#HTE

Design Students for Social Good or at Least, Improving the Way We Work

Each day our editors roundup our favorite sights and projects from New York Design Week. Today we cover a few standout student projects from ICFF and WANTED Brooklyn.

KITCHEN 2.0

Ana Arana’s “Gali” kitchen is a response to the compact living spaces of urban nomads. This tiny, self-contained kitchen island packs all the bells and whistles of more traditional kitchens—food storage, prep and disposal—but can transform into an unassuming piece of architectural furniture when not in use.

ICFF Studio: Bernhardt Design, ICFF, Jacob Javits Convention Center. Through May 17.

Contain Yourself

In collaboration with the Container Store, Kikkerland hosted a design challenge for RISD students to design a new product to address one of three trends identified by the Container Store: Connected Home, Healthy Food or the “Celebrity Effect.” The winning design from Jieying Ni addressed a huge organizational issue—cable management–with an innovative design that not only cradles a power strip, but allows users to wrap multiple cables for the most efficient (and tangle-proof) solution. Cable Loft is now being sold nationwide at Container Stores.

Kikkerland, ICFF, Jacob Javits Convention Center. Through May 17.

Poppin’ Office

Office supplier Poppin teamed up with RIT’s School of Design industry partnership program, the Metaproject, to prototype new ideas for the contemporary office. From Jordan Stemper’s Connect Four-inspired desk divider to Evan Cicotta’s “High Rise” hanging organizer, the students created a comprehensive offering for modern work life by infusing a bit of fun and play into the daily grind.

RIT Metaproject, ICFF, Jacob Javits Convention Center. Through May 17.

Playtime

When we popped into the Wanted’s Design School Workshop this morning the students were busy putting the finishing touches on their afternoon presentation for the judges. Read more about the theme of this year’s workshop, Playtime, in our interview with the Workshop lead Matt Sindall of ENSCI and we look forward to seeing the final proposals this afternoon!

Wanted Brooklyn, Industry City, 274 36th Street, Brooklyn. Through May 17.

Fashion Forward

Part of Design & Flow’s presentation of design projects that address challenges for refugees and migrants, Parsons fashion student Maria Jahnkoy creates strikingly contemporary sportswear with upcycled materials like plastic bags woven using traditional craft techniques. 

Wanted Brooklyn, Industry City, 274 36th Street, Brooklyn. Through May 17.

Parallel Times

If today’s news cycle doesn’t scare you perhaps SVA’s Products of Design’s newspaper might. For Design Week the MFA students produced future advertisements and news stories from a dystopian future promoting products like Natsuki Hayashi’s end of life “cocktail kit” for assisted suicide, Jon Lung’s AlphaKIT survival kit and Roya Ramezani’s feminist Express Keyboard (above) to leverage the fine motor skills of women, a product that can help close the gender gap in tech.

Wanted Brooklyn, Industry City, 274 36th Street, Brooklyn. Through May 17.