Rhode Island School of Design Students Vie for a Chance to See
Winning Product Go to Retail
NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
Kikkerland Design is proud to announce its partnership with The
Container Store® and the Industrial Design Program at the
Rhode Island School of Design (RISD). The two companies are inviting
industrial design students to re-think the organized home.
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For its eighth design challenge, Kikkerland Design invited the students
to design an innovative product within three core categories:
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The Connected Home: Respond to the impact of technology on all
aspects of home living and cord management.
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Healthy food: Offer answers to food prep/cabinet
storage/meals-on-the-go based on current health trends.
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The “Celebrity” Effect: Create a storage and organization
solution for the increased use of make-up, more jewelry and nail
polish, creating a need for customized storage and organization.
The goal is to give design students a platform to present their product
ideas for a well-respected retailer and the chance to see their ideas
produced. The product submissions need to appeal to The Container
Store’s consumer and include Kikkerland’s signature fun and functional
characteristics.
Assistant Design Professor Matthew Bird at RISD will be guiding students
and reviewing all products throughout the fall semester. Final products
will be hosted online at http://www.risddesignchallenge.com
for a public vote November 13th - 15th.
Customers can vote for their favorite designs to determine the People’s
Choice Winner. The prototypes will then be sent to Kikkerland and The
Container Store where a jury of buyers, merchandisers and industrial
design professionals will determine the pieces selected for production.
The winners will be announced at an awards ceremony on December 4, 2015.
Winners in the two categories below will be announced at the awards
ceremony:
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Academic Winner(s): The selected student(s) will receive an
academic achievement award and will be invited to Design Week.
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People's Choice Winner: This is the selected product that
received the most votes online. The winning designer will receive an
award certificate and will be given additional consideration for
Kikkerland production. The final winning designer will receive a
royalty agreement with Kikkerland Design.
For more than 15 years, Kikkerland Design and The Container Store have
had a long-standing partnership and are committed to bringing innovative
design solutions to consumers.
“We are honored to partner with Kikkerland for their annual design
challenge. At The Container Store, we’ve always believed that storage
and organization don’t have to be boring and that functional items can
actually be fun. Kikkerland has always been a trusted vendor we look to
for inspired designs that turn the everyday into exciting,
make-you-smile solutions. We’re eager to see what these bright and
talented RISD students will dream up in the way of home organization,”
said Sharon Tindell, Chief Merchandising Officer of The Container Store.
About The Container Store:
The Container Store (NYSE: TCS) is the nation’s leading retailer of
storage and organization products and the only retailer solely devoted
to the category. The company originated the concept of storage and
organization of retailing when it opened its first store in 1978. Today,
the retailer has 74 store locations nationwide that each average 25,000
square feet. The Container Store has over 10,000 products – many of them
multifunctional – to help customers save space and, ultimately, save
them time. As the pace of modern life accelerates, being organized is
not a luxury but a necessity, The Container Store is devoted to making
customers more productive, relaxed and happier by selling customized
organization solutions such as custom closets using its new TCS
Closets™ collection and its elfa
shelving and drawer system. Since its inception, the retailer has
nurtured an employee-first culture and couples its one-of-a-kind product
collection with a high level of customer service delivered by its highly
trained organization experts. The Company has been named to FORTUNE
magazine’s 100 Best Companies To Work For® 16 years in a row.
Visit www.containerstore.com
for more information about store locations, the product collection,
services offered - including the retailer’s new, personalized in-home
organization service Contained
Home – and to sign up for the POP!
Perfectly Organized Perks program. Discover The Container Store’s
storage and organization solutions at work in real spaces of its
customers’ and employees’ homes along with tips, advice and product
sneak peeks at the retailer’s new lifestyle blog, Container Stories (containerstore.com/blog).
To find out more about The Container Store’s unique culture, Foundation
Principles and devotion to Conscious Capitalism, visit the retailer’s
culture blog at www.whatwestandfor.com
or read Chairman & CEO Kip Tindell’s book UNCONTAINABLE: How
Passion, Commitment, and Conscious Capitalism Built a Business Where
Everyone Thrives (available at The Container Store, www.uncontainable.com
and anywhere books are sold).
About Kikkerland Design:
Kikkerland Design (kikkerland.com) was founded by Dutchman Jan
van der Lande, who launched the label in 1992 from a houseboat anchored
in the Hudson River, delivering orders by bicycle for the first few
years. Looking for well-designed products laced with humor, a poetic
twist and a clever distortion of everyday language, van der Lande has
represented young, self-producing designers since 1987. He launched the
company with the works of emerging designers who would rapidly make big
names for themselves in the industry, among them Hella Jongerius and
Richard Hutten. Early successes include the Young Giant picture
frame by Jongerius, Richard Hutten’s No Sign of Design furniture,
Rob Dashorst’s V vase, Bowl B/V by Vincent de Rijk and the Wander
stool by Ruud Jan Kokke (now part of the permanent design collection of
the Museum of Modern Art New York). The character of Kikkerland was such
that the first printed catalog featured an arts section, in addition to
design.
Today, Kikkerland adds 150 new items to its catalog every six
months—averaging out to a remarkable one product per day. The
wide-ranging collection offers everything from kitchen and bar products,
stationery and tech accessories to games, tools and tabletop items for
living space and the bath. These objects are witty, aiming to engage and
inspire the curious viewer while embracing innovative technologies and
wide-ranging materials.
About RISD
Founded in 1877, Rhode Island School of Design (or “RIZ-dee” for the
acronym RISD) is one of the oldest and best-known colleges of art and
design in the U.S. Each year approximately 2,300 students from around
the world pursue a creative, studio-based education at RISD, which
offers rigorous bachelor’s and master’s degree programs in 19
architecture, design, fine arts and art education majors. The college is
located in Providence, Rhode Island, which offers its own vibrant art
scene and is conveniently located between two other major cultural
centers: Boston and New York.
Drawing on its historic contribution to responsible, human-centered
design, RISD’s Industrial Design program teaches students to use
critical thinking and the design process itself to bring new value to
companies, communities and citizens. Professors with expertise in a wide
range of areas guide students in researching user experiences to create
well-conceived and executed objects, products and systems that make
everyday tasks easier.
Matthew Bird, Assistant Professor in RISD’s Industrial Design program
will be leading the design challenge with the junior students at RISD.
Matthew has 25 years experience in the art, gift, and design industry
where he participated in all roles in the industry, from design and
manufacturing to retail. He is a design historian, and frequent guest
critic and lecturer at various schools and universities, as well as an
independent curator for design-related museum exhibits. Matthew is an
experienced trade show buyer and exhibitor, and a designer who
understands the market place for industrial/product design.
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Source: The Container Store