Member Control Panel
Supporting Young Product Designers
| By Luke Parsons, Agentdraw Ltd Agentdraw Ltd is a company based in the Midlands which offers a complete concept to manufacture service. Created in 1991, Agentdraw has evolved from simply fulfilling injection moulding requirements to now being a fully integrated, design led manufacturing company. “The injection moulding process is extremely versatile, plastic is a wonderful material which provides product designers and companies with a world of possibilities” says Agentdraw’s Managing Director Darren Parsons. “The material is also easily recyclable. Careful consideration during the design phase can ensure that any product has less impact on the environment, a factor we take very seriously.” There are ever increasing developments in material technologies which means that plastics are being used in far more technical roles, reducing weight and increasing functionality of products. Combining this increased component functionality and reduced weight which, in turn, reduces transport , fuel, etc, with a high recyclability, makes plastic products actually very environmentally friendly when compared to other production methods. The truth of the matter is we just need to be better at designing and recycling them. Here at Agentdraw we try to consider every aspect of a product through its life from manufacture all the way to end of life disposal, or, the recycling of the product. Too often products are designed and manufactured without considering their environmental impact. The simple and often quoted “form follows function” statement that many designers use is a philosophy that falls short of what is required in a modern world, where sustainability is becoming more and more important and there is far more to consider than form and function. Mr Parsons, was asked to take part in the Phillipe Starck Program ‘Design for Life’, which was purported to highlight the great UK design talent but simply seemed to do the opposite, with the program stating that there had been no decent design talent out of the UK since Sir Terence Conran. When Mr. Parsons interviewed the finalists as part of the competition it was obvious that no consideration had been made to the sustainability of their products, nor was it a criteria of the competition. Upon Mr. Parsons’s return from Paris he decided that Agentdraw should do something to support the young design talent in the UK. He conceived the Agentdraw Young Designer Award which would be used to educate the young designers with a formal design strategy and highlight the creativity in Great Britain. Each contestant needed to follow the companies design philosophy to design and develop products. Product sustainability is a large part of the requirements of the competition and the contestants were required to demonstrate their considerations and knowledge in this area in order to move forward through the competition stages. At the beginning of 2010, Agentdraw Ltd began their tour of UK universities to promote their Young Product Designer Competition. The competition was open to all designers under the age of 25, with the aim of finding real design talent In the UK. The winning competitor would receive the Agentdraw Young Designer Award which would be presented at the prestigious Plastics Industry Awards at the Park Lane Hilton Hotel. This evening would include an expenses paid gala evening and overnight stay in the Park Lane Hilton. At this event the contestants would have the opportunity to show case their designs to the best of the plastics industry and potentially launch their design career. The main prize is that the winning contestant will have their product prototyped, marketed and possibly manufactured by Agentdraw Ltd, a fantastic and potentially lucrative start to any design career. The format of the competition comprised of several stages, varying in complexity. The purpose of the competition was not only to find creative ideas but also educate students of the real design processes used for product development. The first stage required applicants to produce hand renderings of their initial idea on a single sheet of A4 paper. It is an important design skill to have the ability to communicate an idea in its most basic form before too much time is invested in a particular direction or product. There was an overwhelming response to the first stage of the competition, with some inspiring ideas sent in. The volume of entrants demonstrated an immense amount of design talent in the UK. The applicants then went through several stages following the Agentdraw design process which has evolved their ideas and also improved their understanding of product development. The three finalists had products in very different market sectors and all of them had demonstrated a real passion for product design throughout the process. Dynamic Chair The Dynamic Chair - A simple moulded chair designed to solve the issue of lower back pain from developing in both children and adults. An unstable base provides a full range of motion to keep the back muscles working. The ‘rubber’ pads at the front ensure it doesn't slide. Its shape has been carefully designed to allow the user to rock forward and thus sit in a healthy position while still allowing the chair to stack for convenient storage.  The space saving, very efficient stacking of the design meant that the product could be transported very efficiently. There were many engineering developments during the design process to reduce material content, reduce cycle times and energy requirements in the manufacturing process. The material choices were also a key consideration as the product required the use of both hard and soft polymers, however, by use of material additives a single polymer solution was possible enabling easier recycling of the product when it reaches end of life. Orana The Orana is a handheld product which works by using a small cutting edge and guide at the front to slice orange peel and on the reverse has another device to remove the tops of bananas.  This contestant decided to use bio-degradable polymer for his product as he wanted to ensure that his product had minimal environmental impact. Vegetool This is a garden multi-tool that uses a single handle to simplify the gardening experience. The design minimizes the material volume used for a tool set and allows easy and comfortable operation of the product, particularly for low dexterity users.  The product is constructed from corn starch based materials as the contestant was very keen to choose materials from a renewable resource. The result is a sustainable solution for design conscious users whilst offering a new level of functionality. This has been a great opportunity for young designers to get valuable exposure and the opportunity to have their product prototyped, marketed and manufactured. The 2010 competition was a great success with a high standard of entries which demonstrates the design talent that exists in this country. We look forward to seeing next year’s entrants. LUKE PARSONS Agentdraw Ltd Tel: +44 (0) 116 284 1386 Fax: +44 (0) 116 286 7507 Email: luke@agentdraw.co.uk Web: www.agentdraw.co.uk |
