Can do!
Fri, 03 Aug 2012 09:41:00 BST
A DESIGN student at the University of Huddersfield has reinvented the watering can, winning an award in the process. And big retailers have cause to be grateful, because they have long been disgruntled by the traditional design.
“Conventional watering cans are large cumbersome objects which are expensive to ship because they don't stack,” says Anthony Hodson (pictured). It means that when a store orders a large number of them, they are paying for air, he adds.
Anthony, who lives in Royton, Oldham, and who has now graduated in product design from the University, was alerted to the watering can conundrum by one of his tutors, Chris Howard. He took the design challenge on board and developed a new product which he names Aqua Twist (see illustration below). Ingeniously, by means of a quick 180 degree twist of the spout, it can be used as both a watering can and a bucket. And crucially, as far as retailers are concerned, it can easily and economically be stacked. See the design in action at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TR-_IHhAhtk
“It allows the customer to wash their car and water their garden with the same product,” says Anthony. “The twist-able spout provides a small footprint so it is good for storage and with its stackable feature it is reasonably low cost for manufacture and shipping.”
After his brainwave and development work, the next stage for Anthony was to enter his Aqua Twist into a prestigious annual contest run by the organisation New Designers, which for the past 30 years has sought out the best talent among the UK’s design graduates.
Anthony’s idea was entered in a category for product design sponsored by the retail giant Wilkinson, which had long been aware of the watering can issue.
Judges were highly impressed by Aqua Twist. “We feel this product has commercial vision, functionality, is innovative and ready for market. This product has been designed with both the retailer and the customer in mind,” was their verdict.
Anthony wins a prize of £500 plus a period of paid work placement with Wilkinson at its Worksop HQ. And he will work with the company on producing a prototype of Aqua Twist, so there is every chance that his ingenious product will soon be on sale.
It was at Crompton House School in Oldham that Anthony, now aged 22, chose product design for one of his A-levels, leading him to study the subject for a BSc degree at the University of Huddersfield. To create his designs he uses both sophisticated computer software and traditional drawing skills - for Anthony is also an artist, who has a sideline in creating and selling abstract pictures.
See his artwork at www.ajhart.co.uk
