Hillstreet Shopping Centre challenged students across Middlesbrough and Teesside to create a design that captured the heart of Middlesbrough to feature on a limited edition reusable shopping bag. Ben Ryder, a second year Product Design student at Teesside University was selected as the winner of the competition. His design features the iconic Anish Kapoor Temenos structure, Middlesbrough’s Transporter Bridge, Institute of Modern Art, Middlesbrough’s Football Club and the Teesside University logo, in a quirky design to showcase all things great about Middlesbrough.
As well as having his design featured on new Hillstreet Shopping Centre bags for life, Ben also won an Apple iPad along with a £50 gift card to spend at Hillstreet Shopping Centre.
Ben said: “I am overwhelmed to be chosen as the winner of Hillstreet Shopping Centre’s ‘In The Bag’ competition. As a student of Product Design, this competition has given me the chance to work creatively on a specific brief which is a great experience. I am aware how valuable these experiences can be to building a strong CV once I graduate, especially in other areas of design, such as graphic design and this will definitely be a strong and impressive portfolio piece. I am very excited that my design will feature on bags that will be carried by shoppers in Middlesbrough and I can’t wait to see the final product.”
Peter Drabble, Centre Manager said “Here at Hillstreet we pride ourselves on having an active relationship within our community and we always look for ways that we can support them. This year we wanted to support and promote budding artists in the area and give them an opportunity to boost their portfolio. Ben’s bold design really stood out as it captured all things great about Middlesbrough in an innovative and quirky way. We are delighted to be able to assist Ben and promote the strength of his work and passion for Arts and Design. We look forward to be able to use the bags for life in an upcoming event.”
Hillstreet is the retail destination for Middlesbrough. Operating at the heart of the community, our shopping centre is anchored by M&S, Primark and Debenhams. To find out more about Hillstreet, please visit our website.