Top design honour for Portsmouth students
Mon, May 11, 2009
Graphic design students Kim Franckeiss and Sarah Matthews have been awarded £2000 and have been made Fellows of the Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA) for their ‘Nic-Rou-Tine’ designs - unisex mint-flavoured lip-balms, shower gels and deodorants containing nicotine.
The RSA Design Directions competition is the UK’s leading student competition for socially responsible design, focusing on the role design can play in response to key contemporary challenges such as the nation’s health.
The third year students from the School of Art, Design and Media had to come up with an idea for over-the-counter products to help smokers quit that would be convenient, intuitive and easy to use. They were encouraged to use the opportunity to explore new platforms and technologies and not be constrained in their thinking by concerns for R&D validity.
Sarah said: “Other therapeutic nicotine products looked pharmaceutical and serious – we wanted to create something funky that people could fit into their daily routine. We came up with ‘Nic-Rou-Tine’ because the products were for everyday use and the capital letters on the packaging also stand for Nicotine Replacement Therapy.
“I think the lip balm really won the judges over. They liked the idea that it could act as a cigarette replacement as it is tube-shaped and you have to use the action of taking your hand to your mouth to use it - like you would if you took a drag from a cigarette.”
Over 800 students entered this year’s competition and previous winners include Jonathan Ive, designer of the iPod and fashion designer Betty Jackson.
The students will use their prize money to either buy equipment or support them while they do work experience with a graphic design company in London.
Kim said: “Doing unpaid work experience can leave you really broke especially when you have to pay for your train fare to and from the city. I can now use the money to pay for my commute from Portsmouth and my living expenses while gaining valuable experience I wouldn’t have otherwise had.”
Senior Art, Design & Media Lecturer Simon Clarke said: “Sarah and Kim’s design for a nicotine replacement therapy product is really innovative. They have come up with a creative and intelligent idea that I think could quite easily appeal to smokers of both sexes who are trying to give up.”