Launch of new design competition with Collyer’s Sixth Form College

Following on from the success of this summer’s ”Designing for the Future” competition with the University of Brighton, today we launched a new competition with sixth form students at the College of Richard Collyers.

The competition seeks to encourage young designers to think about the challenges that an ageing population presents – and to create innovative, attractive and aspirational designs that allow people to continue to live enjoyable, active and independent lives as they get older. 

The UK is going through an enormous demographic transition.  The first ‘baby boomers’ born after the Second World War are now drawing their pensions and the number of people over State Pension Age is overtaking the number of children.  However, research released in April 2009 from charity Age UK revealed that the majority of people over 50 feel that businesses in the UK ignore them, instead focusing the majority of their attentions on the ‘youth’ market.  This is despite the fact that older people’s spending power is worth an estimated £250 billion a year. 

Ageing is characterised by certain physical changes – a decline in short-term memory, failing eyesight, hearing and problems with manual dexterity.  Whilst there are products already available that are designed to address these changes, they are usually dull and clinical with very little emphasis on attractive design, making them ‘necessary evils’ which highlight disability rather than aid and promote ability.  

After the success of the University of Brighton competition earlier this year, we are very excited to be running this competition with Collyers. There is a dearth of attractively designed products available for people who want to continue enjoying life as they get older. By engaging designers at the very beginning of their careers, we are hoping to encourage them to focus on this increasingly important market.

 The competition is open to Collyers students on the GCE Advanced Subsidiary Product Design course and will be judged by Denise Stephens (ex Collyers student and co-founder of online design community Enabled by Design), Harry Trimble (former winner of the Designing for the Future Competition at University of Brighton, final year 3D Design student), and Philippa Aldrich (founder of The Future Perfect Company).

Tutors Kate Sharpe (Faculty leader – Arts and Communications) and Hari Atkins (Subject Leader – Product Design, Materials) will act as advisors to the judging panel. The results will be announced in December 2010 and the winner will receive a prize of £75. There will be five further prizes of £25 for highly commended entries.

Image : Pill Box by Sophia Fong, University of Brighton