Calling all creatives: The British Council is looking to send 2 young Malaysian designers to Seoul, Korea to participate in The 48 Hour Inclusive Design Challenge. Participants will collaborate alongside people living with disabilities to create an inclusive design solution… within 48 hours. The entire process will be guided by leading design professionals from the UK (and no doubt, a lot of coffee).

Definitely a competition where winning matters much less than the opportunity of being there and letting your creativity do its best work. Read for yourself the experiences of a past participant Wong Wai Lam from Woogleworks. He worked with visually impaired partners to create a bluetooth listening accessory. The images in this post show the process from brainstorming to the final product. It’s amazing how much can be achieved in 48 hours. Necessity really is the mother of invention.

All the information you need below, and you can download the application form here.

(All images are courtesy and copyright of Woogleworks and cannot be used without permission)

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Calling all designers

The 48 Hour Inclusive Design Challenge returns this October to the stunning and thrilling city of Seoul, Korea. This year’s theme is ‘Innovation through Inclusive Design’.

We are scouting for 2 young, talented and passionate designers to participate in this year’s challenge that will take place from 12 to 14 October 2009.

For interested applicants, here are the entry requirements:

• designers from any design discipline
• minimum 3-year working experience in design
• good English communication skills

Successful participants will be afforded an exceptional opportunity for self-development and networking, all expenses paid! Please send all applications to arts@britishcouncil.org.my by 13 September 2009.

What is the 48 Hours Inclusive Design Challenge?

Structure
For the 48 Hour Inclusive Design Challenge in Seoul, teams composed of 6~7 young designers from Korea and other countries assisted by student interns will be led by a leading design professionals from the UK. The brief will be delivered on the opening day and teams will need to come up with an inclusive design solution over a period of 48 hours.

Each team will work with a single disabled design partner and respond to their needs and aspirations. The teams will present their inclusive design proposals to Seoul Design Olympiad attendees and the design community on the afternoon of Day 3. (Judging style : Audience voting & panel of expert judges)

Schedule

• Welcoming Reception: 11 October 2009
• Workshop: 12 – 14 October
• Presentation: 1400 on 14 October (tbc)
• Farewell Party: 14 October

Venue
Seminar Room for Workshop and Special Air-Dome Stage for Presentation (in the Jamsil Sports Complex, Seoul)

Background of the Inclusive Design Challenge
The origins can be traced to the first DBA Inclusive Design Challenge, an annual mentored design competition organized since 2000 by the Royal College of Art Helen Hamlyn Centre (HHC) in collaboration with the Design Business Association (DBA), the UK’s leading trade organisation for designers. The aim of this simple designer-friendly mechanism has been to transfer knowledge about the inclusive design process to design firms and their industry clients and show how interaction with disabled people could be a direct route to mainstream product and service innovation. It has resulted in a range of innovative mainstream inclusive design solutions, which span all design disciplines from product, graphic, fashion, web, interaction, space, environment design, etc.

The first DBA Inclusive Design Challenge made a major impact and has proved to be a powerful network-building tool for collaboration between designers, engineers, marketing, and PR specialists and disabled people. So influential has it been that the Helen Hamlyn Centre has subsequently developed and extended the model in various contexts, in the UK and internationally. Typically, the new networks built by the Challenge continue after the event has ended giving it a long-term impact and transforming it from a single event to one that brings long-term benefits.

What is the ‘Inclusive Design’
Design of mainstream products and/or services that are accessible to, and usable by, people with the widest range of abilities within the widest range of situations without the need for special adaptation or design.

For more information, please contact us at arts@britishcouncil.org.my or 603 – 27237963 / 7988.