Ammunition founder Robert Brunner was in Belfast, Ireland last week to give a talk at Queen's University Belfast. The topic was on how ideas not objects are driving change in the market and defining what a company means to its constituents. While Robert regularly travels abroad to share his insights with the international design community, this was his first address to a UK university.

On the experience Robert says, “The atmosphere in Belfast is fantastic and the design community is strong and growing. It was a great opportunity to speak at Queens University about our work at Ammunition, and building an emotional connection between people and their products.”

Attendees included University staff and students involved in product and graphic design, local business representatives, and those who work in Northern Ireland’s creative industries.

The talk was organized by the Chief Executives’ Club at Queen's University in association with the Northern Ireland Technology Centre.

Ammunition founder and partner Robert Brunner was recently a featured speaker at the 2011 SXSW Interactive festival to talk about the emotion behind design and how it is driving change in the market. At the core of his presentation was the notion of “ideas, not objects” as a way for companies to connect with their constituents and develop relationships that matter.

Central to his talk was the belief that today, you can’t just create something, make and deliver it, and then expect it to do well. Products must be more than just a thing. They need to build off relevant, meaningful ideas, and the story needs to be driven through the entire proposition in an authentic way. Great products embody an idea that people can understand and engage with – one they can emotionally connect with.

This year’s SXSW Interactive Festival was held from March 11th to March 20th in Austin, Texas.

Watch the summary edit of Robert’s presentation here.

Ammunition is proud to announce the selection of Beats by Dr. Dre Beatbox as a recipient of the red dot award for outstanding product design. Earlier this month, an international jury of design experts examined 4,433 entries from over 60 countries to determine this year’s winners. Only one in five products received awards.

With its stark, minimalist aesthetic combined with superior audio performance, Beatbox truly sets the benchmark in portable audio design. The cabinet features a high-definition audio system and an ergonomically designed carrying handle for easy portability. The unique trapezoidal shape lets users place the audio system in a corner and still fill a room with party-inducing sound. It is the first non-headphone product from Beats by Dr. Dre, intended to expand the Beats experience from individual enjoyment to a social experience.

Beatbox, along with other winning products, will be honored in a special exhibition at the red dot design museum during July 2011. Afterwards, it will be put on display in the museum’s permanent collection for up to one year.

This is the fifth red dot award Ammunition has received in three years.

Learn more about the Beatbox here.

Ammunition is featured on the list of Top 10 Most Innovative Companies in Design by Fast Company magazine for the third year in a row – this time coming in at number seven – “for cutting edge consumer electronics that still have soul.”

At the core of our business is the idea that the successful products, services and brands are designed around great stories that have meaning to the people who use them. Whether it is a product, an interface, a package or an identity, our approach is to design new, exciting experiences for customers that communicate the needs of our clients and create value in meaningful ways.

Fast Company’s editorial team evaluated information on thousands of businesses across the globe to identify the companies for the annual issue. The goal of the list is to represent the breadth of innovation across the economy, which emphasizes not just revenue growth and profit margins but also progressive business models and an ethos of creativity.

See the full list here.

Ammunition recently teamed with DreamWorks Studios to design a futuristic headset worn by Hugh Jackman in the upcoming sci-fi drama Real Steel. Inspired by the award-winning Beats by Dr. Dre line of headphones, the hypothetical product exists in a near-future world where robots replace humans in the boxing ring.

The design concept featured in the film represents an exciting milestone in the ongoing partnership between Ammunition and acclaimed hip-hop artist Dr. Dre and Interscope Chairman Jimmy Iovine. This special collaboration reflects a progression of the technology that we see today and demonstrates the important role that designers play in the forecasting of technology in entertainment.

For a glimpse of the headset, watch the official movie trailer here.

Ammunition has been profiled by the highly regarded business journal, San Francisco Business Times. Partner and founder Robert Brunner was interviewed by Bridget Riley, who calls Ammunition a “must-hire design firm” while covering the company’s history and notable projects like Lady Gaga’s earbuds for Beats by Dr. Dre and Barnes & Noble’s Nook. The profile comes on the heels of SFBT ranking Ammunition Group at 7th place in the Fast 100, a list of the Bay Area’s fastest growing private companies. Please click the following here to download a PDF of the article.