simply brilliant: the winners and their designs

Congratulations to our four winners of the second annual simple solutions design competition! The simple solutions design competition was intended to promote creative problem-solving among students through product design, and by doing so, increase public attention and awareness of industrial design.

The competition was open to all currently enrolled students of design degree programs at U.S. institutions. The designs were judged on utility, efficiency, innovation, research utilized and aesthetics of the project.

First Prize - $5,000 scholarship
Second Prize - $500 simplehuman gift card
Third Prize - $250 simplehuman gift card

Approximately 200 entries were received for this second annual competition. The simple solutions design competition is endorsed by the Industrial Designers Society of America.

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first place:
Meghan McNeil
Grand Rapids, MI

Meghan is an Industrial Design senior and President of the IDSA Student Chapter at Kendall College of Art and Design in Grand Rapids, Michigan. After interning at Bissell Homecare Inc. for a few months, Meghan was invited to be an Industrial Designer 1 in training there. Meghan feels that being an Industrial Designer is more of a personality trait than a career choice. She says, "Just as [some] are born artists and creative thinkers, [industrial designers] are born problem solvers."

Dirty Dish Mat

Meghan's winning design is the Dirty Dish Mat, a dish mat that addresses the issues occurring on the dirty dish side of the sink. Bringing organization to the dirty dishes controls the chances of standing water to accumulate, avoids breakage from stacking, and reduces the eyesore of dishes in the sink until you are able to get to them. The tabs on the side of the dish mat release the built-in drain stopper so that the sink can be drained with the dishes and mat still sitting in the basin.

second place:
Brad Gressel
Columbus, IN

Brad will graduate with a degree in Industrial Design from Purdue University. He strives to "develop innovative ideas that solve real problems," and is particularly interested in ethnographic research and analysis. He hopes to begin his design career in the Chicago area. In his spare time, Brad enjoys writing and performance music, traveling, disc golf, and attending all types of live events.

Legada Fruit Spire

Brad's Legada Fruit Spire is a fruit bowl that keeps fruit fresh and has a modern, sculptural shape that can also serve as an eye-catching centerpiece. Grab a piece that needs to be eaten from the bottom and slide fresh pieces in the top as you buy them. The idea is that the fresh pieces of fruit are at the top of the spire, while the older pieces of fruit that should be eaten first are toward the bottom. It is intended to be made of injection molded plastic with a brushed steel accent piece.

third place (tie):
Jonathan Stebila
Allen Park, MI

Jonathan is an Industrial Design senior at Kendall College of Art and Design, Grand Rapids, Michigan. Hailing from Allen Park, Michigan, Jonathan enjoys hanging out with friends, playing tennis, and spending time outdoors. He says that his "creativity in design has been helped through [his] appreciation of the simple things in life."

Grocery Bag Bin

Jonathan's Grocery Bag Bin is a trash bin that also serves as a storage unit for grocery bags that can be used as the bin's liners. The user would pull the bag holder out to access or store the bags. By locking the bag holder back into place, the user also secures the bag being used as the liner so it won't slip.

third place (tie):
Nicole van der Lugt
Eagan, MN

Nicole is a senior in Fine Arts with an emphasis in Industrial Design and Metals at the University of Wisconsin-Stout. She is currently traveling in Europe for the summer. Nicole's inspiration comes from observing everyday human behavior, which "provides a great foundation for designs that make life easier."

scoop + serve dog dish

Nicole's scoop + serve dog dish is a simple, modern design which allows for quick and easy scooping and serving of dog food. The goal of the design was to reduce mess and consolidate the dog food scoop with the serving dish. The base of the dish is weighted so the dog won't move the dish across the floor while eating.

fostering creativity

Frank Yang, Chief Designer and CEO of simplehuman, acted as the lead juror of the competition. “The breadth of this year's entries exceeded last year's, making the decision process particularly tough,” says Yang. “It was really exciting to see all of the innovation coming from these students. It showed us that our goal of this contest—to foster creativity in making day-to-day living more efficient—was truly achieved.”

Interested in competing? Click here for information on submitting to our 2009 competition!

press releases

may 27, 2008 - simply brilliant: 2008 winners announced
december 14, 2007 - simple solutions: second annual competition
may 2, 2007 - simply brilliant: 2007 winners announced
november 17, 2006 - simple solutions: first annual competition

for inquiries:

Sarah Beachler   |   310.436.2278   |   sbeachler@simplehuman.com