Folding plug wins design of the year award

The Folding Plug - it's the future
The Folding Plug - it's the future

If there's one thing that needs a design change it's Britain's ugly three-pin plugs. Min-Kyu Choi knows this and that's why he has re-invented the three-pin plug with what is called the Folding Plug and bagged himself the most prestigious design award around in the process.

Last month, TechRadar revealed that Choi's design was up for the Brit Insurance Design of the Year award, with his flat-pack plug innovation. And it seems that the judges were so impressed they have awarded him first prize.

Created to look stylish next to his MacBook Air, the ultra-thin plug is genius in its simplicity.

It's made thin enough that it can be carried with ease in your laptop bag and it saves so much space, that even its multi-plug adaptor – which houses three folding plugs – is merely the same size as a normal UK plug.

Brutally ugly

Speaking about the award win, Deyan Sudjic, Director of the Design Museum, said: "It works, it looks good and I'm sure it will make him a wealthy man if it is marketed right.

"He's showing that design can be about doing everyday simple things really well and in this case transform something that is universal and brutally ugly."

The award win is even more impressive, considering it beat of competition which included a twin-seat electric aircraft from China.

Via the Guardian

Marc Chacksfield

Marc Chacksfield is the Editor In Chief, Shortlist.com at DC Thomson. He started out life as a movie writer for numerous (now defunct) magazines and soon found himself online - editing a gaggle of gadget sites, including TechRadar, Digital Camera World and Tom's Guide UK. At Shortlist you'll find him mostly writing about movies and tech, so no change there then.