NTU BSc Product Design student wins the inaugural Design Truth Award
BSc Product Design student, Sam Russell, has been announced as the winner of the Inaugural Design Truth Student Award for his smart assistant device for Deaf and Hard of Hearing users.
The Design Truth student awards were created to celebrate the work and the people behind it. Designed (& carved) by gomi, the Design Truth student award presented an amazing opportunity for design students nationally to win something that can provide crucial momentum in their early endeavours within industrial / product design.
The Design Truth student awards were carved to celebrate the work and the people behind it. Design Truth sought to challenge the status quo with an inclusive programme aimed not only at those who can afford the winning fee. The Design Truth student awards kickstarted the week of New Designers with a sold-out evening reigniting the fun, reinserting just why there is so much hype around Design Truth.
By winning the Design Turth Awards, Sam Russell receives the specially designed Design Truth Trophy, and will also receive 6-weeks of paid work-experience with design agencies Studio Wood & Aetha Design. Sam also received free tickets to a Design Truth event and will receive a portfolio masterclass from Nick Chubb helping Sam to become job ready.
Sam Russell created ‘Janus’ to support people who encounter difficulties when interacting with voice recognition devices – which are increasingly becoming an integral part of everyday lives. Janus not only provides a solution for Deaf users, but also improves the experience for hearing users, whilst addressing the aesthetic and affordability issues observed in products on sale for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing.
The result is a smart speaker that would not look out of place in a modern home, with accessibility features up-front such as a written transcript of the request and the answer, as well as visual light indicators confirming the request has been received. To enhance usability further, a camera system, aided by artificial intelligence, has been incorporated to allow for sign language input, recognition and translation to written transcription.
One of the main objectives of this project was not only to produce a design that could work, but to highlight the fact that the technology exists to produce products like this on an affordable scale that look great too. Traditionally, technology designed to be used by those with disabilities comes with a price tag that is out of reach for the majority of people and still looks like it was invented in the 1970s. I have shown with the development of this product that this doesn’t have to be the case.
Sam Russell, winner of the inaugural Design Truth reflected on his award/the award ceremony and said: “The Design Truth London event was welcoming from the get-go, thanks to Brad and the team. They made sure all the online content was captioned and provided a British Sign Language interpreter during the main speech and prize-giving ceremony.
The atmosphere was incredibly exciting. As a young designer, it was fantastic to start connecting with others in the industry and to become part of this amazing network set up by DT and the opportunities to learn, network, and grow professionally. Design Truth continues to pave the way for a more inclusive and connected design community, demonstrating their commitment to accessibility and the professional growth of emerging young designers.”
Brad Harper from Design Truth said: “Our judging criteria stuck to the core of what we felt aspirational design should encapsulate: originality, high levels of skill & execution with a clear social need. We were not interested in yet another chair, lamp or hairdryer. Sam's work not only hit all three, but he is a tremendously likeable individual who will be a role model for years to come. We wish him the best for his career.”
BSc Product Design course leader Dr Joseph Stewart added: “Sam’s achievement is testament to a faultless work ethic, superb sense of empathy, and comprehensive array of design skills. Throughout his time on the BSc (Hons) Product Design course at Nottingham Trent University, he has been a model student and is an inspiration to both his peers and the academic staff. Soon to embark upon the first step of what I am certain will be a long and illustrious career in design, Sam will be an asset to all future employers.”
Richard Malcolm, Senior Lecturer in Product Design at NTU, who supervised Sam throughout his final year studies said: “Seeing Sam’s progression as a designer during his time at NTU has been massively encouraging and observing the development of JANUS, up close, has been tremendous. JANUS was born out of Sam’s lived experience and a deep desire to address clear issues with products for D/deaf people, coupled with a drive to produce a truly inclusive product. Sam has certainly achieved this and the recognition and accolades his work has attracted is very much deserved. We are proud to have him as a NTU, BSc (Hons) Product Design, alumni, wish him all the best in his design career, and look forward to inviting him back to inspire more designers of the future.”
Sam’s design featured in the 2024 Nottingham Trent University (NTU) Student Showcase at the end of May. The Showcase is one of the UK’s largest displays of graduating art and design talent with hundreds of student projects going on public display. Following this, Sam’s work was displayed at the New Designers Exhibition, an annual London showcase of the UK’s most innovative emerging design talent, at the Business Design Centre in Islington from 3rd – 7th July and received further accolades for his design.
More information on Design Truth and the Design Truth Awards can be found here: https://www.designtruth.co.uk/awards