Welcome to the archive section for the 2008 competition winners. To see the full list of finalists and a selection of their work, please download the commemorative catalogue.
All of the category and prize winners for 2008 are listed below with links to their work. Some winners have compiled personal profiles - please follow the links over their names to find out more about them and what they have been doing since winning the Northern Design Competition.
Winner 2008: Andrew Green - University of Lincoln
Entry name: Seasonal Affective Disorder Rehabilitation Centre, Iceland
Students description of work: "The project started from an interest in the phenomena of light and how it is captured within still photography and divergent lens based media. This further developed into a rigorous experimental and analytical investigation exploring the complexities, parameters and motion of light. The evolving understanding of the phenomena lead to the design of a building which, whether in terms of form, context, language or program is unavoidably inspired and informed by light.
The site is located in Reykjavik, Iceland. A densely populated arctic community within a longitudinal area deprived of natural sunlight, where daylight hours are reduced to around two - four hours a day. The coastal location creates a diverse and hostile climate and the geological circumstances on site allow for the adaption of sustainable technologies.
The deviations in the structure help to avoid unwanted solar gain during the summer and allow for maximum daylight penetration during the winter months, displacing and refracting it throughout the internal space.
The building aims to become an antidote to the problem of Seasonal Affective Disorder throughout Iceland. The building is a refuge/sanctuary which provides diagnosis, therapy and treatments for sufferers of the disorder, as well as facilitating research into new treatments."
Entry files:
1) Entry (PDF)
Judges comments: "This is a project which tackles some of the key challenges of living in the north….set in the inhospitable landscape of Iceland, it takes the long cold winter and the problem of seasonal depression and elegantly resolves these through a striking built form which is both environmentally responsive and a positive and friendly place to be."
Judge: Neil Swanson
To view all of the finalists in this category, please download the competitions 2008 commemorative catalogue by clicking here.
Winner 2008: Kristyna Baczynski - Leeds Metropolitan University
Entry name: Java Jive
Students description of work: "The life of a coffee bean in 1 minute 54. All of the visuals are drawn in pen, coloured in Photoshop and animated in Final Cut."
Entry files:
1) Entry (YouTube Video)
Judges comments: "And the digital winner is…Java Jive, for its ambitious attention to detail, creative illustration style, quality of animation, but ultimately its engaging story telling."
Judge: Ian Rossin
To view all of the finalists in this category, please download the competitions 2009 commemorative catalogue by clicking here.
Winner 2008: Amie Price - Liverpool John Moores University
Entry name: Seahorses
Students description of work: "This dress consists of three layers, an inner tube of cotton jersey holds the middle bubble in shape. The middle layer holds its shape also by the use of flexi boning. This layer is also printed with a sea horse motif i'd previously illustrated. The outer layer is silk chiffon, I added circle cut outs to inkeep with the under the sea feel, it adds great movement and texture to the dress.
The top half of the design i kept simple, in order to keep the focus on the detailing in the layers. I wanted the fashion shoot to be quite basic in order to keep all atention on my dress, and kept the lighting low to project a strong shadow on the back of the studio wall."
Entry files:
We apologise but entry files for this piece are currently unavailable.
Judges comments: "The winning design showed a thorough understanding of a quite complex style of pattern cutting, and excellent level of construction and an on-trend aesthetic."
Judge: Julie Linguard
To view all of the finalists in this category, please download the competitions 2009 commemorative catalogue by clicking here.
Winner 2008: Verity Hatfield - New College Pontefract
Entry name: Life, death and preservation
Students description of work: "This project concentrated on the idea of life, death and preservation. I started by sealing a dead bird in a jar and photographing it as it decayed. This gave life to maggots and then they died and it became stagnant, removing it from the outside world slowed and eventually stopped the process of decay and the inside of the jar became trapped in a timeless space. I printed the photographs from over the transition in the darkroom (about 20mm tall) and hung them with string to the inside of the jar and two others like it, to seal in the space away from time with the bird."
Entry files:
We apologise but entry files for this piece are currently unavailable.
Judges comments: "This piece demonstrated an extremely sophisticated and strong approach to contextual and conceptual thinking parallel with a thoughtful and elegant visual aesthetic; the resulting finished work is intriguing and enigmatic, disarming and poignant, beguiling and beautiful."
Judge: Professor Russell Mills
To view all of the finalists in this category, please download the competitions 2009 commemorative catalogue by clicking here.
Winner 2008: Sam McCluskey - Leeds Metrpolitan University
Entry name: Postcards for an English Summer
Students description of work: "These are four postcards based on 2007's miserable summer. They play upon Englands rainy reputation."
Entry files:
1) Entry (PDF)
Judges comments: "This was chosen as the winner because of its wit and charm; and because it clearly communicates a message about the true "Great British Summertime."
Judge: Alex Atkinson
To view all of the finalists in this category, please download the competitions 2009 commemorative catalogue by clicking here.
Winner 2008: James Pyle - Manchester Metropolitan University
Entry name: Inspired by Bill Hicks
Students description of work: "Taken form Bill Hicks live transcripts - Kids would come up to me when I was younger and go, ‘My Dad can beat up your Dad.’ I’d go ‘When? Take the man out, you know. He’s cutting the lawn Saturday, pick him off then, why don’t you?' - Bill Hicks"
Entry files:
1) Entry (PDF)
Judges comments: "In an area that tends to be either merely decorative or technically proficient yet weak conceptually, this work was chosen not only for its simple direct approach to a sensitive topical issue, but also because of its maker’s extremely considered editorial skills in selecting the minimum visual elements necessary to produce a bold and thoughtful visually appropriate juxtaposition."
Judge: Professor Russell Mills
To view all of the finalists in this category, please download the competitions 2009 commemorative catalogue by clicking here.
Winner 2008: Luke Gould - Leeds Metrpolitan University
Entry name: Dorothy
Students description of work: "Another photograph from a care home.According to her records, Dorothy used to be a keen dancer, tennis player, and had a strong interest in fashion. At 92 years of age, and in a late stage of dementia, she is unable to communicate with other people and is totally dependent on others to perform basic functions."
Entry files:
1) Entry (JPEG)
Judges comments: "Not only has the photographer demonstrated a very high level of technical knowledge and understanding of lighting, they have also an eye that can compose an image. It is an extraordinary photograph of an ordinary everyday situation, and you can see the photographer has empathy with their subject matter. The old woman looks content and dignified."
Judge: Anne McNeill
To view all of the finalists in this category, please download the competitions 2009 commemorative catalogue by clicking here.
Winner 2008: Mark John Adair - University of Derby
Entry name: Virgin Flyer
Students description of work: "The Virgin Flyer chair was designed in response to the Virgin Atlantic Design Challenge set to the University of Derby when Sir Richard Branson opened the new Art, Design and Technology campus. The challenge was to make air travel ‘greener’ by any means suitable.
The idea behind the chair was to reduce the weight of economy aircraft seating, thus reducing the amount of fuel required by the plane, reducing the carbon emissions.
In order to bring the weight down, a skeletal frame made of honeycomb aluminium is used for the main body and ‘pellicle’ mesh is used rather than bulky foam padding. In line with many of the ‘budget’ aircraft seating, the recline has been removed to eliminate the heavy mechanism, substituted with a more reclined back support to improve comfort.
Additional features include a media centre (with usb connectivity), adjustable arm rests, head rest speakers, a compact folding tray and a footrest with massage rollers- designed to combat problems with deep vein thrombosis.
Overall the weight saving features would reduce the seat’s weight by approximately 30% per chair, dramatically reducing the planes overall weight."
Entry files:
1) Entry (JPEG)
Judges comments: "This design was chosen because of the obvious effort, time and energy used in its creation. It combines function with extraordinary attention to detail, innovative use of materials; and the sheer audacity of the design is a pleasure to see. I can’t wait to try one out!"
Judge: Trevor Baylis
To view all of the finalists in this category, please download the competitions 2009 commemorative catalogue by clicking here.
Winner 2008: Mark John Adair - University of Derby
Entry name: Virgin Flyer
Judges comments: "This piece responds to the brief, is sustainable and fit for purpose."
Judge: Wayne Hemingway
To view all of the finalists in this category, please download the competitions 2009 commemorative catalogue by clicking here.
Architectural Design Winner
Digital Media Winner
Fashion Design Winner
Fine Art Winner
Graphic Design Winner
Illustration Winner
Photography Winner
Product Design Winner
Maurice Miller Design Champion
2007 winners archive
2007 winners catalogue
2008 winners archive
2008 winners catalogue
2009 winners archive
2009 winners catalogue