Ten UK state school teams shortlisted for the Design Museum’s annual national design and enterprise challenge
#DesignVentura 2019 Shortlist Announcement
Three hundred secondary schools across the UK and beyond took part in the 10th Design Ventura competition.
Students aged thirteen to sixteen responded to a live brief set by Turner-prize winning design studio Assemble to design a new product for the Design Museum Shop.
In December the ten shortlisted teams will have the opportunity to pitch their design concepts to a panel of design and business professionals.
The winning team will be announced in February 2020 and will work with a leading design studio to develop their idea for sale in the Design Museum Shop from June 2020. All profits will go to a charity of the team’s choice.
Teams were challenged to design a product and to consider the manufacturing budgeting and sustainability, for one of three target audiences:
- Families
- Adult design enthusiasts
- Young people and students
The shortlisted ideas ranges from a tool for artists and designers to combat creative block to a Bauhaus-inspired finger football game for families.
The top ten shortlisted state school teams, in alphabetical order, are:
- Ashcroft Technology Academy, London, Rocket Man Bookmark – A rocket shaped bookmark, with an attached rocket man, that can be customized with photos.
- Blythe Bridge High School, Staffordshire, Pixel Bricks – An art/design kit that allows people to create designs and patterns using coloured pieces that fit together like a jigsaw.
- Cardinal Newman Catholic School, East Sussex, Travel Buddy – A travel tag that can be customized with stickers, to help people remember what they need to pack for their holidays.
- County Upper School, Suffolk, Magnamals – Animal shaped magnets that come in three pieces that can be mixed and matched to create new creatures.
- Ferndown Upper School, Dorset, Finger Fussball – A design themed version of finger football. The teams are made up of figures from the Bauhaus and other art/design movements.
- George Spencer Academy, Nottinghamshire, Colour the Rainforest – A rainforest themed activity kit for children that includes a rainforest colouring in sheet and felt pencil toppers/finger puppets of endangered animals. The kit aims to raise awareness about endangered animals and their habitats.
- Trinity School, Berkshire, Roll up Bamboo Pencil Case – A sustainable bamboo roll up pencil case.
- Twynham School, Dorset, Design Cubes – A dice game that helps people generate design ideas and combats creative block. Three dice with different categories help students generate creative ideas.
- Upton-by-Chester High School, Cheshire, Food Chain Puzzle – An educational wooden puzzle for young children, where the organisms must be put in the order that they appear in the food chain.
- Wallington High School for Girls, Sutton, Jigsters – A set of cork coasters in jigsawshapes that fit together to form a place-mat depicting imagery relating to the Design Museum exhibition Moving to Mars.
The proposals were chosen by a panel of leading professionals from the worlds of business and design. Valerie Charlton, shortlisting judge from Sebastian Conran Associates, says: “It was really exciting to see all of the students’ creative concepts. A lot of research and design process went into the work and it’s produced some great ideas.”
The judges reviewing the top ten pitches will be:
- Katie Greenyer, Creative Talent and Network Director for the Pentland Group
- Jo Halligan, Co-founder of Assemble
- Morag Myserscough, Designer
- Duncan Sanders, Head of Trading at the Design Museum
- Christopher Woermann, Head of Marketing at Deutsche Bank
Nicole Lovett, Head of Corporate Social Responsibility UK, Deutsche Bank says:
“We are delighted to be hosting the Pitching Event at Deutsche Bank this year to celebrate the 10th year of Design Ventura, which has seen more than 92,000 students from over 2,000 schools take part over the last decade.”
Shortlist for Independent and International School Category:
Three teams were shortlisted for a separate category in the national competition. Schools in the International and Independent Category are invited to submit a video pitch, which will be reviewed by the judges at the Pitching Day. The teams will be invited to an awards event at the Design Museum in March 2020.
The top three shortlisted schools in the International and Independent Category, in alphabetical order, are:
- Haberdashers’ Aske’s School for Girls, Hertfordshire, Four Treasures – A board game that helps children learn about geography.
- More House School, Surrey, Grip Spin – A self-assemble fidget toy that attaches to the end of a pencil or pen.
- Wrekin College, Shropshire, Iso-Box – A drawing aid shaped like a London telephone box that includes a ruler and a protractor.
Responses