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#NTUDEGREESHOW Spotlight: Deanna Middleton

This week's Spotlight piece features BA (Hons) Product Design student Deanna Middleton.

    Deanna Middleton, Aeon, BA (Hons) Product Design, 2019
    Deanna Middleton, Aeon, BA (Hons) Product Design, 2019

    In the run-up to the Art and Design Degree Show, we will be sharing a series of student projects from across the 26 participating courses through #NTUDEGREESHOW Spotlights.

    Aeon

    The ‘billionaire space race’ has created a heightened public interest in space and has generated a new opportunity area for designers. Space travel was previously reserved for highly trained specialists however, now it is opening up to tourists. The sector is only in its infancy and still reserved for the super-rich however, in the future, it could open to a wider audience. Therefore my project is set in 2050 where space travel could become more affordable and will be much more established.

    Deanna Middleton, Aeon, BA (Hons) Product Design, 2019
    Deanna Middleton, Aeon Luggage, BA (Hons) Product Design, 2019

    For the project, I tried to imagine how the space industry will become more commercial and what future tourists may need for their trip. Currently everything on the International Space Station is very utilitarian and specialised for the entire crew, so I began to think about what would need to change for the individual.

    Aeon is designed to perform on Earth and in weightlessness. The luggage system is split into three compartments containing the items in smaller sections, to stops items floating away, increasing organisation. The handle around the outside can be grabbed from multiple directions, especially useful in Space yet also allowing for the bag to carried in different orientations whilst on Earth.

    Deanna Middleton, Aeon, BA (Hons) Product Design, 2019
    Deanna Middleton, Aeon Sketches, BA (Hons) Product Design, 2019

    Aeon can also be customised to any colour combination, and features a personalized mission patch and lining, creating a unique item for the user’s unparalleled trip to Space. The Packing system was designed to be unique and instantly recognisable, creating a new category of luggage, and an item people would want to parade on their return to Earth.

    With this project, I wanted to inspire others to think about the future world we may live in and highlight future design opportunities that could be created with the rise of new industries.

    Deanna Middleton

    Find out more about the BA (Hons) Product Design Degree Show here.

    Published on 5 June 2019
    • Subject area: Art and design
    • Category: Current students; School of Architecture, Design and the Built Environment