out and about :: new designers 2014 part 2 - confessions of a design geek

This article was published 12 years

Last week I wrote about New Designers Part 1, and this week it’s time for Part 2. New Designers is an annual showcase of design graduates’ final projects and I was particularly keen to see the work that had come from the furniture, product, spatial and industrial Design courses. Here is what caught my eye…

From top to bottom, left to right:

Bethany Heath‘s final project was a series of decorative vessels looking at the combination of two materials; ceramic and stainless steel, taking inspiration from the protective cages and enamel spun shades of classic industrial lighting.
Anna Czaniecka‘s Kttl dispenses with traditional measurement lines and instead takes the form of two stacked mugs helping people to boil only as much water as they need much more intuitively.
Pegged Together by Jack Chivers is a modular response to a brief for glueless furniture. Traditional beech ‘dolly’ pegs form both the joints for the ash structure and hanging hooks for clothes.
Kingston University’s Ka Wai Wong slip cast these delicate forms in paper bag moulds resulting in unique forms as the paper bends under the weight of the slip and imprints its creases into the surface.
Diagnosed diabetic as a child, Dundee University’s Eilidh Price told me she’s always wanted to give something back. Currently medical technology involves a blood sugar level monitor which is inserted under children’s skin and sets off an alarm if levels become too high or too low. The alarm can be distressing for children and parents alike. Eilidh’s solution is to connect this technology with a unit that slowly lights up while playing music to gently wake the child, and sends a text message to parents to wake them. The child’s unit features interchangeable pictures so they can have positive interactions with it.
Steve Swanton tackled lamps for people suffering from Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), which often look more like medical equipment than the beautifully crafted home accessory he proposes. An additional feature in a series of lights in the lamp’s base that come on as other people with SAD switch on their lamps, creating a visual reminder of a supportive community. See the short film below for more.
Mnesis is a miniature household museum for objects with sentimental value or fond memories. “This project sought to create a private space which encourages the collation of family keepsakes, to be stored, displayed and shared between generations through building an ongoing narrative,” says its designer Rachel Maflin. It is made from black walnut veneered plywood, glass, LED lighting, and an upcycled enlarger lens, to help older family members see and interact with the objects.
Mediumwave is Jake Rich‘s redesign of the household microwave. The clear removable lid enables easy viewing, tasting, stirring – lifting the lid breaks the circuit and stops the microwave, replacing it restarts cooking. Mediumwave is on wheels so it can be pulled close when in use and slid away afterwards. The controls have been simplified down to a timer which starts cooking and a power dial that can be adjusted throughout – a light in the lid gets brighter as the power is increased and dimmer as the power is decreased. And he’s even redesigned the plug for easy removal.
Maria del Mar Gomez presented June, made of English ash and alpaca wool blend. “I have combined the art of woodworking and knitting. It is an attempt to harmonise two materials that are not commonly found together. The strong characteristics of the wood are balanced by a soft touch of yarn that has been hand knitted as a pocket for everyday storage,” she said.
Having spotted Head & Haft‘s work at Clerkenwell Design Week in May, it was great to see the gorgeous Arthur table, made of oak and Cornish granite, at One Year On – the New Designers’ showcase of 2013 graduates.
Also at One Year On – Obtineo by Tom Hutchinson Design was the first project I ever backed on Kickstarter, so it was super exciting to see it in the flesh and meet Tom in person.
And finally, back downstairs in the main show, No Right Angles In Nature is a shelving system that is made from European beech and locally coppiced hazel, lashed together with recycled plastic bottles. Designer Josh Plough from High Wycombe cut the bottles into one continuous ribbon which he threaded through the holes in the wood. He then heated the plastic, so it shrank and pulled everything tight.