Chris powers for success

By Clearing

After completing a professional design commission as part of his degree, University of Teesside student Chris Chadwick is hoping to see his radical battery packaging redesign on the shelves within a year.

The Bolton-born 20 year old is in the final year of the BA (Hons) Design Marketing degree and has completed a professional brief for Field Packaging to redesign the packaging for batteries. Field Packaging approached Teesside because one of its designers, Richard Turnock, is a graduate of the University and was familiar with the high standard of work created by the design students.

The brief looked for innovative packaging designs for batteries to replace the standard packaging used by most firms. Field Packaging will then approach the major battery companies with the design in an attempt to interest them in adopting it for their product.

Chris said: “I wanted to do both design and marketing because I thought it would make me more employable. Teesside was the only place that did both, so I’ve been learning about combining market research as well as design strategy. I’ve also learned a lot about using computers and I’m now familiar in with a lot of different design software packages.

“The brief from Field Packaging was offered to us and I jumped at the chance. Not because I have a burning desire to design the packaging for batteries, but because it was working to a real brief. It just made more sense to do my final project on something real, the kind of thing I may end up working on when I graduate, rather than just working on a design because it interested me.

“As well as working out the new design, I also developed promotional materials and looked at the different methods of displaying the new packaging. I really hope the design gets picked up by a battery firm. It would be great for my future, but it would also be really exciting for me to see it on the shelves.”

While studying, Chris has also been working on a freelance basis with The Consultancy in Billingham, A marketing communications firm where he has been offered a job on graduation.

For more information about the University of Teesside’s Design Marketing degree, and other design-related courses, call 01642 384019.

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