Avril O’Neil (BA Design, 2010) and John Nussey of ONN Studio won the first round of Design Council Spark for Ding, a doorbell connected to your phone informing you when visitors are waiting at the door. Design Council Spark is a product innovation fund dedicated to uncovering the UK’s next great inventions.
Design Council hosted a Spark showcase on 24 September at Somerset House as part of London Design Festival, where each winner received a further award of £50k to support their progress to market.
The three winners in this first round were selected from an original group of three hundred and fifty applicants, of which thirty were shortlisted and invited to a weekend workshop to gain guidance from a selection of experts. Eight finalists were offered places on the fast-track twenty-week programme.
The finalists then pitched in front of an investment panel which included Design Council staff, Design Entrepreneurs, Intellectual Property and Investment experts, leading to the final three awards.
Other inventions in development from finalists range from a composting tool to desktop factory equipment, an illuminating prayer mat, a passenger comfort product to reduce ear-pain during flight, and an easy to use hook and loop zip.
Following on from this success, Design Council have launched a call for entries for the second round of Design Council Spark. To qualify you must be a UK resident aged over eighteen years old, and no previous design experience is required. Your idea must be a physical, non-technological product at the prototype stage. Apply now.
Read the original press release.
