Dott 07

Where do dead hairdryers go? Where did all the components of your car come from, and what happens to them when the vehicle will no longer work? Our whole attitude towards consumer goods and our 'disposable culture' comes under scrutiny in the D&AD Global Student Awards 'Stuff-O-Meter' graphic design competition, sponsored by Dott 07.

Most of us are aware of the waste we produce, and the fact that we are operating in a culture where we are encouraged to throw things away and replace them with new rather than fix them. Just as we can cut down on household waste once we have information on recycling, or cut our energy use once we are made aware of how to do so, so we can limit the environmental impact of the goods we buy when we have clear information about their history.

Design students were asked to look at any common household durable product and design a visual representation of its lifetime use of material resources from 'cradle to grave'. The information had to be presented in a form that a consumer would use, such as an information leaflet, a website page, or a display on a mobile phone, in a compelling way. It's aimed at enabling consumers to make an informed choice about their goods before they buy, or to inform retailers about a product's environmental credentials before they order from their suppliers.

Every product we use has a hidden history, a list of wasted or lost materials that are used in its production up to the point that we purchase it, from production to transport and packaging. The amount of waste matter generated in making a single laptop computer is, for example, close to four thousand times its weight sitting on your lap, and that's before you've even removed the packaging. Fifteen to nineteen tons of energy and materials are consumed in the fabrication of one desktop computer.

In everything we use there is a whole list of wasted materials in production, from slurry and sludge, to construction gases and methane. These days, we are able to judge quite precisely how much waste is generated per consumer - one million pounds in weight per year in North America and not much less in Europe. Clear information would give us the ability to start reducing this, and reduce our waste of the planets resources.

The entry deadline was Friday 23 March 2007. Extra resource information for the competition was available at the Doors of Perception blog.

In its 29th year, the D&AD Global Student Awards 2007 highlight the best emerging talent in design, advertising and creative communications from colleges and universities around the world. Leading creative and business professionals within the global creative community judge the work submitted to the 32 briefs, and the winning work was celebrated on the evening of 28 June 2007.

One hundred and twenty lucky teams from 24 countries are nominated for D&AD Student Yellow Pencils. Judges selected a record 394 pieces of work for the D&AD Student Annual from 3600 entries this year, making it the most competitive D&AD student competition yet.

Judging took place with the following rounds:

'In Book' Selection
Judges vote on whether work deserves to go into the D&AD Student Annual. All work that goes through must fulfill the criteria: a good idea, well crafted or executed and answers the brief.

Second and First Prize Awards
Once judges have agreed on what will go 'In Book', prizes are allocated to exceptional work on the following basis:

Commendation
Awarded to entries that that rise above the creative level of the 'In Book' work, but may not be up to winning an actual prize. Commended entries recieve a certificate and £250.

Second Prize
Answers the briefs requirements and shows excellence in originality, craft or execution. Second prizewinner receives a D&AD Student Yellow Pencil, certificate and £400.

First Prize
This is the one outstanding entry. A great idea, right on brief and brilliantly executed. It must stand out from the crowd. First prize receives a D&AD Student Yellow Pencil, certificate and £1000.

All first prize winners are put forward for consideration for Student of the Year - the most prestigious prize. This year Student of the Year was Scott Evans.

Congratulations to everyone who took part in Stuff-O-Meter. The winning list for the Stuff-O-Meter brief looks like this:

Student Name	Award Status	College Display
Daniel Foster-Smith	First	Northumbria University
Wesley Richardson	Second	Ravensbourne College of Design & Communication
Mark Nicoll	Commendation	Middlesex University
John Hudson	Commendation	Staffordshire University
James Godwin	Commendation	Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design
Tom Pendergast	In Book	London College of Communication
Stuart Ford	In Book	University of Hertfordshire
Seral Mustafa	In Book	London College of Communication
Sarah Parkes	In Book	Southampton Solent University
Rebecca Blackett, Lara Collins	In Book	Kingston University
Michael Tripolt	In Book	University of Applied Arts Vienna
Lyn Tang	In Book	Staffordshire University
Kumi Kato	In Book	London College of Communication
Kevin Yeo, Yuko Sugimoto	In Book	Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design
Jonathan Sanders	In Book	Ravensbourne College of Design & Communication
James Lefrere	In Book	London College of Communication
David Cunningham	In Book	Manchester Metropolitan University (CH)

Download the Stuff-O-Meter brief below.