COILLTE PANEL PRODUCTS SET SOUTH EAST ESSEX COLLEGE EXHIBITION DESIGN CHALLENGE

16th March 2009 - Another challenging design competition, this time for BA (Hons) Interior Design students

As part of a continued programme of engagement with the designers of tomorrow, Coillte Panel Products - the Irish forestry company's forest products division based in Dartford - has been working with South East Essex College to set their BA (Hons) Interior Design students their first live project challenge of the year.

The simulation of a commercial client brief for this group of second year students was to create a new “show stopping” design for a Coillte Panel Products exhibition stand. The company's strong environmental credentials were critical to this design, and the aim was to use good design to enhance the company's presentation to “environmentally aware” audiences and provide creative and appropriate reusable solutions for an exhibition space.

The briefing included a presentation by Coillte Panel Product's marketing and business development director, Geoff Rhodes, on the company and its products Medite MDF and SmartPly OSB. He says, “It is important to link industry with academics. Connectivity with education is just as significant for us as it is for the students, and being able to provide a new generation of designers with their first taste of a commercial brief brings a level of relevance to their work which they have not previously experienced.”

The students presented their final designs to the ‘client'; a group of professionals drawn from Coillte Panel Products marketing team and the degree course lecturers, led by course leader Dave Taylor. “The presentations covered a wide range of concepts, but all had strong stand-out and visual impact, and all used and showcased both product brands,” he says. “The influences came from many sources provided by Coillte Panel Products, as well as the students' own research. The natural shapes of the forest and timber worked really well, we saw the Forest Stewardship Certification message coming through strongly, and many of the designs really pushed the versatility of the products.”

Applauding all the designs produced for this exhibition design module, Geoff Rhodes praised the students' work and individual initiative. He says, “This is a celebration of individual talent and hard work, and the results are very impressive. Appealing to exhibition visitors can be difficult, but some of the ideas presented, including interactive games relating to our products and use of innovative 3D technology for on-stand presentations, would really have a ‘show stopping' impact. The students interpreted unknown products from an unfamiliar industry into workable, individual and original exhibitions designs, making this a great project, both for us and for South East Essex College.”

Mr Rhodes concludes, “Working with the interior and product design courses at universities such as Newcastle, Kingston, and now degree students at South East Essex College, enables us to introduce students to current commercial information on the forest products industry as well as important surrounding issues such as sustainability, and we hope this influence goes with them into their professional careers as specifiers.”