Sheffield Hallam product design students win prestigious industry awards

3rd August 2023

Students from Sheffield Hallam University’s Product Design courses have been recognised with awards from big names in the industry including Habitat and Joseph Joseph.

At the New Designers graduate design exhibition in London, Harvey McKellar was presented with the Habitat Future Design Award for ‘25-Degree’, a park bench designed to encourage conversation and combat feelings of loneliness. 

As part of the award Harvey will now benefit from a six-month paid placement at the Habitat studio.  

Harvey said:

 "When two strangers sit on a bench, they almost instinctively sit as far away from one another as possible. This design creates an environment where the further apart you sit, the more likely you are to interact, as users can see each other in their peripheral vision.  

"Hopefully, my design can give someone suffering from loneliness the push to make a first interaction." 

Angus Thomson was 1 of 5 graduates shortlisted for the New Designers 2023 Joseph Joseph ‘Brilliantly Useful’ Design Award. Angus’ ‘Stor’ hospital bedside storage is designed to make the experience of a stay in hospital more convenient and enjoyable for patients. 

Jack Norris’ design, Health in Hands, recently won a Royal Society of Arts Student Design Award. Health in Hands uses posters in public spaces with embedded technology enabling public users to check their heart health as part of their daily routine.  

Theo Hunt and Tom Baker received a ‘Kenwood Loves’ recognition and Tom also recently won the Design the Change competition run by law firm Bolt Burdon Kemp, for his design of a buggy that affixes to wheelchairs.  

Libby Shepherd was awarded a ‘Kenwood Loves’ recognition and a DCA ‘We liked your work’ recognition Red Cube for Nourish, a set of dinnerware products optimised for people living with dementia. 

Lucy Fletcher, Tom Baker, Lucy Day, Theo Hunt and Jack Norris each received a Dyson ‘Design something that solves a problem’ recognition at the awards for their work. 

Course leader, Mark Fisher, said: 

“Product Design is an exciting, highly creative profession thriving on new and innovative approaches to concept development through the exploration of creative, technical, and commercial possibilities. Product Designers imagine, create, and deliver ideas and solutions that envisage a better future. 

“We’re so proud to see our students winning awards and receiving national recognition and press coverage for new products and services designed to have a positive societal impact. Following the buzz of New Designers, several of the students have been invited to job interviews. We look forward to following their professional progress and keeping in touch.

“Our course equips students with the knowledge and professional skills required to generate compelling user insights; challenge convention and deliver genuinely sustainable product and service solutions. We’ve had brilliant feedback from industry this year on the quality of our students’ work, their professionalism and the range of creative projects undertaken.”