fbpx
Home / Design  / 2021 Best Design Awards Consumer Category Finalists

2021 Best Design Awards Consumer Category Finalists

Schneider Electric’s PDL Wiser, Pro Series, and Iconic 2AX products have all been named finalists in the 2021 Best Design Awards Consumer category. 

The Best Design Awards (from the Designers Institute of New Zealand) is an annual showcase of excellence in graphic, spatial, product, digital, and motion design along with three special awards – Value of Design, Public Good, and Toitanga.

PDL and its parent company Schneider Electric are technology leaders and have been in Kiwi homes and businesses for over 80 years. A brand founded on quality and innovation, it continues to design electrical solutions for how New Zealanders live and work, to make homes everything they should be, and more.

Tim Fant, NZ Offer Manager for Schneider Electric says the multiple-finalist status acknowledges the brand’s innovative design and superior function.

“Being a finalist is a terrific endorsement of the product’s impressive look and alignment with current market demand for stylish design and smart function. We listen to feedback from consumers and electricians to develop and enhance products and provide choice for specialists and customers, and our team has worked hard to bring these products into the New Zealand market.

“In our assessment, the products are incomparable here and that is why they have proved so popular in the market and are receiving awards recognition, of which we are very proud.” 



Award-winning designs:

Pro Series is the first range of sockets and switches to bring real innovation to the commercial wiring device market, with market demand for easy-to-install technology, robustness, durability, and security.

Pro Series accounts for those key constraints and is designed for commercial buildings such as retail, offices, schools, airports, and other public spaces. Rolling suitcases, trolleys, travelers desperately looking to charge their phone – all scenarios require the product to stand up to high traffic and heavy use.



The Iconic 2AX is the world’s smallest single-piece connected switch module. It brings connected functionality to a standard switch grid through its unique modular design and small form factor. Through a gateway, the 2AX module can enable users to scale up to a full smart home experience. Homes are becoming more and more connected however, smart home solutions are often complex, require the entire switch grid to be replaced, or don’t work with the existing wall plates at all. The 2AX Switch Module design allows the easy upgrade of our Iconic switch plates to a connected smart switch in minutes.

The 2AX Module enables homeowners to gain better control over their energy use by making the house more energy-efficient through saving electricity and reducing carbon emissions. The smart timer function, one of the key integrated features of the module, ensures that lights and fans do not stay on longer than required within the home. The Iconic Connected Switch can be scaled up into a full smart home ecosystem through the connection between other smart devices. In addition, the Iconic 2AX Module can be programmed to serve as an eco-button that switches all lights and appliances off when leaving the house.


PDL Wiser™, the new, market-leading smartphone application, helps consumers navigate and integrate wireless and scalable smart home technology on their terms, via a thoughtfully designed dashboard. The vision for Wiser was to be adaptable enough to slot into any home – even those with existing Bluetooth switch technology; aesthetically pleasing; easy to install and scalable; and the perfect middle ground between expensive top-end and plug-and-play solutions.

It allows people to access home technology at a pace they are comfortable with, by having Bluetooth mechanisms that can be upgraded to Zigbee 3.0 technology at any time, and a selection of battery-operated sensors which can be moved around the home without the need for an electrician, providing a beautiful balance between reliability and consumer access and control.


One of the talented Idealog Team Content Producers made this post happen.

Review overview