Grand day out

Great day out visiting the EBAC factory. Thanks to product graduate and Senior Design Engineer at the company, Clyde Pittaway, for arranging what was an immensely enjoyable and detailed tour of their fascinating plant .

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!

Amsterdam

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 @ Teesside University

By Connor Marsden Year 3 student:

Each year, the third year product design students at Teesside inherit the New Designers society.  This group of students is primarily a means to organise fundraising activity for the New Designers stands at the end of the academic year.  Three students this year have taken on key roles within the Society.

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Tim Hargreaves, Lawrie Ward and Ffion Crowhurst have each taken the positions of Chairman, Treasurer and Secretary, respectively.  Their task this year is to organise events and manage the society as we being to raise funds for our stand at New Designers 2016, next summer.  With the new construction and developments around the University – Not least of all the Curve – Campus Heart is a hive of activity.  This gives us an excellent position to organise fundraising activities for the New Designer’s fund.

So far, the society has held a number of small events – bake stalls, cake stands and the like.  On the evening of Halloween, a group of us also partook in a sponsored hike.  Many attended in fitting Halloween attire, to the bafflement of every other hiker we passed along the way.    The trip began at the foot of Highcliff Nab, one of the cliffs overlooking Teesside and the surrounding area.   The trek then began through the moorlands, and on to to Captain Cook Monument above Great Ayton.  The weather was unseasonably pleasant, and by the fourth hour we reached the base of Roseberry topping.  The hill itself is one of the tallest in Northern Yorkshire, with a magnificent view for miles around.

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Though the trip was almost non-stop, we managed the reach the topping – and in doing so, raised a considerable sum towards our New Designers stand.  As Christmas is approaching, we’ve taken some time to brainstorm new ideas for more events up to and after the New Year.  Some of our members have taken the time to begin crafting Christmas gifts, and touch up their model making skills while doing so!

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Tees Made 2nd…

This week saw a team of staff and 3rd students from Product Design take on other teams from around the University in the Festival of Learning Challenge.

Each team had to perform a number of physical and mental tasks against the clock which included making and riding a ‘Flintstone ‘ style car, bridge building and diving headfirst into a ball pool. The team hoped to win the £1000 1st prize to bolster the New Designers Exhibiton Fund.

The whole event was great fun despite being pipped at the post into 2nd place. Need to work harder next year.

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