Kbb News
Forward thinking by tomorrow’s designers
New Designers 2010 at the forefront of sustainability and green design.
The New Designers show proved to be a great source of some exciting kbb designs, with sustainability, efficiency and safety being at the forefront of the products, reports Justyna Sowa.
New Designers is an annual showcase celebrating the best British graduate design. Its 25th anniversary edition at the Business Design Centre, London last week, showcased fresh and innovative designs ranging from architecture and furniture to glass and graphics.
In furniture design, Jack Wilesmith from Bucks New University created a stool chair design combining fun with children's safety (image 1). The design is simple and bold with the horizontal bar added at the bottom back of the stool to prevent the rocking child from falling.
Eco-friendly washing machine designs were a trend showcased by the Northern School of Design, University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) and University of Plymouth students. Prolonging the garment's lifespan and cutting the water wastage were the main ideas behind the concepts.
retro|GRADE (image 2) is the washing machine designed by Carl McGreavy, a final year student at the UCLan. The machine recreates the hand washing with the use of its counter rotating drum and agitator system, thanks to which the energy usage and water waste levels are reduced.
University of Plymouth graduates developed the sustainable washing machine designs further.
The Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) labels which store clothing care data were created by Martin Newland. His further concept of Hotpoint Digital products, RFID enabled washing machine and ironing board (image 3), aid their users by suggesting the most suitable wash/ ironing settings and care specifications.
James Eisner's two-drum washing machine project (image 4) is also time-efficient, preventing the machine from overloading and the diverse garment from being damaged when washed together.
Small kitchen appliances also proved to be energy conscious. The Libra Kettle designed by Pascoe Lintell from Brighton University (image 5) helps to limit overfilling with the use of grooves on the handle corresponding to cupfuls of water. The design is especially useful for those who are visual impaired.
The quality and variety of showcased works was recognised by David Worthington, who opened the show and presented the awards. "The importance of New Designers in bringing fresh talent to the surface and reminding the industry to take notice cannot be underestimated," said Worthington.
For further information about the New Designers show, please visit their website at: http://www.newdesigners.com/