'Designing for the Rest of Us' - Design Innovation in Plastics 2012 Student Award at MoDiP

MoDiP is pleased to display most of the 2012 shortlisted entries to this prestigious student award as a result of its close relationship with the Worshipful Company of Horners, joint sponsor of the competition. Horn is a natural plastic. When it became evident that manufacturing in horn was no longer a viable industry the Horners adopted the plastics industry and they have now presented their outstanding collection of horn artefacts on
long-term loan to MoDiP so that it can be curated alongside  plastic artefacts. 

The Horner's Award display

The Student Plastics Design competition is held annually. It aims to encourage plastics design innovation and best practice in our future product designers. This year the brief, entitled ‘Universal Design: Designing for the Rest of Us’, was to design a product to help people with physical or cognitive impairments that is also appealing to a mass market. There were 92 entries and a short list of six.

FIRST PRZE: Flexible Flat-Pack Clothing Hanger, Jamie Mansfield, Furniture & Product Design Year 2, Nottingham Trent University 
Jamie wins £1000 plus a placement at Bayer MaterialScience



Jamie's Flat-Pack Clothing Hanger

The clothes hanger has flexible arms that collapse and spring back allowing the user to attach clothing via the neck without taking the hanger from the rail or undoing buttons.  It is also ideal for travelling as it packs flat. This is a completely original product that uses an integral mechanism not seen before. Jamie has already applied for a patent pending. 

Supporting documents provided by the designer:
JM pdf1, JM pdf2, JM pdf3, JM pdf4, JM pdf5


THIRD PRIZE: Sense See Remember,  Oliver Brunt, Design for Industry Year 2, Northumbria University

Oliver wins £250 and a placement at PDD Group Ltd

Oliver's Sense See Remember

'Sense See Remember' is an organisational memory aid based on a series of textured and coloured adhesive tabs  that act as prompts. 

Supporting documents provided by the designer:

OB pdf1

 

HIGHLY COMMENDED: Floor Mouse, Gediminas Kuprys, Product Design Year 2, University of Bradford

Gediminas wins £100 and a placement at Hellermann Tyton

Gediminas' Floor Mouse

'Floor mouse' is a foot-operated computer mouse with options for using the foot control with a keyboard to suit personal needs and speeds.

Supporting documents provided by the designer:
GK pdf1, GK pdf2



HIGHLY COMMENDED: Clean-Cut,  Danny Lynch, Furniture and Product Design Year 2, Nottingham Trent University

Danny wins £100 and a placement at Brightworks

 

Danny' Clean-Cut

'Clean-Cut' is a tool to help those with visual or physical impairments to construct and cut sandwiches safely. 

Supporting documents provided by the designer:

DL pdf1, DL pdf2

 

HIGHLY COMMENDED: Plug Pull Adaptor, Michal Mojduszka, Product Design Year 2, University for the Creative Arts, Rochester

Michal wins £100 and a placement at Hi-Technology Group

Michal's Plug Pull Adaptor

'Plug Pull Adaptor' is a strip attachment, incorporating Braille, that makes identifying, using and removing plugs easier for everyone.

Supporting documents provided by the designer:

MM pdf1, MM pdf2, MM pdf3, MM pdf4, MM pdf5, MM pdf6

 

ABOUT THE AWARD
The Design Innovation in Plastics Award was established in 1985 and is the longest running student plastics design award in Europe. It is jointly sponsored and run by the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining (IOM3) and The Worshipful Company of Horners, with the continued support of Bayer MaterialScience as the principal industry sponsor. The award also acknowledges the support of Plastics Europe, the Materials Knowledge Transfer Network, the companies who provided the placements and the following publications: NewDesign, Materials World and Mould Technology.

WHY NOT ENTER NEXT YEAR?
The theme for the 2013 Award is ‘Saving Lives – Design for Disaster Relief’. You can find out more at www.designinnovationplastics.org.  All finalists receive a cash prize and a placement.

THANKS
MoDiP would like to thank the winning students, Jamie Mansfield, Oliver Brunt, Gediminas Kuprys, Danny Lynch and Michal Mojduszka for making their models and texts available and also Sylvia Katz, Award Coordinator, for her advice and assistance.


Susan Lambert, (Head of MoDiP)