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| 2007 |
| 16/6/2004 |
| Future of UK design is bright |
| Five UK students have reached the final shortlist of 10 in the judging of the Oregon Scientific International Young Designer Award 2004 run in conjunction with the Chartered Society of Designers.
The shortlist was drawn up by a panel of international design experts including Kenneth Grange CBE RDI FCSD, Clive Grinyer FCSD of Orange GBMP, and Paul Pankhurst FCSD of leading product innovation consultancy, PDD.
The students’ brief was to design an innovative personal consumer
electronic product which features the use of an LCD display in its
application. Judges were looking for a concept which could possibly be included in a future product line from Oregon Scientific, renowned for its leading-edge product designs, so it was important that the entries met Oregon Scientific’s ‘smarter living’ philosophy.
Judging criteria included ergonomics and aesthetics, consumer benefits, design innovation, marketing value, manufacturing viability and the responsible use of sustainable materials.
The judges reviewed 61 entries from across the globe and the short listed UK students are:
• Peter Brewin from Royal College of Art (London)
• Chris Lemon from South Bank University (London)
• Ian Gell from University of Coventry (Coventry)
• Pavlos Christodoulou from University of Central England
(Birmingham)
• Marie-Lorraine Barth from University of Central England
(Birmingham)
The remaining five short listed entries came from Spain, Hong Kong, France and Italy (2). All the judging was conducted ‘blind’ so the judges did not know where the entries came from.
The UK short listed designs include a ‘Cyclops Time Traveller’ Extreme Sports Helmet designed by Peter Brewin to record those ultimate moments when skiing, parachuting or rock climbing; an electronic menu to bring eating out into the 21st century from Pavlos Christodoulou; Marie-Lorraine Barth’s electronic cook book where recipes can be downloaded from the internet; a portable device that subtitles films at the cinema by Chris Lemon; and finally a multi-functional electronic key fob designed by Ian Gell.
Oregon Scientific’s products embrace the company’s ‘smart living’
philosophy through their design, style and innovation. The products range from digital cameras and performance watches to time, weather, health and electronic learning products. New product innovation from first-class designers is the backbone of Oregon Scientific’s success, and inspired the design awards.
Chairman of the judges Kenneth Grange commented: “The entries
demonstrated a wide variety of design talent. Competitions such as this provide a clear picture of the range of skills that can be found among our student population worldwide. Deeper experience and training allows some to immediately shine out, whilst others look naive and untutored. However, a closer look, particularly in a competition with a brief as clear as this, reveals that it is the intellectual content that evens out the field. We saw a rewarding scope of ideas and original thoughts in our final 10.”
The finalists will now be supported by Oregon Scientific through the
process of bringing their product design to life in time for the final judging in July. The UK and International winners will each receive £2000 plus £1000 for their course and the overall international winner will be awarded in London in July. He or she will additionally receive a three-month work placement in Hong Kong and the chance of their product being added to a future Oregon line-up.
Paul Molyneux, managing director of Oregon Scientific, said: “Young
product designers need solid support from schools, colleges, businesses and the government to continue to combine style, functionality and innovation in things that we often take for granted.
“We have been behind many product innovations and wanted to do our bit to encourage and support students all over the world to do their best and to celebrate and reward the best up-and-coming talent,” he added.
Frank Peters MCSD, Chief Executive of the Chartered Society of Designers, said “The Society is proud to work with such a progressive and innovative company as Oregon Scientific to help nurture the talent of up and coming young product designers. The Awards programme is significant in that it not only offers magnificent prizes but more importantly enables students to showcase their designs from initial concept, through the stages of prototyping to final international exposure to manufacture and
marketing. The foresight and creative investment of companies such as Oregon Scientific working closely with the design sector will ensure the very best in innovation is delivered globally." |
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