BA(Hons) Product Design Showcase
Student Work
Success Stories - BA (Hons) Product Design
Graduate success in USA
Fran Knight graduated this summer with a BA (Hons) in Product Design. Fran was one of the lucky students to have her work selected to exhibit at both Milan and New York earlier this year. More on the blog.
Anna gets prime location during London Fashion Week
Anna Kennett who completed Product Design this year (2009) and is due to start the MA Design.
Sir Paul Smith selected Anna's work to be in this prime location during the current London Design Festival having seen them in Milan (April 2009).
Paris Internship
2008 graduate Helen Bickford was selected as one of 10 UK graduate finalists for an internship programme with Philippe Starck. Helen was based in Paris during the 10-week event and gained invaluable experience with perhaps the world’s most recognised and renowned designer today. The whole event was filmed by the BBC for their “School of Design” programme and is to be screened soon.
Young Design of the Year
Tim Harrison, who is currently a postgraduate student at the University after achieving a First from the Product Design programme, went on to exhibit at the NEC in the Design Interiors event in Birmingham achieving a “Young Designer of the Year’ award for his Lighting which has gone on to be produced in China for the Salone Satellite event to be held in Milan in April.
Further to this two of our graduates were selected within the top 50 exhibitors at the latest New Designers event from over 4500 exhibitors and invited to show their work at new Designers Selection as part of the British Design Festival.
Lincoln students battle to meet challenges of the developing world
Three Product Design students from the University of Lincoln have made it to the final of the Audi ‘Designs of Substance 2007’ competition, which takes place in London on 8th June. The three finalists were chosen from 500 entries and will compete with 12 finalists from other UK Universities.
The ‘Designs of Substance’ competition, now in its third year, challenges students to produce innovative, sustainable design solutions which benefit the lives of people in disadvantaged communities. Residents of the community in focus are consulted on the issues that they would like design students in the UK to tackle, and the ultimate winners will be awarded the chance to present their designs to residents of that community overseas.
This year, UNICEF have helped to identify an appropriate community to support and are assisting with communications and on-the-ground logistics with the chosen community. UNICEF are also involved in the judging of this year’s competition, as are the renowned design agency PearsonLlyod.
The competition this year focuses upon the township of Mdanstane, Eastern Cape, South Africa. Mdanstane houses 600,000 black South Africans who grapple daily with the challenges of unemployment, poverty, crime and rampant diseases like tuberculosis and Aids. All 500 entrants were given three design briefs that they could choose from, which will make a positive impact on the lives of children in Mdanstane.
The Design Briefs :
Brief 1: Design an item for a teacher or student to help with either teaching or learning, which makes education a better or easier experience.
Brief 2: Design a product for young people in youth headed households, which supports one of their everyday tasks.
Brief 3: Design an item to improve the security of individuals, possessions or homes, to make the township a much safer place.
Meet the Finalists :
Marc Cranston (Level 2)
Marc designed a concept for two-part seating wherein elasticated 'sleeves' are taken to school and place over an existing frame upon arrival; this is a flexible system which allows for adaptability (bench seating and different size seating) and reduces the threat of insecurity due to leaving only a seat frame at the school - which is pretty useless to thieves.
Nick Long (Level 2)
This concept is for security screens which fit over or into a domestic window frame, and also fold down (complete with legs) to form either a wash table, or family table within the domestic interior. The frame would be decorated with holes through the screen which could also be strategically placed for water run-off etc, and as a whole, reduces the threat of break-ins etc. This could also be adapted to the school interior to provide desks in the daytime and lockable window screens at night.
Shawn Burton (Level 3)
Shawn’s design is based on 'repeat form' seating. Essentially, this is a honeycomb seat which is shaped from either steel, locally sourced materials, or plastics and can be used individually as seating, or when put together produces a table alongside the seat. When wall mounted the seat also provides a shelving and bookcase system and was chosen for it's simplicity and adaptability of idea, and because it can be locally produced and manufactured.
Study Visits - BA (Hons) Product Design
Over the years Product Design have visited top design consultants and exhibitions all over the world. These visits widen appreciation and enrich the students vision of the design world and the world around them.
Past visits include
Design Offices
- WILD Design; Shanghai; CHINA
- Speck Design; Shanghai; CHINA
- IDEO; Palo Alto; US
- Lunar Design; San Francisco; US
- Whipsaw; San Jose; US
- Antenna; New York; US
- Astro; San Francisco; US
- RKS Design; Los Angeles; US
- Rockwell Lab; New York; US
- ECCO; New York; US
- Naço; Shanghai; CHINA
- SMART Design; New York; US
- Frog Design; San Francisco; US
- Ron Arad Associates; London; UK
Destinations include
- New York
- Kyoto
- Milan
- Shanghai
- San Jose
- Philadelphia
- Tokyo
- San Francisco
New York 2009/10
The programme returns to the big apple for it’s sixth time and as in the last visit, November 2006, we stayed at the Hudson Hotel, designed by Philippe Starck.
Shanghai
Students travelled to Shanghai with the aim of gaining a further insight to the design industry, manufacturing and the culture of China. The group of 25 visited three consultancies whilst out in the city and gained invaluable knowledge and experiences which is assisting in design production work for the Milan show as well as students’ own project work from dissertation pieces to culture and design production pieces. It is considered essential that the programme develop an understanding of Far Eastern markets.
Japanese culture inspires students
Students studying Product Design jetted off to the other side of the world to witness first hand the grand designs that Japan has to offer. Students even got the chance to exhibit their work in the offices of the British Council in Lidabashi.
The group of ten students and two staff visited Kyoto and Tokyo to witness the sights of Geisha, traditional temples and contemporary architecture. The group were encouraged to explore the culture of Japan and look at comparisons and variations in design.
During their visit examples of current and graduate students work was exhibited for ten days at the British Council. This was a fantastic way of raising the profile of the university and its Design courses.
Stewart Bibby and Neil Housego, Senior Lecturers in Product Design, accompanied the students on the trip. Stewart said: “The time spent in Kyoto provided us all with an insight into a more traditional Japanese way of life. Tokyo in comparison had a distinct flavour of its own. It’s an ultra-modern city which reflects a culture that embraces design and technology.
“The visit had a predominately cultural aim compared with previous visits to places like New York, Milan and California and we have had an enthusiastic response from the students upon return.
“They are now utilising their experiences of differing cultures and applying it to their work. The trip had a positive effect on level three student’s final major projects.”
