Scotland’s Young Designer of the Year praised for use of architectural influences
An artist who specialises in ceramics
has been named Scotland’s Young Product Designer of the Year in recognition of
his ‘outstanding’ and ‘highly original’ work.
Scott Crawford, 24, lifted the award in
a competition run by the Scottish Design Exchange (SDX).
Scott, who graduated from Greys Art
School, in Aberdeen, last year after studying ceramics, beat dozens of other
young artists and craftspeople to lift the award.
Judges praised how he uses the
physical world around him to generate ideas and particularly the influence
of Scottish and Scandanavian on his work.
Kilmarnock-born Scott produces a range
of bespoke, self-designed products at a workshop in the east end of Glasgow. He
also has a second job, as a retail sales assistant, until he can afford to
become a full-time professional designer.
As winner of the Young Product Designer
of the Year award, Scott will receive £1000 prize money as well as free sales
space on the SDX website and in its stores in Edinburgh and Glasgow for one
year.
He said: “There are so many fantastic
young designers in Scotland and to win this award is like a dream come true.
“I know how
tough the competition will have been and I can’t thank the judges and the SDX
enough for giving me this honour.”
Scott plans
to use the money to invest in marketing his products to a wider audience.
Competition
judge Mike Stevenson, who is chairman of the SDX said: “Scott strikes me as a
highly intelligent young designer. I loved his vision of pushing Scottish
design into the future. His products really are beautiful, original and when
you learn they are inspired by scottish coastal architecture it makes you
realise that he is a young man in touch with his environment and with a
strong, purposeful approach to design. I can see his products becoming
must haves in many Scottish homes.”
SDX is a not-for-profit social enterprise which has given retail
space to over 300 artists, helping them to turn over more than £1.1million in
revenue, since it was launched in 2015.
The competition invited entries from 16 to 25-year-olds who had
great design ideas but who lacked the resources to make them become a reality.
The best ideas were shortlisted, and a winner and runner-up were chosen by a
panel of experts.
Notes:
- Runner-up in the Young Product Designer of the Year competition is Rosey Norman, a fashion designer living in Glasgow.
- Rosey, 22 will receive £250 prize money as well as free sales space on the SDX website and in its stores in Glasgow for one month.
- The competition was judged by a panel of experts, including Jill Murphy (ThinRedLine Design), Mike Stevenson (Thinktastic and SDX chairman), Evelyn MacDonald (Scottish Edge), Kristen Hunter (Whisky Frames), Lynzi Leroy (SDX), Judith Wright (SDX) and Sylvia Douglas (MsMissMrs).
- For more information on the SDX visit www.scottishdesignexchange.com
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