"Great technological leap"

For the first time, SCHLEGEL receives the FOCUS GOLD award for innovative display button

The Federal State of Baden-Württemberg has awarded the international design price Baden-Württemberg, FOCUS OPEN 2025, for the 35th time. For the first time, GEORG SCHLEGEL has received the FOCUS OPEN in gold for its variable display button Flexitast. The laureates have been chosen by an indipendent jury.

For multiple times already, SCHLEGEL has won FOCUS OPEN awards of the Design Center Baden-Württemberg for its products. But now for the first time, a product – the Flexitast – has been awarded the FOCUS OPEN in gold, a prize which is only given for "forward-looking and outstanding solutions".

The Flexitast is a haptic pushbutton with integrated ZBD display on which colours, symbols and texts can be adjusted dynamically and in real time. "The free assignment of the information on the pushbutton is a great technological leap and enables an advanced communication with the users. This improves the user experience, the operating safety and the branding – and that not only in an industrial context," says the jury in their review.

"We are very happy about now also having received the Focus Award in gold. This is a confirmation for the exceptional design quality and the high degree of innovation of the Flexitast," says managing director Christoph Schlegel. The award is also valuable because the Design Center Baden-Württemberg is an independent institution and has no commercial intentions. Furthermore, the international design award of Baden-Württemberg, FOCUS OPEN for short, is one of the most renowned design competitions in Germany with international orientation.

The laureates are decided upon by a jury of six people, consisting of experts with longtime practical experience, that is appointed by the Design Center. Apart from the quality of design, the jury also rates the functionality of each product, its level of innovation, the ergonomics and the usability. After two intense days of evaluation, a total of 57 awards were bestowed, of which 18 were for FOCUS GOLD.

Enormous variety of products

The variety of products was again enormous for 2025: Medical products, machines and components, household appliances, furniture, sports equipment, control systems and media are some examples. SCHLEGEL received its award in the category of "investment goods and tools". The awards were handed over in the "Haus der Wirtschaft Baden-Württemberg" (house of economy) in Stuttgart by Dr. Patrick Rapp, the State Secretary at the Ministry of Economy, Labour and Tourism of Baden-Württemberg, and Susanne Bay, President of the Regional Administration of Stuttgart.

With the Flexitast, a world’s first has been awarded – a combination of pushbutton and integrated ZBD display on which texts and symbols can be displayed flexibly. The centerpiece is a specifically developed 72 x 72 pixels ZBD display. The display stays visible even after power cut and can be configured via web browser.

The Flexitast uses the Chip On Flex technology, where the electronics is placed on a Flex cable. Thanks to this, a symmetrically narrow frame and an elegant square display can be realised. A break-proof glass surface protects the display and thanks to the robust design, the pushbutton is also functional in rough working conditions. A burn-in of the display is not possible.

The exhibition "Design is what counts"

The festive award ceremony also is the starting signal for the exhibition of all awarded products, services and concepts. All awarded design solutions that have received the FOCUS OPEN 2025 are exhibited until Friday, the 23rd of Janaury 2026, in the "Haus der Wirtschaft Baden-Württemberg" in Stuttgart. The entrance to the exhibition is free. Public guided tours are offered, too, free of charge – further information is available under www.design-center.de.

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