Product Design wins Pro Carton Young Designers Award

Third year BA (Hons) Product Design student, Dariusz Kowalczyk, has won the UK Pro Carton Young Designers Award for his innovative, sustainable packaging design. Dariusz is the third  Ravensbourne student to have been recognised at the awards for their refreshing designs. 

Each year, Pro Carton, the European association of Carton and Cartonboard manufacturers, invites designers to develop a brand-new packaging concept using cartonboard. The winner of this year’s UK Young Designers Award, Dariusz Kowalczyk, picked up the first-place prize and a complimentary iPad for his ‘Big Yellow Driving School’ toy car packaging. The award was presented to Dariusz by Tony Hitchin, General Manager of Pro Carton, and Jon Clark, General Manager of BPIF Cartons, at an award ceremony at Ravensbourne on 20 November.

Dariusz’ winning design incorporates the cartonboard packaging as an enjoyable extension of the toy. Speaking about his design, he said, “the majority of children’s toys are wrapped excessively with single-use plastic, which causes frustration as not only is this detrimental to the environment, but scissors are often necessary to release the toy. This inspired me to create a sustainable alternative, which is opened easily and isn’t destined for landfill.”

The BA (Hons) Product Design course at Ravensbourne teaches students how to create projects that eradicate outdated design and enhance the user experience. With teaching that hones both digital and physical design skills, Ravensbourne students have repeatedly impressed the judges at the Pro Carton Young Designers Award, having won the European category for three successive years. 

Tony Hitchin, General Manager of Pro Carton added: “The UK Young Designers Award is a positive initiative that reaches out to some of the UK’s most creative young thinkers who share Pro Carton’s values and aims of protecting the environment through cartonboard packaging. We were delighted to receive so many innovative entries this year, but Dariusz’ design truly captured the five R’s of responsibility that we feel so strongly about; reduce, renew, replace, reuse, and recycle. We hope even more universities and colleges will get involved in 2020.”

Entries are currently open for the next Pro Carton awards. Find out more about entering the competition at Pro Carton.