Congratulations to UAL Extended Diploma in Interior Architecture & Product Design (3D) student Amanpreet, who won the Pro Carton Young Designers Public Choice Award this year.

The competition which was set as part of a project brief for her course allowed Amanpreet and her fellow students to engage with the international competition; which is now Europe’s leading annual young talent competition for packaging design. The competition focuses exclusively on carton board design which helps promote sustainable packaging. The project saw students develop design ideas around a group of categories:

“I decided to create packaging for food and drink, Neil (Course Leader) got in contact with The Velveteen Rabbit, a couple of weeks after, they had a meeting with us talking about what they wanted, I asked them questions over email afterwards and I decided to make something for their Afternoon Tea. I designed a flower bud that blooms when the petals are twisted open, revealing stackable trays of treats – there are 2 trays and space for 6 treats on each tray. I adapted the tiered concept to replicate that experience of afternoon tea as a takeaway.”

The Velveteen Rabbit Luncheon Club is a restaurant based in Great Ayton that specialise in Afternoon Tea, Pastries, Sausage Rolls and much more. Aesthetically as a brand, they draw on inspirations from the original book by Margery Williams which was illustrated by William Nicholson as well as “all of those family stories of traditional sweet shops and bakeries.”

In keeping with this identity Amanpreet designed her project to fit in with the restaurants style “Their style was very eclectic and they also loved nature, so I decided to do a flower-like box that opens and unfurls by twisting the petals to then present the treats in front of you. Also, I cut small patterns into  the box for the graphic design and also to be able to take sneak peaks of the food inside. I did four different design styles for the graphics and they picked one they really liked!”

Creating the concept required sampling and working with different methods: “I had to research into and experiment with origami, different shapes, tessellations, the graphics, and also, how the compartments would pop up and be sturdy enough to hold treats inside. One of my goals was for the packaging to be quick and easy to put up, so I had to change and tweak my ideas for quite some time until I was happy with it.”

Amanpreet, who is based in Stockton and studied at Ian Ramsey CE Academy before joining The Northern School of Art, was proactive in promoting her entry in to the competition “After I finished my design, I printed out leaflets and handed them out to neighbors to try and ‘sell’ my design to see if they could vote for me.”

After finding out about being shortlisted for an award, a ceremony for the competition was hosted online “I got an email saying you’ve been selected for the ceremony. I remember getting ready, having butterflies in my stomach, feeling so nervous! Our reactions were being recorded. I was sitting in my room upstairs and my sister was faintly knocking on the door then slipping a piece of paper underneath where she had jotted something down – asking if I’d won! They called out four people before me and then for the public award, I had no idea who would win, I just sat there, holding my breath. There was a moment of silence… and they called out my name! My face appeared on the screen, I felt so shocked, I almost cried.”

Speaking about the course here at The Northern School of Art Amanpreet said “I definitely recommend going to art school, everyone does a-levels but this is something different.. it’s a really different experience you don’t do exams it’s course work but you get loads of experience. They tell you what to do but you are able to do them to your own ability, you can do what you want. The lecturers let you grow to your own abilities”

Working collaboratively with The Velveteen Rabbit is just the start! Amanpreet has been enterprising in gaining experience locally and seeking career advice from professionals, including working with The Festival of Thrift designing garments for the fashion show and reaching out to Architects via linkedin for advice on courses and even gaining an online internship.

When asked if she had any advice for future students Amanpreet recommended putting yourself out there: “Get out there and show people your talents, work hard on them and get used to rejections (try to not take things personally, I’m guilty of this myself). Because most people will ignore you – but that’s OK… You just need to be so good at what you are doing that they can’t ignore you!”

You can see more of Amanpreets work here:

• Instagram: @Amanpreetkaurkang_
• LinkedIn: Amanpreet Kang
• Youtube: Amanpreet Kang
• Linktree: @AmanpreetKang

If you are interested in product design, architecture, 3D and model making this course give students the skills and opportunities needed to explore your ideas properly and gain the experience you need! Find out more on our website!