Well done Jess

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2nd year Product Design student Jess Chambers’ Safe Sanitation project was selected to be showcased at the Design Museum’s Design Factory Symposium.

The museum, which is devoted to contemporary design, annually sets a challenge to degree design students to help promote the museum as an essential resource for research and practice.

Jess’ idea and design for the Prive Cube, a toilet for use in Third World Countries, was among entries selected to take part in the symposium at the London museum, chosen by design industry experts. Her design was inspired by a past trip to Gambia with the Affecting Real Change charity.

Jess said: ‘I am interested in designs which can help to make lives easier for people, after being inspired by a company’s designs to take tablet computers into African schools to help children learn. This inspired me to design something which would help to make life at school easier for children living in Africa.

‘My initial research revealed that sanitation was one of the main issues why children in the Gambia missed school. I also discovered that one in three people in Africa are unable to use a public toilet safely as they are at risk either from sexual assault or attacks by an animal, due to the design of some toilets with many not having a lock. It is a shocking statistic.

‘Toilets in use are often nothing more than a metal hut, which is not very secure. There is also additional issue that there is not often a lock, or the lock is often the outside.’

As part of her research, Jess spoke to the Affecting Real Change charity, which is involved in projects in Africa and India with schools and communities to help improve everyday life. This led Jess to focus on security as a key issue, along with ensuring the toilets would be suitable for use by both genders.

Jess said: ‘The main issues I found with the current toilet design were sanitation and security, which I used as the basis of my design and to provide users with safe sanitation.’

She received a certificate in recognition of her design idea.

16 Degrees

Last week saw the opening of the Product Design Degree show which is part of 16 Degrees, a celebration of the hard work, dedication and creativity of students from our School of Arts & Media. It was a busy night with friends, family and colleagues from Industry all celebrating the hard work that went into the projects on display.

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‘Live’ Projects

Projects with Industry

Year two are undertaking two live projects this year.

The first project is with our KTP partner, Godfrey Syrett Ltd, investigating a number of briefs for the Higher Education market and with “active learning” at its heart.

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Degreasing metal components prior to assembly. Don’t worry, it’s only steam!
The second project is with Scandinavian kitchen manufacturing giant, Nobia.   Supporting the project with Nobia is one of our graduates, Emma Braham. Emma has been with the company for 2 years as a designer, frequently travelling throughout Europe and working with suppliers.
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Emma talks students through eco-kitchen designs at Nobia’s UK Design Centre.
Work on these projects is well underway and our students have benefited from some brilliant presentations at the companies’ respective premises, together with excellent factory tours.   We are all looking forward to seeing the fruition of these projects in the coming weeks.   Both companies have generously agreed to donate to our 3rd yrs New Designers Exhibition Fund.

We Love Amsterdam

Following on from last year’s epic trip to Italy, the delights of Milan and visits to Ferrari and Lamborghini, Product Design students recently returned from this year’s International Study Trip to Amsterdam!

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I thought it would be difficult to top Italy, but what a fantastic city to visit.

The highlight for me was our visit to the Philips Museum in Eindhoven where we had a private escorted tour and learned about the history of this, most iconic of companies, from its early beginnings as a manufacturer of light bulbs to today’s global force in design innovation.

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Our hotel was in the heart of the Museums Quarter and we, of course, visited the world-class Van Gogh, Stedelijk and Ryjks museums.   Well… it would have been rude not to!   Nothing quite compares to seeing the great works of Van Gogh, Rembrandt, Kandinsky, Monet, I could go on “up close and personal”.   You get a real sense of “feeling” and how the artists worked in a way you can never quite appreciate from a screen or book.

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The Stedelijk Museum has a stunning permanent exhibition of 20th Century Design Classics that is a must see!IMG_0156

There was also plenty of free time for the students to take in some culture, including cutting gem stones in the diamond quarter, “designer” shopping, the flower markets and Amsterdam’s vibrant night life to name a few.

And…, we are already thinking about next year’s trip.   High on the list is a return visit to Berlin in 2017, the VW Autostadt and Bauhaus.   We’ll have more information at the start of term in October.

Tees Made 2nd again

For the 2nd year running a team of staff and 3rd students from Product Design took on similar teams from around the University in the Festival of Learning Challenge.

Like last year each team had to complete a number of physical and mental tasks against the clock. Despite coming 2nd again it was immense fun and winning the silver meant a healthy prize of £250. The award will help bolster the money already raised by the students to exhibit their work at the New Designers 2016 Exhibition which is taking place at the Business Design Centre, London in July

Third time lucky next year.

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New Designers 2016

The New Designers exhibition is one of the most important annual events for Design students, and a chance for students from across the nation to meet with industry figures and employers.  Held in the diverse London district of Islington at the Business Design Centre, the show offers students a chance to showcase their work and canvas ideas to a variety of Designers, buyers, trend predictors and members of the public.    The atmosphere and venue encourage curiosity and invite viewers to a whole range of different Design and Crafts related displays.

As of 2016, New Designers will have been going for 31 years – an established, and well recognized show to be sure.  The exhibition is supported by many Event and Media partners. These renowned establishments, such as The Design Trust, The Design Museum, Design Nation and Icon, are among many expected to be attending the coming show.

Held each year, usually in late June and early July, the exhibition is a regular spot for third year design students at Teesside University.  For some, this is a springboard opportunity to help launch their new careers, or begin to develop a contact network – invaluable in the field of Design.  Employers also look to find fresh talent among graduates, and many former Teesside students have been offered work placements and internships while displaying their work at the exhibition.  The exhibition also caters for younger students, with regular campaigns aimed at high school, A-level and college academics.  For younger students considering university level study, this is an excellent opportunity to meet tutors and graduates in person.

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Click the image above to see more Class of 2015 work at New Designers.

Here, we can see the previous third year’s finished stand at New Designers.  The location is prime, and although the show is supported by sponsors and partners, the price of our stand requires some fundraising and more than a little creative thinking.

You can read more at NewDesigners.

Packaging ‘All Stars’…

A great time was had last night at the Starpack Awards which were held this year in the National Space Centre , Leicester.

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Congratulations to 2nd year Product Design students Calum Brookbanks and Lewis White for winning silver and bronze awards respectively.

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It was also great to meet up with Design Graduate Richard Turnock who was receiving an industry award. Richard who now works for Multi Packing Solutions as their Senior Construction Designer, graduated from Teesside in 2000. In 1999 he was in the same position as Calum and Lewis winning a Gold in the Starpack Awards. Talk about things going full circle.

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