Nadezhda Fedotova with her winning design

The competition is part of Swarovski’s decade-long sponsorship programme with CSM. It involved students on BA Jewellery Design working within one of four themes, Berlin, Istanbul, Fiction and Luminescence.

The panel of judges included Nadja Swarovski, jewellery designer Hannah Martin, and In Detail blogger Beanie Major who reviewed the finished work last Friday at King’s Cross.

Nadezhda Fedotova prize-winning design was inspired by ceremonial African masks and Voodoo relics. She created a multifunctional magnetic bracelet/necklace in brass and carved wood, set with Swarovski Gemstones. Second prize went to Joann Hong (Istanbul) for her feathered neckpiece, set with Swarovski Elements, which wraps around the wearer like smoke tendrils from the sweet tobacco smoked in Turkish harems. The award for Best Use of Gemstones and Best Use of Crystal went to Eleonora D’Ottavi and Esna Su respectively.

Giles Last, Senior lecturer in Jewellery at Central Saint Martins said:

“We have been delighted to work with Swarovski over the last ten years, developing an excellent example of a collaboration between Education and Industry. It is always fascinating to see how the students respond to the challenge and we look forward to continuing this productive and meaningful collaboration in the future.”

All the winning pieces are on display at Central Saint Martins until May 18.

Visit the BA Jewellery Design course page

Zuleika Penniman showcases her Berlin-inspired neckpiece

Microsoft Ltd today unveiled the twelve shortlisted designs and final winner of its inaugural PC Hardware Design Project with Central Saint Martins College of Arts and Design.

Twenty four MA Industrial Design students were briefed to create and design a range of innovative hardware and user-experience devices which consumers could be using in the future.

Microsoft tasked participating Industrial Design students to conceptualise ideas which demonstrated new thinking in computer interaction – challenging each to devise possible alternatives to the mouse and keyboard or, alternatively, visualise technologies that could be used in the future, based on emerging tech trends of today.

The shortlisted designs were showcased in an exhibition at the College last night. One student, 24 year old Victor Johansson, from Sweden, was selected as the overall winner and awarded first prize. Victor’s winning design was the Keyflex, “an evolution of the humble keyboard.”

Rather than just pressing keys, the user bends, squeezes, twists and flexes the device to control it. It can also be bent upwards and downwards to control the volume. By pressing the ‘modifier key’ at the same time, the action of bending gets assigned to a different function (e.g. fast forwarding a movie). The device can also be twisted to pause or escape. When using social media, the user can squeeze either the right or left side to ‘share’ or ‘like’.”

'Keyflex', Victor Johansson

Scott Smith, Principal User Experience Designer with the Microsoft Hardware User Experience Team and judge of the PC Hardware Design Project, commented:

It has been a fascinating experience to see students who hail from a diverse mix of backgrounds and nationalities developing fresh insights into the world of man/machine interaction. I was particularly impressed with Victor Johansson’s design as he successfully met the overall goal of the programme and really showcased a possible future trend which addressed a clear consumer need – a quality that is at the forefront of all Microsoft design thinking.”

Find out more:
- MA Industrial Design course page

Yuki Agriardi Koswara has been announced as the winner of the Palladium Jewellery Design Competition 2012 at an exclusive launch on 17 February during London Fashion Week at Somerset House.

The collaboration between the International Palladium Board and Central Saint Martins challenged students from the MA Design: Jewellery, Furniture or Ceramics course to create a piece of jewellery from the rare precious metal Palladium. Five finalists were selected to showcase their work at the BFC Rock Vault where the overall winner was announced.

An esteemed panel of industry experts including Carol Woolton, Hannah Martin and Stephen Webster judged the unique and outstanding designs. They felt that Yuki’s ‘Essentia’ neckpiece ‘most reflected the brief to showcase palladium’s inherent properties of lightness and strength’.

Find out more:
- The International Palladium Board website
- MA Design: Ceramics, Furniture or Jewellery course page

Back in April last year we announced BA Graphic Design students Helen Lovelee and Frida Delin as the winners of a competition to re-design the certificate for The Queen’s Anniversary Prizes for Higher and Further Education, with their winning design accepted by the Queen herself.

Helen and Frida based their intricate cellular pattern on microscope studies of a rose named after the Queen. The redesigned certificates debuted in February of this year, the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee year, at the presentation of the Queen’s Anniversary Prizes for Higher and Further Education at Buckingham Palace. The Queen was so impressed with the design, that last month Helen and Frida were invited to Buckingham Palace to meet the Queen and see her sign the approval.

Find out more:
- Read the original post on the CSM blog
- BA Graphic Design course page

Woven textile designer and artist, Nadia-Anne Ricketts, began her design journey into digital textiles during her time with BA Textile Design at CSM.

Nadia demonstrated her acute eye for cultural trends and the innovative use of digital technologies by creating her celebrated project ‘BeatWoven’.

The fusion of music and weave, brought together with digital technologies, has not only won Nadia many opportunities to exhibit at various prestigious events in London; including several at the Victoria and Albert Museum, but has recently won her The Cockpit Arts/Clothworkers’ Foundation Award 2012. The funding from The Clothworkers’ Company will allow Nadia to pursue her label of BeatWoven in a fully equipped studio at Cockpit Arts, Deptford, from April 2012.

Find out more:
- The Clothworker’s Company website
- Cockpit Arts website
- Nadia-Anne Ricketts’s website
- Beatwoven website
- BA Textile Design course page