University News Last updated 19 December 2011
A talented student from Birmingham City University is set to see his design turn into reality after winning a competition by leading outdoor furniture company Hartman UK.
The Telford based company set final year BA Design Studies students a brief to design a new collection of outdoor furniture for 2013. The judges were so impressed with the high calibre of entries they have announced that the winning design - by 24 year old Christopher Wall - will now go into commercial production.
Christopher’s design for a futuristic resin weave modular garden table and chairs was described by Hartman judges as ‘contemporary, aesthetically pleasing, futuristic, and colourful’.
Christopher will win £1,000 and runner up student Liling Yao will also see her design, named Rocking Chair, produced for Hartman’s 2013 collection and receive a £500 prize. Hartman also announced that three further innovative furniture design concepts by Meera Joshi, Amit Fox and Justine Woolley would also be sample manufactured.
The presentation to the winning students was part of a larger Design Exhibition, organised and curated by Level 6 Design Studies students at Birmingham City University where several of the Hartman project outcomes were on display, along with other student work showcasing the wealth of design talent within the Product Design, Interior Products Design and Interior Design pathways.
Paul Facey, Hartman UK’s Sales Director, said: “All the designs were exceptional and our job was very difficult. Each piece of work was professionally presented and totally blew us away. The winner and the runner up stood out particularly in terms of design, style, shape, usability and the wow factor.
“This competition was all about finding 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. We can’t wait to see the amazing creations we’ve seen on paper become reality.”
Malcolm Hastings, Senior Lecturer in Product Design, added: “Birmingham City University is an innovative and forward-thinking university with a focus on developing high quality graduate talent. Successful collaborative projects with industry are a vital part of preparing our students with the skills they need after leaving the university. The students submitted a wide variety of high quality designs which reflect the amount of work they put in and and their professional attitude. We have thoroughly enjoyed working with Hartman UK on this exciting project, and look forward to seeing the end results as the designs go forward for manufacture.”
The students were asked to consider commerciality and trends as well as material and production restraints such as shipping container sizes and durability. The product range needed to be suitable for manufacture in extruded, cast or pressed aluminium, or resin weave.
The winning designs will be showcased as part of the Hartman 2013 collection at the outdoor living exhibition Solex in July 2012.
For more information about Hartman visit www.hartmanuk.com