https://competition.adesignaward.com/164472
- Media Showcase: https://www.designnewsroom.com/!164472
- Laureate Profile: https://designers.org/d/294475
Media Contact
Giulia Ferrari, Press Office
Designers.Org
Via Leone Leoni 32, 22100 Como, Italy
press@designers.org
+39 031 4491953
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Fact Sheet
The Work
- Project
- Toolless-Cuddly Assembly Connector
- Function
- Assembly Connector
- Category
- Design Quality and Innovation
- Discipline
- Service Design
- Industry
- Design Industry and Innovation
- Colors
- Dark Gray, Dark Slate Gray, Dim Gray and Gray
- Images
- 5
- Client
- Ziel Home Furnishing Technology Co., Ltd.
The Recognition
- Laureate
- Yu Ren
- Country
- China
- Recognition
- A' Design Award
- Edition
- 2024 - 2025
- Design ID
- #164472
Credits
- Team
- Ruihua Zhang, Zhe Gao, Youjin Song and Jingkai Bi
Design Details
- Unique Properties
- Toolless Clickat is a connector specifically designed for assembling cat trees. It enables quick and easy assembly without the need for tools and can be disassembled and reassembled multiple times, allowing users to use the cat tree flexibly. Whether the cat grows up or the number of cats increases, users can quickly assemble and disassemble the cat tree according to their actual needs, enabling combination and expansion.
- Inspiration
- When your cat at home grows up and welcomes new companions, it will need more scratching posts and jumping platforms. The small cat climbing frame will need to be replaced with a larger one, and the owner will have to go through the lengthy installation process again. The design inspiration for Toolless Clickat's tool-free quick assembly comes from this very need.
- Research
- Many users express dissatisfaction with traditional cat tree products, citing difficulties in installation, accessory replacement, and the inability to adjust the cat tree area to meet their cats' needs, which often necessitates re-selection. To address these issues, we have focused on enabling quick installation and replacement. We developed the Toolless Clickat quick-installation connectors, which allow for arbitrary combinations and minimalist assembly of cat tree components. Additionally, during subsequent use, vulnerable parts can be easily replaced using the Toolless Clickat system.
- Challenge
- During the research and design process, the main challenge lies in exploring a novel connector structure that not only meets the playful needs of cats, but also caters to the owner's preference for convenient installation. In addition, ensuring the stability of the connector to maximize the assembly speed is another major challenge, and the new connector needs to be smoothly adapted to the traditional cat tree accessories. The Toolless-Clickat connector uses an innovative connection mode, eliminating the use of a screwdriver. Compared with ordinary products, products assembled with the Toolless Clickat connector can reduce the installation time by 90%.
- Realization and Technology
- Toolless Clickat is made of a plastic material, which is sturdy and durable, and it can withstand a weight of 30KG. It is designed for the cat tree assembly and is easy to use. Cat tree products can be quickly assembled and disassembled without the use of any tools, significantly enhancing the user experience. Compared to traditional products, Toolless Clickat reduces installation time by 80%. It can also increase production efficiency during the manufacturing process of Cat Trees, which can lead to higher profits.
- Operation and Interaction
- After installing the Toolless Click system on the cat tree accessory, users can quickly complete the assembly by aligning the clasps and rotating them. This makes the assembly and disassembly of the product very simple, reducing the time required for assembling a single accessory from 2 minutes to just 10 seconds. Additionally, compared to traditional screw connections, this system is more durable. The accessories can also be replaced according to the cat's growth needs, allowing the product to be freely reconfigured and extending the life cycle of the cat tree.
- Project Duration and Location
- The project started in Zhengzhou in February 2024 and was completed in Shenzhen in September 2024
- Specifications
- Width 76mm x Depth 76mm x Height 46mm
- Keywords
- Assembling connectors, Pet products, Pet furniture, Plastic products, Pet supplies accessories
