Young Design Talent Recognized Through Housewares Show Competition
Each year at the International Home + Housewares Show, student designers are recognized for their work through the International Housewares Association (IHA) Student Design Competition. Students’ projects involve user and market research, design thinking, sketching, engineering, and prototypes. The competition recognizes and rewards young design talent and prepares students for real-world employer expectations.
In 2010, Trevis Kurz (a designer at Beyond Design), won first place for his smoke alarm that is accessible with a broomstick (to learn more about the design, click here). With this being the 20th year of the competition, Trevis was recently interviewed by the Chicago Tribune about the competition and its impact on students.
Trevis Kurz at the Housewares Show in 2010 (photo from thelantern.com)
“When you’re a student and first go there, you’re really not ready for the exposure you’re going to get,” said Trevis Kurz, who as a student at Ohio State University won first place in 2010 with a smoke alarm that is accessible with a broomstick, eliminating the need to get on a ladder to change batteries. “You create these products and renderings, but you’re really never on stage. Then you’re standing there and 50,000 people are walking by asking, ‘Who’s making it? Do you have the patent?’ From the student’s perspective going into a job hunt, it’s awesome.”
– Trevis Kurz
More information on the six winners from this year’s competition can be found here. To read the full Chicago Tribune article, click here.
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