Product Tank is an interesting design forum that is worth looking at (http://www.meetup.com/ProductTank-Brighton/), part of the mind-the-product movement (http://www.mindtheproduct.com/). Maybe digitally orientated, but lots of product crossover.
Living in a shipping container might not sound ideal, but careful and creative design can make this more attractive as shown by the container city in London (cred. Daily Mail) and the internal design for Brightons 36 unit container city known as RIchardsons Yar (cred Guardian). (http://www.bht.org.uk/?s=container)
Happy birthday Design Council, 70 years old this year (http://www.designcouncil.org.uk/). You can search on-line the Design Council archives held at the university, or simply enjoy the flickr photostream (https://www.flickr.com/photos/35368374@N04/)
We are pleased to have great employment statistics for our graduates, to see the creative econonomy performing so well, and pleased that the government is supporting STEM investment. Design Tech A level is a factor in these succcesses, and teachers and industry are working hard to make this a dynamic and important subject. It’s hard to understand therefore why the government is not including Design Technology as one of the new eBacc core subjects. If you’d like to join a discussion around this with teachers and design tutors at the University on Novermber 26th, then let us know via stemsussex@brighton.ac.uk
Much publicity in the press over the 30 day right to return goods in the new Consumer Rights Act. The Act though covers much more than this incuding unfair contract terms, dispute resolution procedures, rights to cancel and repairs, and reduced payment for shoddy service. Designers and retailers particularly need to take note of these new rules.
Good luck to Sam, who is also trying to commericalise his second year design project, which was a joint winner in the Design for the Future competition (http://arts.brighton.ac.uk/study/design-craft/news/design-students-tackle-back-pain,-seat-belts-and-memory-loss-in-designing-for-the-future-2015)
Enterprising stuff from Brighton Product Design students Ben and Alec, plus Dan from Geology, with a business start up based on insect food . . . http://www.theargus.co.uk/business/13625368.Bug_Boys_want_you_to_eat_beetles_for_breakfast/
Nice research work on bike frame design from Des Covill as reported in Cycling weekly (http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/news/latest-news/new-research-unlocks-secrets-of-steel-tubing-189907). The full papers are here . . . http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877705815014216 and
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877705814005931
Welcome to the Wood Recycling enterprise formally at Circus Street and now moving next door as FIELD in part of the old barracks site. They are looking to work with entrepreneurial, socially minded product designers – you can find out more at http://fieldbtn.com/
A big thank you to the just graduated final years who voted the course as 100 % in the National Student Satisfaction survey. Cool!