Kurt Rampton
Principal | VP Product Design
About Us
Who We Are
We are a design innovation firm dedicated to helping you create business-building solutions that are considerate of your culture, community, and company.
It Starts With Our People
Our founders started this company to make a meaningful difference in people’s lives through design. They quickly realized that to have real impact, the firm’s passion for design had to encompass not just the thrill of creation and innovation, but also the accomplishment and integration of our clients’ goals. And they found that the clients’ world is more complex, and nuanced, thanks to things like: personnel and supply chain challenges, manufacturing requirements, consumer trends, competitive markets, etc. They needed people-centered strategies that could truly help them get to the next step and beyond. And that is what we do everyday.
Our unique team build allows us to thrive at the intersection of business, product, and brand design. We cross-train our team members so that when they’re working in one of these areas, they are mindful of all—providing a holistic approach and valuable efficiency for all stakeholders.
A History of Design Innovation Results
Our goal, through Design Innovation, is to help turn brands, the products they encompass, and the services that support them, into higher performing assets for businesses, their people, and the communities they serve. Scroll through some of the game changers of which we’ve been a part.
-
- Our History
Scroll through to see our 35 years of design innovation in action!
-
- 1985
BOLTGROUP was born!
-
- 1986
The most successful motorized golf bag carrier worldwide
- Hillcrest Motor Caddie for Kangaroo Products | Product Ideation • Industrial Design • Engineering / ID Award Winner
-
- 1984-87
Revolutionary user experience in sport electronics—applying new technology and quadrupling sales
- LCD Depth Sounder for Humminbird | User Research • Industrial Design • UI Design
-
- 1989
First portable test system for drivers with disabilities—enabling more to drive and work
- Driver Assessment System for NC Dept of Vocational Rehab | Industrial Design + Engineering • IDSA-IDEA Gold Award
-
- 1990
First healthcare seating to incorporate style, comfort—and urine collection
- Monty Chair for IOA Healthcare | Furniture Design • Rosco Award
-
- 1992
Most successful night vision product for consumer use
- Night Mariner for ITT Defense | Industrial Design • Market Research • Product + Brand Strategy • Identity Design • ID Magazine Award Winner
- Read More
-
- 1993
66% increase in share and #1 selling ice cream brand
- Hunter All Natural for Harris Teeter | Market Research • Brand Identity • Brand Launch • Packaging • Art Direction
-
- 1994
First fingertip control for CPAP users—no more fumbling in the dark for air
- Tranquility CPAP for Healthdyne | User Interaction Design • Industrial Design • Engineering • IDSA-IDEA Gold Award
-
- 1994
I.D. Forty recognition
- Selection by I.D. Magazine as one of the "40 best design innovators" in the U.S.
-
- 1996
Transformative UI design for GE’s power plant control rooms worldwide
- Gas Turbine Plant Control for GE Energy | User Research • UI Design • Heuristic Testing
-
- 1997
First hospital headwall that moves with patients and clinicians
- Moveable Column for Fairfield & Medeas Medical | Research • Industrial Design • Engineering
-
- 1998
$1 billion tool brand
- Kobalt Tools for Lowe’s | Research • Brand Strategy • Naming + Brand Identity • Industrial Design • Packaging / POS • Introduction Design
- Read More
-
- 1998
Agency of Record for occasion-based marketing team
- Coca-Cola | Market Research • Art Direction • Design Strategy • Product Innovation • Brand Equity
-
- 1999
Innovative therapy for kids with ADHD—employing wireless gaming and brainwaves
- Thoughtcaster for East3 | Market Research • Human Factors Research • Industrial Design • IDSA-IDEA Gold Award
-
- 2000
Patented innovations for the office-of-the-future
- Ribbonwall and Intersite Cart for Herman Miller | User Research • Idea Generation • Furniture Design • Industrial Design
-
- 2002
Major rebrand for 100+ year old snack company
- Chip Thunder for Lance | Package Design • Rebrand • Art Direction • Naming
-
- 2004
Radical reading light—and the bestselling book light in just 12 months
- LightWedge for LightWedge LLC | Industrial Design • Engineering • Brand Identity • Packaging Design
- Read More
-
- 2005
Empathetic design in water pitchers—and the best water quality ratings
- Clear2o for Applica / Black&Decker | Market Research • Idea Generation • Industrial Design • Engineering • Consumer Reports Best Buy Award
- Read More
-
- 2008
Pioneering cryotherapy device—developed with physicians at Johns Hopkins
- Polar Wand for GISupply | User Research • Industrial Design • Branding • Engineering • Medical Design Excellence—Gold Award
- Read More
-
- 2009
Revolutionary car seat with side impact technology—providing all around protection in big kid style
- Rumi Booster Seat for Safety First | Product Design • Human Factors Design
- Read More
-
- 2011-2014
Game-changing wearable traction for athletes on ice
- Yaktrax for Implus | User Research • Product Ideation + Industrial Design • Core 77 Design Award and IDSA-IDEA Award
- Read More
-
- 2015
Sustainable design innovation—using 100% post-consumer recycled materials
- Gigs2Go for BOLTGROUP | Invention • Design • Commercialization • Museum of Modern Art Store
- Read More
-
- 2016
Inclusive playground systems—so every kid plays
- Sensory Wave for PlayCore | Research • Product Ideation • Industrial Design • Engineering
- Read More
-
- 2017
Re-imagined water bottle—matching curvilinear design with human form for serious runners
- ErgoBelt for FuelBelt | Research • Product Ideation • Industrial Design • Engineering • Good Design Award and IDSA-IDEA Award
- Read More
-
- 2019
Revolutionary flex staffing platform for the healthcare industry
- Matchwell | Digital Strategy + Campaign • Platform UI • Brand Architecture • Website • Video
- Read More
-
- 2020
Integrated teams create a revolutionary air cleaning product
- Oransi Mod | Industrial Design • Mechanical Engineering • Prototyping • Color + Material Specification • Manufacturing Support • UI Design • Packaging
- Read More
-
- 2021
We reimagined Chick-fil-A’s consumer packaging suite as a cohesive system
- Chick-fil-A Packaging | Packaging Design • System Design • Ergonomics • Material Testing • Design for Circular Economy
- Read More
Brands We've Worked With
The Team
DEI Statement of Principle
In order to live our brand, and fully embrace our culture, we acknowledge that diversity, equity, and inclusion be ever-present for empathy and innovation to exist. Empathy and innovation are indeed acts of love, and, as a human-centered design practice, necessary to create meaningful impact on companies, communities, and culture, through design. We are committed to leveraging our combined unique voices to be an agent of positive behavior and change, whenever and wherever possible, both internally and externally.
Every day, we see firsthand that external influence is dictated by internal behavior. Over the last 3-plus decades, we have been able to work in a multitude of industries, in countless, capacities, because of our commitment to being a place that understands the value of people of all diversities, as individuals and as part of a unified team.
At BOLTGROUP we embody: diversity, equity, inclusivity, purpose, empathy, curiosity, insightfulness, understanding, pragmatism, passion, thoughtfulness, diligence, humility, creativity, and resourcefulness.
Industry Recognition
RECENT
Good Design Awards
CRC Smartwasher Benchtop Pro, Oransi Mod & Mod Jr. Air Purifiers, PlayCore Sensory Wave Climber, Legrand AV Forum Collaboration Suite, Chick-fil-A Unified Matrix Packaging System
GDUSA Graphic Design Awards
Metabo HPT, Brand Extension & Campaign
Myers, Brand Identity System
SOLID, Brand Communications
Red Dot Design Award
Oransi, Mod Air Purifier
IDA International Design Awards
Silver Award—Fuel Belt Ergo Hydration Belt
Bronze Award—Legrand Forum Collaboration Suite
TOTAL RECOGNITIONS
150
Awards + Patents
Awards
Design awards are a dime a dozen these days. But BOLTGROUP has been honored with the industry’s most prestigious international design awards. We don’t do this work for the shiny hardware. These accolades simply demonstrate our unwavering commitment to world-class design. The real winners are our clients, for whom such awards further increase sales of their products. Here’s a partial list:
IDSA/IDEA International Design Excellence Awards
- Gold Award—East 3, Thoughtcaster
- Gold Award—GI Supply, SPOT
- Gold Award—Healthdyne, CPAP
- Gold Award—NC Dept of Rehabilitation, Driver System
- Silver Award—Yaktrax Summit
- Silver Award—US Stamp, Cache Ink Stamp
- Bronze Award—GI Supply, Bacteria Test Kit
- Bronze Award—HunterLab, Photospectrometers
- Bronze Award—PlayCore, Sensory Car Wash
- Bronze Award—Oransi Mod
- Finalist—Rioux Vision, Wireless Medical Workstation
- Finalist—Jacobsen, Greens Mower
- Finalist—Navis Global, Array Tex Stenter
- Finalist—Applica/Black&Decker, Clear2o
- Finalist—Gigs 2 Go
- Finalist—FuelBelt, Ergo Hydration Belt
- Finalist—Little Burros
AAF AAA Awards
- Gold + Silver District, Regional—Numerous
Core 77 Design Awards
- Implus Footcare, Yaktrax
- CRC, Smartwasher Benchtop Pro
iF—Industrie Forum Design Award
- GI Supply, Respose Biopsy Forceps
- Oransi, Mod Air Purifier
AGDA American Graphic Design & Advertising Awards
- Numerous
CES / Consumer Electronics Show, Design Excellence Award
- VAC Stereo Amplifier
DNA Paris Design Award
- CRC, Smartwasher Benchtop Pro
- HunterLab, Photospectrometers
- PlayCore, Car Wash
- PlayCore, Sensory Wave Climber
AIGA Boom! Awards
- David Donahue
- Nat Nast
Good Design Award, Chicago Athenaeum
- Implus, FuelBelt Helium Ergo
- Implus, Yaxtrax Summit
- Rioux Vision, Wireless Medical Workstation
- Wiltek, Excel Biopsy Forceps
- GISupply, Respose Biopsy Forceps
- CRC, Smartwasher Benchtop Pro
- Oransi, Mod & Mod Jr. Air Purifiers
- PlayCore, Sensory Wave Climber
- Legrand AV, Forum Collaboration Suite
- Chick-fil-A, Unified Matrix Packaging System
Appliance Manufacturer, Excellence in Design Award
- Hunter Labs, LabScan XE
- A O Smith, Cyclone Water Heater
ADEX for Design Excellence in Architectural Products
- Gold Award—Hon/Tercero Conference Room Furniture System
International Design Awards IDA
- Gold Award—Gigs 2 Go, BOLTGROUP
- Gold Award—Crewcomm Pliant, CoachComm
- Gold Award—Yaktrax Summit, Implus Footcare
- Silver Award—Fuel Belt Ergo Hydration Belt
- Bronze Award—Legrand Forum Collaboration Suite
- Bronze Award—Little Burro, Burro Creative Solutions
Red Dot Design Award
- Oransi, Mod Air Purifier
ID Magazine, Annual Design Awards
- ISO Tech, Personal Fitness Trainer
- Kangaroo, Hillcrest Motorcaddy
- NC Dept of Rehabilitation, Driver System Research
- GI Supply, Respose Biopsy Forceps
- ITT Defense, Night Mariner Night Vision Binoculars
GDUSA Magazine American Graphic Design Awards
- Numerous
GDUSA Magazine American Package Design Awards
- Comfort Revolution, Hydraluxe Air Cooling Bed Pillow
- Oransi, Mod Purifier Packaging & Manual
- Sealy, Cool Flip Bedding Collection
GDUSA Magazine Health + Wellness Awards
- Matchwell, Visual Identity
- Matchwell, Promotional Brand Video
- FOX Rehab, FOXBOX Sales Kit
Medical Design Excellence Awards
- Gold Award—GI Supply, PolarWand Cryotherapy System
- Finalist—Chek Med Systems, Paracentesis Pump
PICA Awards
- Best of Category for Excellence in Graphic Design + Printing—Numerous
IDSA / Business Week-Catalyst Award: Design & Business Success
- GI Supply, SPOT Endoscopic Marking System
ID Magazine, ID-Forty
- “The top 40 innovators in the U.S.”
BMA Carolinas ProAd Award
- FOX Rehab Recruiting Campaign
NASFM National Retail Design Award
- Mark Ecko
Society of Plastics Industries, Award of Excellence
- AMF Bowling, Seating
Consumer Reports Best Buy Award
- Applica Filtered Water Pitcher
National Hardware Show Retailer's Choice Award
- Little Burros, Burro Buddy
Patents
Our work often leads to coveted utility and design patents for our clients—another benefit of the ingenuity that BOLTGROUP brings to each project. These patents are assigned to the client, thereby building their intellectual property portfolios. Here are a few examples of the many patented products we've created for our clients:
US 6,231,058
- adjustable container caddy
US D457,642
- wireless neurofeedback base station
US 5,673,984
- transport cart
US D456,908
- wireless neurofeedback helmet
US 5,619,090
- movable hospital room equipment column
US D436,806 / US D431,756
- container caddy
US 5,605,344
- transport cart
US D641,121
- receptacle
US 5,341,680
- disabled driver assessment system
US D420,738
- paracentesis pump
US 8,757,819
- interactive systems + display device
US D412,625
- set of carrels
US 9,149,128
- play yard with removable liner
US D370,144
- drawer tower
US 8,701,901
- shelving system + components
US D367,349
- transport cart
US 7,451,761
- dry powder inhalers
US D512,589
- table support
US D581,113
- backpack vacuum cleaner
US D335,037
- chair for bowling alley
US D348,965
- golf motorcaddy
US 8,757,819
- conveniently assemblable interactive systems
US 10,188,221
- play yard with removable liner
US D445,115
- portable air compressor enclosure
