Innovations produced with funding from a design project are being showcased at three special events at the Millennium Point Thinktank in Birmingham.
The ground-breaking developments have all been helped by Different by Design – a #2.7 million project backed by Advantage West Midlands and aimed at encouraging Staffordshire businesses to make better use of world class design.
They have come together at three events under the name "Reality" which mark the project’s third birthday and demonstrate how ideas became real products with the help of design.
Different by Design case studies presented at the events include a portable football dugout from Touchline Pro, a fireproof IT safe from Security Logistics, a range of composite domestic furniture, an air-conditioning unit for beds, a height-adjustable wash basin and a showerproof motorcycle cover.
Speakers at the events include Phil Extance, director of innovation at Advantage West Midlands, David Draycott of Business Link West Midlands, Professor Chris Birch from Staffordshire University, and Lynda Relph Knight, editor of Design Week.
Project director Bruce Wood, who leads Different by Design, said: "As the project celebrates its third anniversary these products demonstrate the results. By putting design in the lead role, we have enabled the transformation of fragile ideas into real products."
Project director Mo Trudel added: "Different by Design demonstrates in a practical way how designers and industry together can breathe new life into the West Midlands."
