We were excited yesterday to launch Designing for the Future 2017 at the University of Brighton's newly refurbished Edward Street building. Now in its eighth year, hundreds of UK design students have taken part in this project devised by Philippa Aldrich of The Future Perfect Company to encourage designers to consider the challenges of ageing
In the new year The Future Perfect Company will be changing. Gone will be the shop and instead the emphasis will shift to “Designing for the Future”. And here’s why. When I opened the shop 6 years ago, it was an attempt to focus on the ageing market. I was in my late 40s
Peter Dale from South EastEngland Forum on Ageing (SEEFA) was one of our Designing for the Future judges this year and Philippa was delighted to be asked by him to join the AGE UK and SEEFA Policy Panel on Later Life and Ageing at the stunning Royal Air Force Club in London in November. SEEFA and Age UK
The Future Perfect Company has recently teamed up with Beta Futures to work on an exciting intergenerational project. Beta Futures aims to keep the lives of the 50+ in our society vibrant and worthwhile, making use of their skills and expertise they have gained over a lifetime. However, with the ageing population at its
Last week we were delighted to meet up again with the talented Jack Durling, runner up in our Designing for the Future competition in 2013, at Handmade at Kew where he was exhibiting some of his new work. Handmade at Kew is a unique opportunity to browse, buy or commission beautiful and original work direct from over 200 of
This year the Designing for the Future project with the University of Brighton produced many interesting designs for ageing. Here BSc sports product design student Arun Joshi talks about his design, Allegro which aims to reduce falls by strengthening leg muscles using music making : "Tasked with producing a product for the ageing population
Back pain, tricky seat belts and memory loss were some of the challenges targeted by this year’s Designing for the Future entrants. Designing for the Future run by The Future Perfect Company in conjunction with the University of Brighton encourages student designers to think about the challenges and issues affecting our ageing population –
A dial phone-inspired pill box has won this year’s Designing for the Future Competition at The College of Richard Collyer. Designing for the Future,encourages student designers to think about the challenges affecting our ageing population – and to create innovative and attractive designs which allow older people to continue to live meaningful, enjoyable, active
Our last blog post talked about my personal experience of how my late mother-in-law used or ignored assistive technology, those adaptations or bits of kits designed to make getting older easier. Here, occupational therapist, Maggie Winchcombe of Years Ahead, shares her thoughts and expertise: To start with your second-to-last question first... is your experience
I have spent the last 5 years championing the role good product design can play in improving people’s lives as they get older. Last month, I spent a week clearing out the house of my mother in law who died in January and unearthing all sorts of “useful” assistive products which had been designed
