Hannah Cosnett with her final year project of an innovative stackable light with detachable layers.
Student designer Hannah Cosnett completed an internship with a ceramics firm in Bali – and got to see her unique tea set produced professionally.
She was selected for the trip-of-a-lifetime after taking part in a live brief through her BA (Hons) Product, Furniture, Ceramics degree at University of Staffordshire. The client was Indonesian-based Kevala Ceramics and she presented her ideas to the firm’s Chief Executive, who was visiting England at the time.
Hannah, 22, said: “They gave us a brief to make an Asian-inspired tea set. I came up with a Japanese inspiration for mine. I was one of two winners and we both got to spend nine weeks with the company in Bali.
“It was a bit daunting to go halfway across the world, but it was so interesting to see the ins and outs of the design world. We went to different departments at the company. It wasn’t just factory departments, but also marketing and sales. We made glaze as well.”
For the live brief, Hannah had created a striking teapot and had shown her product development process to Kevali Ceramics. Using her computer-aided design work, the company went on to make plaster moulds and crafted the final pieces at the factory. These were given to her as a memento of her trip.
“I want to go into the design world for a career and this has been a good head start for me,” added Hannah, from Warwick, who is graduating this summer.
Live briefs are an important part of the Product, Furniture, Ceramics degree. One of the lecturers already had connections with Kevali Ceramics and arranged the collaboration with students. The other winning student who went to Bali was Lilly Smith.
Hannah, who completed the internship at the end of her second year, has enjoyed a wide range of opportunities on the degree. She said: “This course has been perfect for me. I’m so glad I chose this uni.”
For her final-year project, she has created a portable, stackable light with detachable layers.
“It’s supposed to be for a family,” she said. “Each family member can have a light and take it with them. Once they need to recharge it, they can bring it back to the stack. I wanted to pay homage to the Danish concept of hygge.”