Architecture, Design and the Built Environment

Jennifer McDowell

Jennifer McDowell
BA (Hons) Furniture and Product Design
2011 Graduate
Company: DO-WELL DESIGN
Jennifer recently exhibited and spoke at Grand Designs Live at the NEC in Birmingham discussing Biobox, a fully biodegradable compost caddy that encourages composting of organic waste in the home and the development of basic gardening skills.

How did BIOBOX come to be shown at Grand Designs?
Exhibiting and speaking at Grand Designs all came about from my chair 'Bow' being exhibited at New Designers on the Nottingham Trent University stand. I was contacted by a member of Grand Designs after they saw the BIOBOX in the brochure and Kevin McCloud included it in the final selection. I was delighted! It definitely gave me a lot of confidence.

How did it feel for BIOBOX to be showcased at Grand Designs and actually speaking at the event?
It was a big stage, so I was pretty nervous about speaking beforehand! I thought it was just going to be in a seminar room, so coming out onto the main stage was a little daunting. At NTU we always research ideas as thoroughly as possible, so that gave me a lot of confidence knowing I'd be able to answer questions from the public. During my degree we always presented our work to other students which really helped when faced with speaking in front of people and that gave me more confidence. Since then I've featured in the Telegraph and have spoken on BBC Radio Nottingham, so it’s all a bit surreal!

Would you recommend NTU and your course?
I'd definitely recommend NTU and the Furniture and Product Design course. As the course covers such a broad range, including graphics and presentations, graduates are free to move into different areas of design after graduation. Doing a placement year also gave me a chance to look into an area I was interested in and the opportunity to live abroad for a year.

Plans for the future?
My plans for the future is to carry on DO-WELL DESIGN on a permanent basis. I've got a meeting soon with The Hive at NTU, who will be giving me advice what I need to do to move the company forward. It’s a great facility for students who are putting together their own business to get expert advice on how to succeed.