More than 7,000 highly innovative entries from design students from all over the world are submitted to the iF DESIGN STUDENT AWARD every year. One of the winners comes from The Hochschule Niederrhein (HSNR): Alina Wedler (24) received the prestigious distinction for her design of a cup with special properties.
The "Touch and Relax" cup, with which the product and object design student took part in the global design competition, is more than just a drinking vessel: it integrates the calming properties of a fidget toy into an everyday object. Its textured, spiky surface stimulates the senses and conveys a calming feeling when you hold it in your hand. The cup has three different patterns that harmonise with each other. "This project was inspired by my personal experiences with ADHD, with restlessness and nervousness," says Alina Wedler about the idea behind her design. "I hope to show others that being different is not a weakness - it can lead to the best ideas."
The iF DESIGN STUDENT AWARD was presented at the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao in June. The jury assessed the 7,000 entries submitted according to questions such as "Does the project solve a problem?", "Does the project strengthen group relationships?" or "Does it create a positive experience?". The citation for the distinction of Alina Wedler's cup states: "This design perfectly demonstrates that sometimes form is function."
Alina Wedler was honoured in the "Health and Wellbeing" category. "When our professor Lisa Fresyschmidt introduced us to various design competitions, I had a fidget toy in my hand and, as always, a cup on my desk," says the student. "It was at this moment that I had my first thoughts about my idea: I wanted to transfer the positive characteristics of a fidget toy to an object suitable for everyday use." After all, fidget toys can help with nervousness and restlessness, but are not always suitable for everyday use - in the office, for example. "The cup, on the other hand, offers the positive properties of a fidget toy thanks to its special structure and is also a stylish and discreet everyday companion."
At the award ceremony in Bilbao, the HSNR student had the opportunity to make contacts and exchange ideas with the international winners. "The prize is public recognition and attention for the work, and confirmation that you can make a difference with your idea. It was a very exciting moment that filled me with pride to go on stage and receive the certificate," says Alina Wedler.
Her supervising professor Lisa Freyschmidt, Professor of Ceramic, Porcelain and Glass Design at The Hochschule Niederrhein, also expresses her pride in the prestigious distinction: "It not only shows that our topics are topical, but also that our design teaching meets the highest standards. The award is an outstanding sign of the quality and relevance of our training programmes in the field of product design." It is also great that The Hochschule Niederrhein and its students are in the spotlight thanks to an international design award - "both for international companies and the press. This visibility creates trust and opens up the opportunity to make valuable contacts and draw the attention of potential business partners to us."
