Halo

SOYA09 SHORTLISTS ANNOUNCED!

Kirsten Black, creator of Halo Headphones has been revealed as one of the top ten entrants in SOYA's Industrial & Object Design category & is now in the running to win $10,000 in cash and flights and a mentorship with Marc Newson!

The Qantas Spirit of Youth Awards is one of Australia’s leading grants program for emerging creative talent, and SOYA has taken the role to expose and support some of the best artists, musicians, designers and filmmakers Australia has to offer.

Since the inception of the Qantas Spirit of Youth Awards in 2004, SOYA has been instrumental in fostering the careers of Australia’s top innovative and inspiring young talent including Geoffrey J Finch of cult womenswear label Antipodium; Danielle Freakley, the uniquely compelling artist who spent over three years communicating only in quotes; and My Disco, the dynamic three piece music collaboration of Ben Andrews, Liam Andrews and Rohan Rebeiro. (September 2009)

Wish me luck!!

Click here to see the other finalists

30 Under 30

Kirsten Black of Softwear Pty Ltd, has taken out one of the top 30 spots in Anthill Magazine’s 2009 ’30under30’ Awards, and in doing so has been recognised as one of Australia’s leading entrepreneurial minds under the age of 30.

The winners were announced on the 4th of August 2009 after a three month application and judging process, designed to encourage and promote young entrepreneurship in Australia and create a national alumni of future leaders.

“The 2009 winners can be characterised by optimism (coupled with pragmatism), relentless ambition (but never at all cost), an intuitive knowledge of the new economy (without the techo-talk) and an awareness of the bigger picture (born global).” (August 2009)

Click here for the PDF

Ride Cycling Review - Issue 45

ARTICLE:

... this is an excellent idea. A washable headband that contains 2 small speakers and routes the cable neatly around the back of your head. Wear it to bed, on a plane... (August 2009)

JETSTAR TRAVEL SMART FEATURE

ARTICLE:

Was it a "Eureka Moment" when you created Halo Headphones?

I had spent 6 months writing a dissertation on music therapy when I had my "Eureka Moment". I raced to pull the speakers out of an old set of headphones, whipped up a headband, and - voila - that was the beginning of Halo Headphones. It's a really simple concept and I constantly wonder why nobody has thought of it before... (July 2009)

Click here to see the article

Product Review - Overclockers, Canada

If you like music and you like to wear headbands, I don’t understand why you wouldn’t want a pair of Halo Headphones. Once you have the speakers properly positioned and are wearing the Halo Headphones, you don’t even notice that they are any different from any other headband you might wear. I was actually quite impressed by the sound quality, these are definitely near the top of my list for good sounding headphones. Because of the flat design of the speakers, I found that there was no pressure on my ears and wearing the Halo Headphones were very comfortable. I found them to be so comfortable that I actually was able to fall asleep quite easily, even while lying down. (June 2009)

Click Here to see the Full Review

COMMENTS FROM A CUSTOMER

Hi Kirsten,

Just wanted to say how much I am looking forward to receiving my Halo Headphones in the mail. I ordered them after seeing them featured on Lost at E Minor.
They sound like such a fantastic idea and I really love that you have approached this design from such a human perspective. The L@EM article mentioned that your inspiration for the design was your grandma's dementia and the role that music could play in her life. I think that it is so important to share these kinds of stories, as it gives permission to other people to think and create with humanity in mind, whilst doing what they love, and in many instances also resulting in a product which can generate a profit for its creator.
Not only for this reason, but also as a positive impact on your sales, I think you should say a bit about this inspiration on your product's website.
As much as I LOVE the actual design of this product, I have to say that it is 50/50 whether or not I would have purchased it without knowing a)that you are a female Australian designer and b) the story behind the headphones.

That's just my two cents :)

Either way, well done. And again, can't wait to get these headphones! (May 2009)

-Lauren

Lost @ E Minor

HALO HEADPHONES named in ‘SMART 100’ Index

Halo Headphones have been named one of Australia’s 100 most innovative products, according to 1,600 maven judges, in one of the largest and most audacious innovation awards of its kind in Australia – the ‘SMART 100’ Index.

The Smart 100 contains representatives from a broad range of industries, proving that Australia has a diverse and robust talent for innovation. Industries represented included medicine and bio-technology, sport, energy, occupational health and safety, textiles, telecommunications, education, art and the environment.. (April 2009)

Click here for the PDF