Trends 2012
- Client: UBM Live in association with Global Color Mix interiors, Tektura and Karndean Flooring
Birmingham City University’s Trends Exhibition showcasing at interiors 2012, at the NEC from January 22, has previous form.
Now in its fitth year, Trends has launched a number of award winning designers including Emma Shipley (John Lewis Emerging Designer 2011), Chelsea Flower Show exhibitor, Suzi McLaughlin and new designer Suberna Begum.
Innovative, exploratory, challenging, provocative are all words which are closely associated with the Trend project. Our partnership with Global Color Research™ and Mix Publications has provided new inspiration to drive forward trends prediction and represents a significant change in the way we embed trends and design development into the curriculum for interior, product and textile design.
2012’s interactive showcase, inspired by Global Color Mix, Autumn Winter 2012/13 trends of Ember and Tender brings two carefully crafted room sets, presenting over 20 new design concepts featuring the blaze of autumnal warmth of Ember; the trend reflecting the imagery of foliage and fruits with the stimuli of volcanoes, derelict buildings against a backdrop of distressed surfaces and seasonal paraphernalia juxtaposed with the Georgian inspired Trend of Tender; Minimalist, poetic, reflective of the Jane Austen heroine, with shades such as blue and grey contrasting with pink and azure.
With a downturn in the economy, Trends offers fresh inspiration, without significant internal research and production development costs, providing an insight to interior manufacturers and interiors design specialists on how to innovate through student power.
Birmingham City University, one of the UK’s leading University’s for practice based research around design and innovation, has brought together 80 textile design students and set them the challenge of working in partnership with industry to show how product innovation and design inspiration can be formulated using this talented resource to create a range of textile, wall, floor and interiors solutions.
Trends 2012 Brochure
The Client
Based on a long term partnership with UBM Live, Global Color Research™ and Mix Publications and international digital wall covering manufacturer Tektura, Trends engages with Birmingham Institute of Art & Design students and associated academics with considerable industry and research experience, to test the trends presented by Global Color Research™ and Mix Publications.
The Trends project is part of a wider programme of activity of engagement with industry, led by the Birmingham Institute of Art and Design. The 2012 project has linked Karndean Designflooring, mrf design ltd, Phoenix Tile Studio, Paul Margetts, Plant and Moss, Mobius Living, Alison Davies, The Chair people and The Wenlock Box Company.
As global colour trend experts, Global Color Research and Mix Publications take every opportunity to work with future designers. That’s why we are glad to continue our partnership with the students of Birmingham City University, as their high levels of creativity and design output always provide for an exciting and unique experience in bringing our trends to life.
"It’s always good to see students who embrace new technological developments within the design industry as it assists their learning and provides us with insight into the technological developments that they so love to embrace.”
Carolina Calzada-Oliveira, Marketing Manager, Global Color Research and Mix Publications.
Results
“It is no coincidence that interiors leads onto a wide range of new product design led projects, with manufacturers compelled to see how they can utilise this untapped resource,” says Joanna Birch, Head of External Development at Birmingham City University.
“Trends often make Interior Designers and manufacturers realise the power of students to stimulate their product innovation. Having worked with internationally recognised brands like Natural History Museum, and one of the UK leaders in Garden Furniture, Hartman UK, we know how powerful this think tank of inspiration can be in re-energising product and design innovation, in a very cost effective manner.”
Benefits
- Inspiration and new ideas
- Product development in a risk free environment
- Talent recruitment
Paul Facey, Hartman UK’s Sales Director, who recently worked with Birmingham City University on a design competition said: “All the designs from Birmingham City University students were exceptional. We set up a competition to create a design that could feasibly be brought to market, and we were stunned that we found so many designs that we could do that with.”
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