Design students do their bit to prevent shack fires
REDESIGNED: The FireFighter is a Chinese product reinterpreted for a local audience
Wednesday, 20 August 2014
CPUT Design students have turned their talents to alleviating the scourge of shack fires.
Students from Industrial, Graphic and Surface Design were tasked with creating customised packaging for an imported fire prevention tool called the Fireball.
The FireFighter is exported from China where it is used successfully in factories and small apartments.
The circular ball is tossed or rolled into the fire then explodes when its sensors detect the heat.
Students were divided into multidisciplinary groups of six and had four days to redesign the Chinese packaging of the FireFighter to suit a local audience.
They then presented their work to a panel and a winner was chosen.
One of the winning students Sebastian Bosman, who studies Industrial Design, says each discipline brought its own specialty to the project.
“I think our product is a good reflection of the huge amount of work we put in, the brief was also very specific and the lecturers were very hands on during the process,” he says.
“Everything from the colours to how the packaging could have a dual purpose was carefully considered.”
Industrial Design students focused on the actual packaging and wall mounting, Graphic Design students concentrated on reinterpreting the instructions while the Surface Design students concentrated on the materials used.
The FireFighter is a community outreach project of local company Ritcom who envisage distributing it in vulnerable areas soon.
Written by Lauren Kansley
Tel: +27 21 953 8646
Email: kansleyl@cput.ac.za
Liaises with the media and writes press releases about interesting developments at CPUT.
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