Otago Polytechnic has multiple finalists in Best Design Awards

Otago Polytechnic students, graduates and staff members will be keenly awaiting the judges’ decisions at the Designers Institute of New Zealand Best Design Awards – to be announced on Friday 18 February.

Eight Otago Polytechnic School of Design-related projects are represented at the awards ceremony, which will be announced online.

The Best Design Awards are an annual showcase of excellence in graphic, spatial, product, interactive and motion design.

“To have the work of so many of our talented designers acknowledged by the judges is an outstanding achievement,” says Prof Federico Freschi, head of Te Maru Pūmanawa: College of Creative Practice and Enterprise, Otago Polytechnic.

“Previous Best Awards finalists and winners have built on their success to launch their design careers in New Zealand and overseas.

“Our finalists encompass a wide range of Design disciplines – Product, Architecture, Communication and Fashion – and span graduates, current students, staff and, significantly, partnerships outside of Otago Polytechnic.

“For example, the Public Good finals category features staff members Andrew Wallace and William Early and their amazing collaboration with South Med to create a ventilator hood to help patients with Covid-19,” Prof Freschi says.

“And the Value of Design category features the Vision 2020 Vision Screening project that included Mary Butler, Alex Gilks, Curtis Stent and Machiko Niimi. This project, which has benefited many children, shows the power of cross-disciplinary thinking.

“However, those are just two examples. The depth of thinking, allied to the technical and creative execution, and the teamwork required to bring projects to fruition, is evident throughout all the finalists’ work,” Prof Freschi says.

Otago Polytechnic Chief Executive Dr Megan Gibbons describes the long list of finalists as “an outstanding achievement”.

“We are so proud to have so many of our talented designers reach the finals of this year’s Best Design Awards.”

More information on each Otago Polytechnic-related finalist:

Architecture:

2020 graduate Mila Makasini (Navigating Culture) - Spatial (year 3)

Student Lauren Arthur (Room for Thought) – Spatial (year 2)

Product Design:

Ella Sanderson and Angus Lewry (Free Rein) - Student Product

Andrew Wallace and William Early and SouthMed team (Suzy Ventilation Hood) - Public Good

Mary Butler, Alex Gilks, Curtis Stent and Machiko Niimi and Vision 2020 team - Value of Design

Communication

Courtney Forbes (2020 graduate)(Pōpopo Wormporium) - Student Graphics